The return of resurrected monsters

If you have been watching any news lately, quite you have likely heard about the supposed dire wolves that were genetically re-created. The dire wolf was an ice age monster, a canine predator that grew larger than any modern grey wolf. Early human migrants to North America would have been very familiar with it, as well as other iconic megafauna from that time. Based upon what I have read, including expert scientific opinions (those not connected with the creation of these animals), these stunning white wolves are but replicas of the real thing. These are modern grey wolves that have been genetically modified so as to create many of the characteristics (and possibly the behavior) of the extinct species. This is not unlike the way that domestic dogs have been created from the grey wolf, except that these “dire wolves” were produced after a few years in a lab rather than over millennia via selective breeding.

There is much to be said of this endeavor, as the company that produced these creatures plans on resurrecting several species that were very recently driven extinct by humans, like the dodo bird. But of course there is the Frankenstein aspect (or, more recently, Jurassic Park) that cannot be ignored. Apparently these wolves will be housed in captivity like zoo animals, and would never get loose. Or so one would hope. Confined so that they would never pose a danger to the ecosystem or to people. As the dodo bird and the Tasmanian wolf (both much more recently extinct) lived on islands, they would at least be confined to those restricted ecosystems if brought back.

And then, there is also another lost monster that is being resurrected right here in my own backyard, so to speak. In this case, however, the new creation will not look at all like its extinct predecessor. But it will serve the same function in its habitat, which is the Patapsco river just beyond the Baltimore harbor. Just as the dire wolf was a larger, stronger, nastier version of the grey wolf, so this new beast will also be significantly larger (and perhaps scarier looking). It will present far less danger when it comes to performing the task for which it is being created. It will lack most all of the vulnerabilities of its previous iteration. The dire wolf died out because it could not deal with the loss of its prey (due to the changing climate), and also likely competition with humans. It was built for power more than speed, and when all of the huge, slow herbivores (like mammoths, mastodons and rhinos) vanished, so did the dire wolf. The Patapsco monster was also not designed and built for the rapidly changing circumstances it found itself in. Thus, one day in late March of last year, it was driven into “extinction”.

So, we now have a company that has (allegedly) brought back an extinct ice age predator. And we also have another company that has begun its toil to erect a metal and concrete monster to replace the one that recently perished. In a past entry I referenced the “trifecta of terror” that is now only a duo due to the loss of the third member. There are also three of these “dire wolves”, although the pups were utterly cute and in no way scary looking. Nor are they scary looking as older animals. If anything, they are quite beautiful. Only the name “dire wolf” conjures up imagines of snarling, glowing eyed monsters. This other trio I mention has/had a sense of beauty and elegance to each member, and terror is only manifest in those who fear such monstrous structures. Otherwise, they are no “worse” than a wolf, dire or otherwise. Which is/was just a part of the natural environment, perfectly evolved for its role as a predator. And like the re-crated dire wolves, this other trifecta is also man-made, and they serve a vital purpose in the regional infrastructural “ecosystem”.

The company that made the dire wolves is based in Texas, while that which is making the Patapsco monster is based in Nebraska. Both have created monsters, though the purpose of the first is far less clear, though. One Frankenstein lab re-creates extinct creatures, and the other one is creating a metal and concrete monster that will reside just beyond Baltimore’s harbor. The wolves will apparently spend their entire lives in a spacious but fenced enclosure. But will the Patapsco monster also be walled off in such a way that it cannot easily take a victim? Perhaps there are those who fear what might happen should those dire wolves escape and present a danger to wildlife and possibly people. No doubt some like me are also wondering if the river monster will present a danger to certain people who would interact with it….