The Shadow of a Rainbow and Never Cry Wolf

It has been said that the wolf is one of the most voracious and horrifying animals that exist in nature today. But, in all reality, is that actually true? One is unable to make an assumption such as this without a firsthand experience, or so that is expressed in In The Shadow of a Rainbow and Never Cry Wolf. Authors Robert Franklin Leslie and Farley Mowat make every attempt to convey the true nature of the wolf throughout their journeys, as they prove claims falsely accusing wolves, with documented evidence of complete vigilance. These works of literary nonfiction effectively refute anti-wolf claims made within them through being dangerous to the wildlife, dangerous to humans, and viciousness.
Being a dangerous threat to the wildlife is an anti-wolf claim that is expressed within literary nonfiction. In Never Cry Wolf, local people are very quick to blame the wolves for damage done to their food sources as well as their surrounding nature. According to Mowat, “’Listen,’ he said challengingly, ‘you’ve been screaming for proof wolves butcher the herds. Well, hitch up your team and get out to Fishduck Lake. You’ll get your proof! One of my trappers come in an hour ago and he seen fifty deer down on the ice, all of ‘em killed by wolves—and hardly a mouthful of the meat had been touched!’” (Mowat 236). This example proves that the local people find it easier to blame the wolves for mistakes that they have blatantly made themselves. As believable as this could possibly be, one really needs to look at the big scenery (literally) to fully understand that, in most cases, these false accusations are not possible for a wolf to achieve. Mowat claims that, “Unfortunately for the ‘proof’, none of these deer could have been attacked b...

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...fe was presented through untrue accusations of animal genocides and of people perishing at the wolves’ teeth. Wolves are vicious when threatened, as most living creatures are through natural instinct, but this doesn’t give the right to blame the wolves for situations that weren’t legitimately caused by them. In the end, the wolves are the ones who end up suffering, as they are killed for rewards and the humans don’t want to take responsibilities for their own infamous actions. It truly is unfair, as by the time the wolf is rightly understood, the greater portion of the wolf population collectively just may possibly be extinct.

Works Cited

Mowat, Farley. Never Cry Wolf. First. New York, New York: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown Company, 2001. Print.
Leslie, Robert Franklin. In the Shadow of a Rainbow . New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1996. Print.