2015 was reported as a record success year for the livestock industry, including calf survival and meat prices, so wolves are obviously not taking their rhetorical toll.

Beyond the dubious morality of killing wolves that belong to, if anyone, the greater American public to protect private cows on public land, the question of economic fairness arises.

Consider the number of Americans who highly value wolves as iconic top predators on their public lands and the relatively tiny number of surviving wolves. How many cows are there on western public lands? How many Americans value cows occupying their lands more than wolves?

The economics of supply and demand greatly favor keeping more valuable wolves on public lands even if they kill a relatively few far less valuable cows.

I say this as an occasional beef eater, one willing to pay for beef from cows raised locally and respectfully on private land.