Questions from Simon: Part 2

Why I am learning english

I am learning english primarily because I want to. I think it is a great language which has inspired new words in lots of other languages and also stolen words from others. You can also use the language in many different ways, to speak with somebody from Kentucky or to write a beautiful poem.

English is a lingo franco for many people. Lingua franca really means french language, but the term is often applied to a language that people have in common. Chinese might bee the mother tongue for many people, but I think that english might be the biggest lingua franca.

Wolves; Vicious predators or normal animals?

Many wolves have been killed illegally and buried in Norway. There are only about eight to 15 wolves remaining and people have still not agreed on what to do with the situation. Should the few remaining wolves be murdered or encouraged to breed?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
One reason for the low wolf population is poaching. People who hunt the wolves usually do so to prevent the wolves from eating their livestock or farm animals. This reason is justifiable, however they still do not have permission to kill them. These people have just taken matters into their own hands without considering the consequences. The extinction of wolves might affect the country in ways which we have and have not taken into account.

One of the consequences of having no wolves is that other animals who serve as prey will have an increase in population. This is positive and negative at the same time. It will provide more game for human hunters and other animals like bears. However, this might cause over populated areas. Another consequence of having no wolves in Norway is that they are very majestic animals which a lot of people pride on saying that reside in their country.

A few people hunt them just for the sake of killing them. They have no justifiable reason at all, they just have some inexplicable hatred toward these animals. These people are the ones who act like predatory monsters, not the wolves.

Some people are afraid of wolves either because they fear they will be killed or that people are in some way threatened by them. There are lots of stories about people being killed by wolves or people being in danger because of wolves, one of the most famous ones being "The boy who cried wolf". Even though the wolf is not really the main point in this story, it still underlines the fact that people have considered wolves to be a somewhat vicious predator for a long time. In most cases, wolves only attack people if they feel threatened or if their kin or they themselves are hungry.

Many people think that we should have wolves in Norway because they are living beings and deserve to be treated like ones.  It is natural for them to be predators, just like every other bear or fox in Norway and people don't complain about them. They can be vicious, but it's a natural part of them. Wolves are mainly animals like all others, so the prejuidice against them is completely undeserved.