The Public and the Timber Wolf in Minnesota

Abstract

This paper reviews the results of a study of public attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and symbolic perceptions of the timber wolf in Minnesota. Data were obtained from 45-minute telephone interviews with 621 Minnesotans including 186 Minneapolis-St. Paul residents, and 183 northern counties residents, 102 deer hunters, 97 livestock farmers, and 53 trappers.Limited factual knowledge of the timber wolf was found among the general public, although considerably greater knowledge was revealed by trappers and, to a lesser degree, hunters. Statistically significant differences occurred on a wide range of attitude questions covering such topics as conflicts between the timber wolf and farming and human development, utilizing the practical value of the timber wolf, the wilderness and outdoor recreational values of the wolf, fear and dislike of this species, as well as management and protection of the wolf. Most Minnesotans supported timber wolf conservation, but not at the expense or sacrifice of important human ne...