Coincidently, I finished reading Farley Mowat's book Never Cry Wolf just as the story headlined "Utah lawmaker places wolves in his crosshairs" appeared ( Tribune , Jan. 22). Haven't these rabid politicians, sportsmen and ranchers come to realize that the wolf is not the killer they seem to think it is? As Mowat wrote in the 1993 preface to the 30th-anniversary edition of his book, "We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be -- the mythologized epitome of a savage, ruthless killer -- which is, in reality, no more than the reflected image of ourself." If Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, were to educate himself about the wolf, there would surely be more important matters he might be addressing.

James Riehle

Cedar City