Wolf Family Values

The Wolves role in an ecosystem keeps natural order stable. Without wolves the number of prey would rise and natural order would be disastrous. In both texts the authors use scientific research to support their beliefs about wolves. Overall both texts support their claims on wolves. However “Wolf Family Values” by Sharon Levy, provides a stronger case as to the desperate need to protect the wolf population. In comparison to Ed Yong’s “Scared to Death.”

The article “Scared to Death” by Ed Yong, had several excellent arguments as to why we need the wolf population; the overall article focused on the effect of wolves rather than the wolves themselves. Although Yong uses several scientific researches to help support his point, the overall
Levy focuses her article on the importance of wolf family values, and the importance of wolves in an ecosystem. She also uses an ethical appeal by arguing that “The hunting of wolves warps their social structure, ripping apart family ties and traditions that define wolf society.” Levy connects to her audience’s moral values of family and traditions that not only humans have but wolves too. By explaining that hunting wolves are harming the structure of wolf society, she also expresses the effects it has on the ecosystem. Levy states that “ Older wolves pass knowledge down to younger pack members, and that human hunting disrupts this natural order.” This statement explains that by us, humans, killing of wolf packs and not protecting the wolf population it is unbalancing the natural order of life. Throughout her article Levy continues to plead her case as to why we should protect the pack. She uses two different types of wolves, a grey wolf pack from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, and eastern wolf pack from Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. Both of these studies showed that “intact wolf packs boost the diversity of plants and songbirds, and increase populations of beaver and amphibians, all by limiting the numbers and grazing patterns of elk and other large
Yong focused more on the effects the wolves had on the ecosystem, while Levy focused on the effects of not having wolves present had. However in “Wolf Family Values” it is clearer stated how important and crucial it is to keep everything in order. Levy does a better job expressing the importance of the wolf population. She uses Two different types of wolves, facts about each wolf, wolf family values, and why we should protect the