Maybe I'm wrong, but that is the common stereotype to see wolves as predatory in a symbolic way though, especially in stories and fables.
Their is a difference between being predatory, and being psychopathic. I may be wrong, but didn't the C's say that psychopathy is a distinctly human trait? Animals, on the other hand, rely solely on instinct and are hard-wired for survival. It is difficult to fault any animal for doing what it needs to survive in the wilderness. That's a difficult life out there. And why is there such a big deal made out of animals attacking humans? Are we not also edible? They are hungry, we are meat. What other considerations does a predator need to make? I guess the only other factor would be the possibility that their prey could attack them, which is why predators avoid humans for the most part. Not an easy catch, but sometimes hunger overrides everything else.
Heimdallr, you are correct. Upon further thought, I don't think it would be possible for a wolf to survive without this predatory trait. For some reason I had the concepts of predation and psychopathy confused in my thinking today. Predation in humans can be the result of psychopathy, but predation alone doesn't imply psychopathy. And in animals, who knows exactly what their psychological world consists of? I don't think anybody can say that for sure. It must be very different from our own.
Yes, my bad, I did not use concise language, once again, my apologies.
No, my apologies, I didn't mean to come off so sounding harsh regarding your post. I clearly saw something in it that wasn't there and I should have asked for clarification. It was my misunderstanding.
You state that wolves have preyed on domesticated animals. Well, yes they have. But maybe you should also ask yourself why.
I actually did ponder this today. I would guess that the best answer would probably be habitat encroachment. Although, as long as humans and wolves must live on this planet, it would be best to do so in separate regions instead of trying to exist in the same region/eco-system, I think. But that would be true of a lot of other animals too. I'm not sure how something like that could be accomplished. I've been a long time supporter of preserving land for wildlife purposes. Something along these lines seems like the best solution.
So, of course, the human's solution to this is to demonize the wolf and go out and kill it and its pack.
However, all the wolves are trying to do is fill their bellies. They are not "acting" psychopathic. Do you understand what I am trying to say?
Yes, I do, it makes perfect sense now. As I stated above, I was confusing these concepts of predation and psychopathy. My only pondering is if predation in the animal world could be compared in some ways to psychopathy in humans, but on further thinking and from reading the posts on here, I see this is a wrong path and probably useless path of thought.
FWIW, I feel like I've learned more about wolves today than I think I ever would have otherwise
