I mentioned in "The Gazelle and the Hunter" that one more post was coming on the conscience of a hunter.  In this case, the fate of the animal pursued is far less merciful, though the lasting outcome of the hunt is definitely a testament to great grace despite intense regret.

I happened to be watching PBS a few months back when I caught a Nature episode called "The Wolf that Changed America."  The episode was about the hunting of wolves in general, and the determined tracking of one wolf in particular.  The many dimensions of this hunt, which came to encompass something along the lines of an awkward relationship, really pulled me in.  The setting was New Mexico in the late 19th century, and the hunter was Ernest Thompson Seton.  As for the wolf, the PBS introduction states:

Lobo, as locals simply called him, was the legendary leader of a band of cattle-killing wolves that had been terrorizing cattle ranchers and their livestock.  Known as the “King of the Currumpaw,” Lobo seemingly had a mythical ability to cheat death, eluding the traps that ranchers had set for him throughout the countryside.

It was up to Seton, a naturalist as well as a professional animal trapper, to exterminate this “super-wolf.”  The ensuing battle of wits between wolf and man would spark a real-life wilderness drama, the outcome of which would leave a lasting effect on a new and growing movement in America: wilderness preservation.

How did that effect on the preservation movement come about?  You might be surprised by the psychological impact which the climax of the hunt had on Seton, and his conscience.  You can watch the episode in its entirety online (48 min.), but I especially recommend the last two chapters if you can't watch all of it.  Seton's own reflections later in life, which are quoted at the end of the episode, are especially telling, and challenging:

I have been much criticized.  Firstly, for killing Blanca (Lobo's mate) and Lobo, but chiefly for telling it, to the distress of many hearts.  To this I reply, in what frame of mind are my readers left, with regard to the wolf?  Are their sympathies quickened toward the man who killed them, or toward the noble creature who died as he lived, dignified, fearless, and steadfast?  

... Ever since Lobo, my sincerest wish has been to impress upon people that each of our wild native creatures is in itself a precious heritage that we have no right to destroy, or put beyond the reach of our children. 

Amen.  You can find Seton's books available for free download at Project Gutenberg, including Wild Animals I Have Known, which tells of Lobo's killing.  You might also be curious to know that Seton was a co-founder of the Boy Scouts of America. 

For more on the modern hunting of wolves, given their recent removal from protection as an endangered species, please see Michael Markarian of the Humane Society Leglislative Fund's "Throwing Wolves to the Wolves" and "Reckless Killing of Yellowstone's Celebrated Wolves."  Markarian also had a recent note on another matter of hunting ethics with even broader implications.

(photo copyright Andrey Tepliakov & 123rf.com)