All these are legitimate and persuasive concerns -- but only if we accept a certain viewpoint toward endangered species. That viewpoint is that humans stand in loco parentis: in the place of the parent. The implication of this attitude is that when it comes to managing wildlife, it is humans who decide what is appropriate, what risks are worth taking, what range of choices are available. According to this view, the unsupervised dispersal of a wild wolf is no more acceptable than a teenager’s joyride, and the consequences are the same: B-45 is grounded.

What is the place of the parent? This question is much on my mind these days. I am the father of a pre-adolescent son, and the son of a dying father. My son is exploring - metaphorically and literally - ever farther from my control, filling me with pride and alarm. For the next few years, my wife and I will attempt to maintain consistent and helpful boundaries for him in the shifting sands of adolescence, before he departs into the wilderness of life.

Meanwhile, my father stands on the edge of a wilderness that is much more frightening to me. He has been fighting cancer for over a year. It appears that his battle is nearing its end. My mother, my siblings, and myself are facing the struggle between our desire to protect and "save" my father, and our responsibility to accept his choices.

There are few things harder than granting freedom to a loved one. Our hopes, fears, needs, and memories all cry out against it. Once, when I was very young, my father stopped on a walk in the woods, and beckoned me over to inspect a rounded gray rock. He stooped, slowly reached out a pointing finger, and before my eyes the rock transformed into a crouching rabbit, who bounded explosively away, taking my breath with it. I have been a naturalist since that moment. I am not ready to say goodbye.

It’s not easy to be a father, and it’s not easy to be a son. These identities develop in ways as mysterious, as unpredictable, and as inevitable as the growth of a tree. Whatever their shape, the bonds between father and son can flourish only when rooted in freedom and respect. If we are ever to live in balance with nature, we must cultivate such a mutual relationship with our fellow creatures. That cannot happen as long as we cast ourselves in loco parentis. Due to humanity’s many mistakes, we find ourselves in the position where we must care for the species we have harmed, or lose them forever to extinction. But let us never forget: care is not the same as control.