Globe and Mail editorial, 2001.08.13 (behind paywall), in response to wolverines attacking kitties in Kitimat:
[I]f we truly love and respect animals, we shouldn’t take sides. Wolverines are relatively rare; B.C. has just 3,500, and is lucky to have them. They should be disturbed as little as possible. Cats can be kept indoors; children can be told to keep their distance. A pet perambulating on its own is not a citizen and, as a general principle, has no right to state protection from wild animals. Coexistence may not always be peaceful, but it is the best policy.
Remember, animals do not have “rights”; they have interests. Kittycats have an interest in not getting eaten, while wolverines have an interest in not getting shot.
There is, however, the issue of children too small to fend for themselves against the existential threat of wolverines. Not all children understand they need to be vigilant, nor are they mature enough for that to be a fair burden. This will rarely come up with prissy 21st-century mothers; helicopter moms wouldn’t dream of letting their priceless bundles of joy play all alone in the backyard, but not all moms are interested in raising emotionally stunted prima donnas.
This serious issue also does not justify the typical right-wing response to all living things they don’t like, from wrongly-convicted murderers to mature trees to anything but a fetus: exterminate.