One good reason is the simple mathematics of wolf existence. Wolves live in packs, and packs have territories. They spread, amoebalike, splitting, spreading, and splitting again, like prides of lions on the Africa veldt or Sicilian mobsters in New York.
While one set of biologists was waxing lyrical about the vast improvement in the Yellowstone ecosystem, with elk numbers down, vegetation rebounding, and long-lost birds returning, the wolves were reproducing, spreading out in every direction, ignoring the Yellowstone Park boundary in their search for mates, new packs, new territories: a general wolf reconquest of the American West.
Wolves mate for life, male and female are reportedly devoted to each other, and they make wonderful parents. The biologists’ “alpha” designation for the dominant male wolf is now applied to anyone who makes CEO of even the smallest struggling company. Leaving aside the spurious human virtues with which wolves are imbued by urban sentimentalists, the wolf really is an admirable creature.
Ernest Thompson Seton, who helped hunt the wolf to extinction in New Mexico in the 1890s, was converted from anti- to pro-wolf after witnessing the behavior of Lobo, a big male who outwitted him so long, after Seton tricked and killed his mate, Bianca, and used her carcass to lure Lobo to his doom. Seton became a conservationist, author, and outdoor icon. Continued from page 25
Jack London, with The Call of the Wild, added his two cents’ worth.
One myth firmly attached to the wolf is that they kill only as much as they need for food, and kill only the old, the sick, and the weak, benefiting the herd overall. In reality, wolves kill anything they can catch. Why waste time looking for an old animal when they can easily devour, right now and right here, a newborn calf and its mother?
All predators, from lions to weasels to man, take pride in their ability as hunters. This is why some young male African lions make a specialty of killing Cape buffalo, surely the toughest of prey, simply because, as far as we can tell, it’s a lion status symbol. As with any activity in which we take pride, competition creeps in, and the concept of fun isn’t far behind. Which accounts for documented instances in which biologists watched packs of wolves pursuing herds of caribou, pulling down and killing one after another, then continuing with the chase, leaving dead animals strewn in their wake.
Again, this isn’t wickedness; it’s just wolfishness. It may defy explanation, but there’s no denying it happens.
As for what constitutes a wolf’s instinctive prey, consider this: In Sweden, arctic wolves from the far north of the country returned to the south, where they were expected to prey on moose (European elk). When I was hunting in Sweden in 2012, we discussed these wolves and their impact. Even after just a few years, hunters were noticing a serious decline in moose numbers.
“Hair Raiser,” by Grant Hacking
The farther away you live from wolves and their genuine life impact, the more pro-wolf you’re likely to be. Not surprisingly, Swedish wolf worship is centered in Stockholm, where it’s taken very seriously indeed: The penalty for killing a wolf, I was told, is more severe than for rape.
My friends hunt moose the old way, with elkhounds that scent a trail and move the moose, while the hunters try to intercept them. The elkhounds resemble Siberian huskies, and their wolf heritage is evident. One big male, Max, became our special friend, and Max’s photograph graced my article on Swedish moose (Gray’s, Expeditions & Guides, 2014).
