" In Europe’s Middle Ages, the church considered wolves “the devil’s dog,” literal proof that Satan was out for a stroll, right around here somewhere. Wolves weren’t just exterminated; they were persecuted—burned at the stake like witches and heretics, and publicly hanged. They were dangerous not just physically but also as tempters to evil deeds. Humans were occasionally put on trial under suspicion of being wolf charmers or werewolves. Centuries later, in America, trapped wolves were sometimes set on fire, or had their lower jaws cut off or wired shut before being released to slowly starve. Doug Smith describes this as “a vengeance applied to no other animal. "

― Carl Safina , Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel