In 1743, according to legend, the last wolf in Scotland was killed by a
huntsman near Inverness. At the time the extinction of wolves in
Scotland was celebrated. But since then deer have multiplied in the
Highlands, destroying the vegetation on which an array of wildlife
depends and creating a barren, treeless landscape.
Gradually it has become clear that the entire eco-system has been thrown
out of balance by the elimination of a top predator. Now there are calls
for a limited reintroduction of wolves into Scotland as a way of healing
the damaged land.
The wolf has been the victim of black propaganda since ancient times. By
tellers of folk tales and historians alike it has been described as a
slayer of babies, a robber of graves, a devourer of battlefield dead. In
this passionate polemic, Jim Crumley argues that these stories are pure
fiction, a distortion of reality which prevents people from thinking
rationally about the huge benefits the presence of wolves could bring to
Scotland. Now is the time for myths to be dispelled, and for the wolf to
return to its old home in the highlands.