You don't have to be a scientist to question the sustainability of the 9 billion human predators that are projected for the world by 2050. Is it wolves or humans that need to be controlled? Most of the world's great religious texts -- the Bible, the Torah, the Koran and the Upanishads -- urge followers to honor God's creation. We are all morally obligated to be good stewards of the environment and we ignore this obligation at our own peril.

Recently a friend of mine photographed a wolf in Denali National Park. Its neck was swollen to twice the normal size due to a steel snare embedded deeply in its flesh. Gandhi once said: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way it treats its animals."

As Gov. Sarah Palin gives birth to her fifth child, I hope God grants her the wisdom to respect all life and the courage to respect all Alaskans.

John Johnson, Anchorage