Rewilding, Dire Wolves, and Human Well-Being

There is a concept called rewilding , which is considered a "progressive" approach to conservation. (When progressive is used, be cautious of extremism.) The idea sounds reasonable and noble: Bring back creatures (or their relatives) that were extinct in some areas and let them roam free. Let nature live in peace, love, and grooviness. Extreme environmental views are wrapped in evolutionary thinking, so humans are just another thing that evolved. We are not exceptional (and certainly not created separately and in the image of God, no siree). Turning wild critters loose can have dire consequences. Gray wolf, US National Park Service (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) According to standard reckoning, the dire wolf has been extinct for thousands of years. A company called Colossal Bioscience took some DNA and claims to have brought back the dire wolf from extinction. In reality, they did not have the materials or ability to do so, but the company made modifie...