Worst thing that ever happened were shows like Yogie Bear, giving human like charistics to an animal. We have a couple generations that still do not understand that wild animals are just that wild. We are near the top of the food chain but not at the top. A cougar, a wolf . . . see a human as a meal, while a bunch of people see them as cute pets. I have been a diver since the 1970's and I hear people talk about shark attacks like the shark mistook the human for a seal. No the shark saw the human as a meal. Animals are about living smarter, if they find easy meals they will come back for more, we are part of the food chain no matter how we rationalize it, that is the circle of life.
I don't think we should eradicate any animal because of inconvenience because nature fills voids. In this case though the human competes for the same food the wolf does and in those areas there can only be one winner. A huge area of the US is uninhabited (94.6%) and yet some genius want's to put the competition next to a competitor. I do believe this is being done as a end run to try to stop or put an end to hunting.
The same people who want to shove evolution down our throats ignore their teachings. We should treat our fellow animals with respect within reason and sometimes that means not putting them in harms way.