Letters to the Editor: Despite trouble for ranchers, wolves are vital to keeping nature in balance

To the editor: Wolves are hardly an old nemesis (“Beautiful, deadly: Wolves stalk rural California,” April 21). They are the animals that keep other wild animals in check and in balance. They help to protect what little remaining wilderness we have left and keep it wild and prospering. Of course where people are living, working and farming, wolves often have a bad reputation. But they’re vital to a thriving ecosystem. Biologists are still discovering how much there is to learn about what they actually do for wildlife, the ecosystem and for us.

Linda Nicholes, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: I read with interest your article about wolf predations. Nowhere it is mentioned that in Colorado and other places, certain breeds of dogs can protect cattle. Breeds such as Pyrenees, Anatolian and Akbash are big powerful dogs and if you have a number of them (one might not be enough to fend off an attack by several wolves), they can be very effective in protecting cattle.

Eduardo Kneler, Redondo Beach