A Wolf on the Hunt: Researcher Relates Intimate … PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER SUMMER 2000 A Wolf on the Hunt: Researcher Relates Intimate Encounter Symposium Attracts

A PUBL ICAT ION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTERSUMMER 2000

A PUBL ICAT ION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTERSUMMER 2000

A Wolf on the Hunt:Researcher RelatesIntimate Encounter

SymposiumAttracts World-Renowned Wolf Experts

Perhaps the most precious thing you

can pass on to your children is a

world where nature and humans

coexist in a mutually

beneficial relationship.

Through the International

Wolf Center’s Alpha

Legacy Program,

you can help preserve this commodity for

future generations. This

program recognizes the

generosity and foresight of

those who have included the Center in their estate

plans. Together, we’re working to ensure the survival

of wolves. For information on how you can

participate, please contact Walter Medwid, Executive

Director, 5930 Brooklyn Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN

55429, (612)560-7374. Or e-mail [email protected].

International Wolf Center

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8 0 0 - 9 5 0 - 9 4 2 5

3 From the Executive Director

12 International Wolf CenterNotes From the Field

17 Tracking the Pack

18 Wolves of the World

21 As a Matter of Fact

22 Wolf Tracks

24 News and Notes

25 Wolf Tales; Wolf Trails

27 Wild Kids

28 A Look Beyond

4Close Encounter of the “Wolf ” KindWolf Researcher Amy Jacobsdescribes her incredible experiencewith wolves during her research inYellowstone, where she almost got“run over” by a wolf!

A m y J a c o b s

Features

THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER VOLUME 10, NO. 2 SUMMER 2000

On The CoverCover and interior artwork by Eva-Lena

Rehnmark. Rehnmark is an artist living inCalifornia who has focused her creative

talents on environmental subjects. Rehnmark’s first published book, Neither God,

Nor Devil, Re-Thinking Our Perspective ofWolves will be published this fall

by Pomegranate Communications.

8Beyond 2000: Realities ofGlobal Wolf RestorationMany of the world’s pre-eminent wolfresearchers, managers, advocates, and federaland state representatives came together inFebruary to discuss the realities of wolfrestoration world-wide during a symposiumthat attracted approximately 600 people.

C o r n e l i a H u t t a n d S t e v e G r o o m s

Departments

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Tungalagtuya Khuukhenduu of theMongolian Association for theConservation of Nature and theEnvironment speaks on the status of thewolf in Mongolia during the symposium’sIUCN Wolf Specialist Group meeting.

IntWolf.summer 00 5/5/00 8:31 AM Page 1

Publications DirectorMary Ortiz

Managing EditorAmy Farrar

Technical Editor L. David Mech

Consulting EditorLynette D’Amico

Graphic DesignerTricia Hull

International Wolf (1089-683X) ispublished quarterly and copyrighted,2000, by the International Wolf Center,5930 Brooklyn Boulevard, Minneapolis,Minnesota 55429-2518, USA. email:[email protected]. All rights reserved.

Membership in the International WolfCenter includes a subscription toInternational Wolf magazine, free admissionto the Center, and discounts on programsand merchandise. • Lone Wolf member-ships are U.S. $28 • Wolf Pack $50 • Wolf Associate $100 • Wolf Sponsor $500 • Alpha Wolf $1000. Canada and othercountries, add U.S. $15 per year for airmail postage, $7 for surface postage.Contact the International Wolf Center,1396 Highway 169, Ely, MN 55731-8129,USA; email: [email protected]; 1-800-ELY-WOLF

International Wolf is a forum for airingfacts, ideas and attitudes about wolf-related issues. Articles and materialsprinted in International Wolf do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of theInternational Wolf Center or its board of directors.

International Wolf welcomes submissionsof personal adventures with wolves andwolf photographs (especially black andwhite). Prior to submission of othertypes of manuscripts, address queries to Mary Ortiz, publications director.

International Wolf is printed entirely with soy ink on recycled and recyclablepaper (text pages contain 20% post-consumer waste, cover paper contains 10% post-consumer waste). We encourageyou to recycle this magazine.

PHOTOS: Unless otherwise noted, orobvious from the caption or article text,photos are of captive wolves.

2 I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f S u m m e r 2 0 0 0

Editorial Note: The International Wolf

Center greatly appreciates all the feedback

we received regarding our proposed expanded

mission to include educating the public about

the importance of wildlands to the survival

of the wolf. As evidenced here, most of the

readers who responded favored our proposal.

We reiterate our stance as wolf educators

in response to the letters below. Some letters

have been edited to save space.

WildlandsI was thrilled to read that the center is proposing to change your missionto include the importance of wild-lands to the wolf’s survival. As thewolf recovery coordinator for thegroup RESTORE: The North Woods,we have also been striving to get this message out to the public.RESTORE is not only working torestore the wolf to the NortheasternUnited States, we are also proposingthe creation of a new 3.2 million-acres Maine Woods National Park by purchasing land from the privatepaper companies that own most ofthe potential wolf habitat in northernMaine. This national park would be the “Yellowstone of the East” byproviding a sanctuary where wolvesand the whole range of native wildlifecould recover and flourish.

In the last decade, it seems as if thedebate about the connection betweenwolves and wilderness has shifted. Aswolves began to be restored to partsof their former habitat, scientists realized that wolves do not techni-cally require wilderness to survive.However, this finding has [implied] a divorce between the age-old unionbetween wolves and wilderness; as a result, many wolf advocacy groupsare reluctant to support wildlands

restoration for fear of muddling theirmessage and mission.

International Wolf Center has theability to lead the way in the next phaseof wolf conservation, by encouragingall wolf advocates to support wild-lands preservation and restoration aspart of their wolf efforts. Only throughthis broader vision will the publicunderstand that the goal of wolfrecovery is not only to ensure thesurvival of one species, but to restorethe health, biodiversity, and wildnessof the land.

For all things wild and free,Kristin DeBoerRESTORE: The North Woods

Wolves do not exist in a vacuum. Ifully support the expansion of theInternational Wolf Center’s missionstatement to include teaching theimportance of the wolf’s need forwildlands. As protected wolf pop-ulations continue to grow and beginto press against human-dominatedlandscapes, the very real dangerexists that a backlash of public senti-ment against wolf-caused domesticanimal mortality might [result in]anti-wolf prejudice that the IWC,among others, has worked so hard toovercome. Wolves that are acceptablein a wilderness area or backcountrynational forest become much lesspopular when Fluffy or Rover turnsinto some wolf’s dinner. The conceptthat people living in semi-wild areasneed to accept certain risks andmodify their behavior correspondinglyis one that certainly could be a challenge for the Center to get across in its teachings.

Education almost always includesadvocacy. We would still believe the

continued on page 26


After years of planning and countless preparatory meetings, the

International Wolf Center’s third international wolf symposium is

now history. Nearly 600 participants from 44 states and 29 countries

gathered in Duluth in late February to learn and share their wolf knowledge,

experiences and perspectives. We were especially proud to sponsor the

IUCN World Conservation Union’s Wolf Specialist Group meeting under the

umbrella of the symposium. The global look at wolf issues brought varied

and rich perspectives to the seemingly eternal debate on wolf and human

coexistence. Many important sponsors and contributors (see page 11) made the

symposium possible, and we are most appreciative of their support.

Our third international symposium was indeed a milestone for us this year, but

what is even more significant is that we are celebrating our fifteenth anniversary

as an organization. From the catalyst of

the Science Museum of Minnesota’s

donation of the Wolves and Humans

exhibit to the International Wolf Center

in 1985 to this year’s symposium, many

good things have happened at the

Center in the intervening years. First and

foremost, the dream of building an inter-

pretive center with exhibits, a resident

pack of wolves, a range of programs and multitudes of visitors from around

the country and globe, became a reality in 1993 with the opening of its doors

to the world. Visitors have come in the thousands and now, hundreds of

thousands (see Notes From the Field, page 12 for a detailed timeline of events

over the past fifteen years).

A number of accomplishments have carried us toward our goals, including our

symposia, publications, educational programs, field trips, the many visitors to

our Center or Web site, and even the questions from school children we answer.

Dr. Djuro Huber, a wolf researcher from Croatia, affirmed our greatest hope during

a recent visit to our facility that the success of the Center stands as a beacon of

hope for a day when wolves and humans will coexist around the world. ■

From the Executive DirectorINTERNATIONAL

WOLF CENTER

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Nancy jo TubbsChair

Dr. L. David MechVice Chair

Dr. Rolf O. PetersonSecretary

Paul B. AndersonTreasurer

Dr. Larry D. Anderson

Phillip DeWitt

Thomas T. Dwight

Nancy Gibson

Helene Grimaud

Cornelia Hutt

Dr. Robert Laud

Tom Micheletti

Mike Phillips

Dr. Robert Ream

Ellen Sampson

Paul Schurke

Teri Williams

Pat Woodworth

MISSION

The International WolfCenter supports the

survival of the wolf aroundthe world by teaching

about its life, its associationwith other species and its

dynamic relationships to humans.

Educational services and informational

resources are available at

1396 Highway 169Ely, MN 55731-8129, USA

1-800-ELY-WOLF1-218-365-4695

e-mail address:[email protected]

Web site: http://www.wolf.org

The global look at wolfissues broughtvaried and richperspectives...

I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f S u m m e r 2 0 0 0 3


4 I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f S p r i n g 2 0 0 0


During all my wolf watching in Yellowstone NationalPark, I never thought I’d almost be run over by a wolf.But that’s exactly what happened.

Winter is the best time to observe wolves in Yellowstone.Twice a year, the Wolf Project conducts a 30-day intensivemonitoring study primarily to determine, from the air andground, kill rate of the reintroduced wolf packs. Crews of twopeople are assigned to each of the three packs on the NorthernRange in the northeastern corner of the park. Starting wellbefore sunrise, we work until nightfall, monitoring the wolves’movements, recording kills and behavior, and collecting spec-imens. Monitoring flights take place daily, weather permitting,to locate the Northern Range packs as well as wolves whoseterritories in the interior of the park are not visible from theroad. I have participated in five such studies, and have beenvery fortunate to observe some amazing interactions with thewolves. My favorite encounter occurred on December 14,1998, in Lamar Valley while watching the Rose Creek Pack.

The Rose Creek packThe Rose Creek Pack at that time consisted of 21 wolves,

including the famous matriarch of the park, wolf 9 and hermate, wolf 8. At 7:50 a.m., my partner and I located the RoseCreek Pack by radio telemetry in one of its regular travelroutes. Chances of actually seeing the wolves in this area are average, so my partner went to collect specimens from awolf-kill with another project volunteer, while I climbed upthe hill to try to see some wolves. When I reached the ridge, I listened for signals by radio telemetry. This useful scientifictool picks up signals from radio collars worn by some of thewolves. The receiver and antenna were registering loud, clear


My favoriteencounter occurredon December 14,1998, in LamarValley whilewatching the Rose Creek Pack.

B Y A M Y J A C O B S

ofClose Encounter

of the “Wolf ” Kind



beeps, telling me that the wolveswere within the line of sight and nottraveling. I quickly set up and spreadout my gear, then put on extra layersof clothing. Within minutes I spottedthe 21 wolves, bedded on a slopeabout a mile away. I began to recorddata on my Dictaphone, holding itclose to the scope so I could talk andwatch the wolves simultaneously.

The chaseThe wolves started to stir and by

8:15 a.m. they were up and travelingtoward a big herd of elk cows andcalves. A chase began, and I focusedon a gray wolf testing a group of elkthat had broken away from the mainrunning herd. I was too far away topositively identify any of the wolves.As I scanned ahead of the gray wolf, I saw that a calf had left the mainherd and was running with a blackwolf hot on its trail. The chase wasstill about a mile away but headed in my direction. The wolf and calf

disappeared into a gully, and when theyreappeared, the calf seemed to trip, andI saw through the scope the black wolfclamp onto its hindquarters.

At this point the plane arrived andwas circling the main pack and elkherd. I radioed the aircrew to alertthem that I had seen a black wolfattack a calf, but they were now outof sight. Not a second later, the calfwas again in my scope and runningwith the black wolf right behind it.They were heading toward me, abouta half-mile away. Again the twodisappeared, and I radioed the planeinquiring if they had seen the chaseas I frantically searched for theanimals in my scope.

Suddenly I heard a noise andlooked up to see the calf 50 yardsfrom me and still running in mydirection! After staring in disbelieffor what seemed like an eternity,I realized that the calf was headingright for me. I jumped up, droppingthe Dictaphone beside me. This

action startled and stoppedthe calf, allowing the blackwolf to catch up and grabits hindquarters again.

On the runNow I really couldn’t

believe my eyes. There Istood, gear and contents ofmy pack spread in a circlearound me, the elk calfwith a black wolf attachedclosing in. I yelled andwaved my arms, but thecalf continued toward me.Realizing I had no time to

get out of the way, I ran a few steps,then ran back, grabbed the 2-wayradio and sprinted to a boulderabout 15 feet away and jumped ontop. When I turned around, I couldsee the calf with the attached wolf

running right over my gear anddirectly under the rock I was sittingon. It happened so quickly, I did notrealize I was clutching the radio inmy hand, asking the aircrew if theywere watching any of this.

By this time, the two animals wereright under me. I must have moved, orthe wolf must have noticed me thenbecause it released its grip, and thecalf escaped down the trail. The wolf,now as stunned as I was, spun around,and instead of rejoining the rest of the

Researchers collar two wolves for trackingpurposes. The biologists are (back, left toright): Wayne Brewster, Ed Bangs, and JohnVarley; (front, left to right): Deb Guernsey,Doug Smith, the author, Amy Jacobs, andCarrie Schaefer.

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pack, ran full speed back to wherethey had been bedded that morning.

No one else witnessed my experi-ence, except for a coyote that hadbeen sitting behind me all morning.The best part of the encounter wasthat in all the excitement, I had accidentally left the Dictaphonerunning. The tape recorded my initialresponse when the calf first showedup, then the wolf, then the calfbellowing as the wolf grabbed it, merustling around to get out of the way,and then the chase running right

through my whole set-up. You canclearly hear the calf getting closerand closer and the wolf panting as it ran right over the Dictaphone.

The whole experience lasted aboutfive minutes. In all my time workingwith wolves in Yellowstone, I havebeen fortunate to see rare occurrences,like wolves playing with black bears,or killing elk, yearlings sliding downthe snow, and pups playing in front ofthe den, but never before have I almostbeen run over by a wolf. ■

Amy Jacobs has been working withwolves, captive and wild, since 1992.She began work in Yellowstone withthe Wolf Project in January of 1997.She is currently working on a Master’sDegree with Dr. Rolf Peterson,studying leadership behavior in wolfpacks in Yellowstone National Park.

Suddenly I

heard a noise

and looked up

to see the calf

50 yards from

me and still

running in my

direction!

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The Rose Creek Pack gathers at Slough Creek, Yellowstone National Park.

Lynn

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Beyond 2000

B Y C O R N E L I A H U T TA N D S T E V E G R O O M S

A highlight of the symposium was the premier showing of a new National Geographic documentary, Return of the Wolf. The film depicts the lives of wolves with great authenticity. The wolf on the left, called ‘Cinderella’ by the filmmaker, is an “omega” or “scapegoat” wolf.

Bob

Land

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countries were represented. Thesymposium included more than130 papers. The topics varied, butmost presented either fresh perspec-tives on wolf management or thelatest wolf research findings; somedealt with wolf advocacy or wolfeducation issues.

Larger than lifeVirtually every attendee made

time to see two remarkable wolff i lms. One was an Omnimax presentation of Wolves, a film by theNational Wildli fe Federation.Because of the unique Omnimaxscreen, viewers were treated to close-ups of wolves that appeared to be the size of bungalows, and if youlooked closely you could see fleas thesize of beagles squirming throughtheir fur. The film included footageshot underground in a den as a wolf nursed her pups.

The other movie was the worldpremier screening of Return of theWolf. Filmed in Yellowstone Park byBob Landis for National Geographic,Return of the Wolf will air on publictelevision sometime this fall. Wolf fans will definitely want to record it. As wolf researcher Dave Mech pointedout, this film sets a new standard for showing wolves interacting


If you weren’t lucky enough to attend the recent symposium in Duluth,

BEYOND 2000: REALITIES OF GLOBAL WOLF RESTORATION,

you might wonder what you missed. Though it isn’t possible to summarize

a four-day conference in a few words, we can share some highlights

and attempt to convey the sense of the excitement this event created.

So many rooms, so many views

In one room Paul Paquet is aboutto discuss the feasibility of reintro-ducing wolves to the AdirondackPark. Meanwhile, in another room,Brian Kelly is rising to describe theextraordinary challenges facingmanagers trying to save the red wolffrom coyote hybridization. In yetanother room, also at the samemoment, Tom Stillday is telling storiesabout historical interactions betweenwolves and some indigenous peoples.And in a nearby room, at the verysame time, Christoph Promberger is at the podium to give a fascinating talk on large predators in Romania.

So many intriguing presentations!So little time! And you can only be in one place at a time.

Beyond 2000 was a huge success.It attracted about 600 attendees, andthose people were a remarkablydiverse lot. Included were many of the world’s pre-eminent wolfresearchers, managers, and advocates.Others were simply outdoor-mindedfolk who find wolves cool.

Presenters were equally diverse.They came from all over the UnitedStates and from such countries asChina, Sweden, Spain, Croatia,Mexico and Mongolia. In all, 29

was Beyond Terrific

Above: Wolf Educator Mary Maule demonstratedhow to make a full-sized model wolf to teach children about wolves. Mary’s wolf was anatomically accurate but expensive to build.

Below: A “bounty hunter” advertises during the member luncheon hosted by the InternationalWolf Center.

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naturally with prey species and withother wolves. It simply wasn’tpossible to photograph such scenesuntil wolves were returned to theopen vistas of Yellowstone Park andbecame accustomed to the presenceof human observers.

“Return of the Wolf” presentsunforgettable sequences of wolveshunting elk. Many researchers havestudied wolves for a lifetime withoutwitnessing an entire chase and kill, so they joined other attendees in raptattention as dramas of life-and-deathcontests played out on the screen. Amajor figure in the film is the wolfLandis called ‘Cinderella’, a low-ranking female who was barely toler-ated by other wolves in her pack. Inone gripping sequence, a carelesscoyote pays the ultimate price fortrying to filch a meal from one of thepacks’ elk kills.

Scenes never before seenIn any symposium, a buzz goes

out about which presentations aremust-see events. At this symposium,some informed attendees told friendsthat Dan MacNulty’s research onwolf-elk interactions was a talk theydidn’t dare miss.

MacNulty, working with rawfootage shot by Bob Landis, analyzedthe ways healthy elk signal to wolvesthat they aren’t worth chasing. It isnot in the interest of either species forwolves to expend energy chasing elkthat are so fit they cannot be caught.By studying film of chases, MacNultyproposed that healthy elk adopt a

highly stylized head-high trot whenclosely pursued by wolves. This isactually an inefficient way for elk torun, and that is exactly the point. Themessage these elk might be sendingto wolves is clear: You might as welllook somewhere else for your nextmeal because you’re never going tocatch me!

Conversely, unfit or injured elkdidn’t seem capable of running withthe stylized trot of vigorous elk. Theykept their heads more level andgalloped as fast as they could. Wolvesin the film clearly spotted this sign ofweakness and targeted these elk,often successfully.

In an evening session, researcherChristoph Promberger entertainedattendees with footage of thenocturnal activities of a wolf pack inRomania. The film was shot by a BBCcrew using special night visioncameras. Although this pack lived inmountainous terrain most of the year, each summer, it established a denclose to a sizable city so pack memberscould conduct nightly raids for food intown. The special cameras used lightfrom the night sky to follow wolvestrotting by shopping malls, crossinghighways by using overhead bridges,and waiting for trains to roll by so theycould cross the tracks. The wolvestypically checked a sheep pen in townto see if the guard dogs were alert andthen, if all other options failed, theyforaged for offal in the town dump.Promberger’s witty commentary keptthe audience laughing throughout his presentation.

Hélène Grimaud (left), world-renownedconcert pianist, signs compact diskswhile author Nancy Gibson signs books for enthusiastic fans.

Mike Phillips (left), International WolfCenter board member, presents DaveParsons, formerly with the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service, with an award in recognition of Parsons’ exemplarywork in Mexican wolf recovery.

Paul Paquet (right) shares hisknowledge of wolves with two otherconference attendees. Paquet, fromthe Conservation Biology Institute,spoke on gray wolf reintroductionfeasibility in New York State’sAdirondack Park.

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It is difficult to convey the energyand level of audience interest in thesepresentations. Ed Bangs, a charismaticspeaker and the team leader for thefederal effort to restore wolves in thenorthern Rockies, had to give his talkearlier than the program indicated.When a crowd showed up onschedule to hear Bangs’ speech andfound him just finishing instead, they were so disappointed theystaged a noisy protest. Bangs jumpedback on the podium and delivered hispresentation again, flashing slides onthe screen with stroboscopic speed.

Howling participants and cookie jars

A multi-day wolf symposium likethis is a large, complex event. This one offered a great variety ofexperiences, assuring that there wassomething fun to do for all attendeesat any given moment.

At an auction, wolf fans bid onsuch rare items as a radio collar from a Yellowstone wolf and a spikedguard dog collar, or Carlanca, fromSpain. Spirited bidding on these and a few humorous objects raised funds to support International WolfCenter programs.

Wolf-related merchandise fromthe Center’s store was offered for sale.Attendees could buy wolf sweat-shirts, books, videos, stuffed toys and art. A popular item was a wolfcookie jar that howled when opened.Wolf authors made themselves available one evening to sign theirbooks for wolf fans.

One large room was mostly filledwith poster presentations of wolfresearch and political activities.Wildlife photographer and renownedbear researcher Lynn Rogers sold his photos there. Several nearbybooths demonstrated the activities of advocacy groups and wolf centers.

A panel of participants in theMinnesota Roundtable wolf manage-ment plan discussed their positions

and accepted questions from the audience. Representatives from theMinnesota Department of NaturalResources (including CommissionerAllen Garber), the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, and the MinnesotaLegislature talked about prospects forachieving consensus on a Minnesotawolf management plan. The mainpoints of agreement were thatcompromise on a plan will be difficult,but most participants recognize theurgency of creating a plan that isacceptable to the legislature andfederal administrators.

The last day was devoted toeducators. Teachers and communityoutreach specialists discussed themost effective ways of communi-cating facts about wolves to young-sters and concerned citizens.

After the regularly scheduledevents, participants had a chance totake part in field trips. Some went to Ely to visit the International WolfCenter, where they took part in avariety of adventures and enjoyed a sumptuous wild game dinner. Othersviewed wolf habitat in northwesternWisconsin and howled to wolves with researcher Adrian Wydeven.

The people attending the sympo-sium, from famous researchers toaverage outdoors-minded folks with aspecial interest in wolves, all seemed to enjoy this special opportunity tomeet and share their enthusiasm aboutwolves. Wolf advocates drew energyfrom each other, scientists sharedcutting edge research results, andeveryone came away with newperspectives on one of the world’s most interesting and complex animals.

Since a symposium like this onlyhappens every five years, it isn’t too earlyto begin anticipating the next one. ■

Cornelia Hutt is a wolf advocate,educator, and International Wolf Centerboard member who lives in Purcelville,Virginia. Steve Grooms, a writer livingin St. Paul, has recently revised hisbook, The Return of the Wolf.

Our special thanks to thefollowing contributors and

sponsors who made possible the International Wolf Center’s

Beyond 2000: Realities ofGlobal Wolf Restoration

symposium:

Contributors include:Target Stores

The Wirtanen Family Fund of the Duluth-Superior Area

Community Foundation

Elmer L. and Eleanor J. AndersenFoundation

Ballantine Family Fund

The Beim Foundation

Harold W. Sweatt Foundation

The Casey Albert T. O’NeilFoundation

In addition to the InternationalWolf Center, sponsors include:

University College at the University of Minnesota Duluth

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Forest Service

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

We extend a heartfelt thank-you tothe Center’s volunteers, and thosewho spontaneously helped whereneeded. In addition, we thank themany generous organizations and

individuals who donated items for the silent and live auctions.


For abstracts describing what each

expert presented at the symposium, please

visit our Web site, at www.wolf.org.


1985➤ A committee for an international wolf centerforms, led by renownedscientist L. David Mech,when the Science Museumof Minnesota agrees todonate its Wolves andHumans exhibit for apermanent display.

1987➤ Ely, Minnesota, is chosenas the site for a flagshipeducational facility.

1988➤ The first paid staff personis hired in Minneapolis.

1990➤ The Minnesota Legislaturegrants $1.2 million forconstruction of theInternational Wolf Center.

➤ The committee hosts aninternational wolf sympo-sium in St. Paul, Minnesota.

➤ The inaugural issue of International Wolf is published.

1991➤ The International Wolf Center office inMinneapolis, Minnesotamoves from the basementof a staff person’s home tocommercial office space.

1992➤ The International WolfCenter breaks ground for its Ely facility.

1993➤ The Center opens to rave reviews with 60,000visitors its first summer.Kiana, Lucas, MacKenzieand Lakota are brought in at three weeks of age to become the Center’sresident wolf pack.

1994➤ Anders Bjärvall travels from Sweden to become the Center’s first of severalinternational guest speakers.

➤ The Center is featured on NBC and CBS nationaltelevision news.


INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER

Notes from the Field

1985–2000: International Wolf Center Celebrates 15 Years15 Years and Still Howling!

It’s amazing to think that the International Wolf Centeris celebrating its 15th anniversary! What a howl it’s

been! The timeline that follows recaps some of the highlights over the years from the development and evolution of a wolf center with an international perspec-tive to the International Wolf Center as we know it today.

So when in the timeline of 15 years do you fit in?Were you one of the first members to join in 1989 whenthere were only about 1,150 members whose supportlaid the foundation of what has grown to a membershipbase of around 9,500? Did you attend the firstInternational Wolf Symposium in 1990 where you metcolleagues and made friends who you saw again at the1995 Wolves and Humans 2000 and the recent Beyond2000 symposia? Maybe you’ve visited the Center in Elysince its grand opening in 1993 and watched Kiana,Lucas, MacKenzie and Lakota grow from fuzzy pups tomagnificent adults? Perhaps you’ve searched theCenter’s Web site since 1995 for a wide variety of information or a little bit of shopping? Or, are you amember of the Speakers Bureau or a volunteer whosecontributions have been invaluable over many years?Whenever you joined the International Wolf Center,your presence in this timeline has made a difference!

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1998➤ Web site tallies 3.5 million hits.

➤ A $750,000 expansion to the Center adds a 125-seat wolf-viewingtheater and classroom.

➤ Kiana, the beta female of the resident pack, dies unex-pectedly of natural causes.

1999➤ The Minnesota Legislatureapproves funding for ateacher curriculum, work-shops and a traveling exhibit.

➤ Year-round staff grows to20 positions.

2000➤ The Center and theUniversity of Minnesota,Duluth hosts its third international symposium,Beyond 2000: Realities ofGlobal Wolf Restoration, in Duluth, Minnesota.

➤ Excitement builds aroundplans to introduce arctic wolfpups to the Center’s residentpack in the summer and anew exhibit for children.


Romancingthe Wolf

Husband and wifeteam Perry and

Terra Crampton,International WolfCenter memberssince 1993, surprisedWo l f D e n s t o rem a n a g e r C a r o lKramer with tattoosof the running wolvesfrom the InternationalWolf Center’s logoon their respectiveright upper arms atthe Beyond 2000symposium. Carolcommented, “I amnot really into tattoos, but the detail on them waswonderful!” Perry and Terra’s home base is Flagstaff,Arizona, where they have made it their mission tosupport and volunteer for Mexican wolf recovery.

When asked about the reason for their tattoos, Terracommented, “As unusual as it may seem, we wanted a way to keep the wolves foremost in our thoughts and decided that a wolf tattoo would be a constantreminder of their precarious state and our commitmentto help restore them.”

At the symposium, Terra and Perry covered presenta-tions and sessions by dividing up during the day, andshared information in the evening over a glass of wine.Immediately after the symposium, they flew to NewMexico to participate in meetings concerning Mexicanwolf recovery. Of their purpose, they added, “Peopleneed to understand the natural keystone role wolvesplay in many ecosystems.” Perry and Terra got their wolf tattoos on Valentine’s Day, 1999.

Husband and wife Perry and TerraCrampton, International Wolf Centermembers since 1993, display the wolftattoos on their arms that serve as aconstant reminder of their commitmentto help restore wolves in Mexico.

1995➤ In partnership with theUniversity of Minnesota-Duluth, the Center hosts its second symposium,Wolves and Humans 2000,attracting 550 scientistsand wolf enthusiasts fromaround the world.

➤ Djuro Huber, fromCroatia, is the internationalguest speaker.

➤ A grant from the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resourcesfunds creation of theCenter’s informationresources department andthe Web site, www.wolf.org.

1996➤ The organization’s annualoperating budget tops $1 million.

➤ Alistair Bath, fromCanada, is the internationalguest speaker.

1997➤ The Center’s programs arefeatured on BBC radio andin Travel Holiday magazine.

➤ Francisco Petrucci-Fonseca, from Portugal, isthe international guestspeaker.

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Long-DistanceLearning

Th i s p a s t w i n t e r , chaperone Larry Ross

took Caitlin Ross, age 10,and four of her schoolmatesto the International WolfCenter in Ely, Minnesota.They had made it their goal to learn about wolves and promote wolf reintro-duction in Maine. At theCenter, the group studiedtelemetry and went on ahowling expedition. “It waseerie, magical and fun to

hear the wolves howl back. It felt like we weresurrounded by them,”Caitlin said.

Initial inspiration to getinvolved in wolf issuescame when Caitlin heardan educational speaker atschool. Caitlin realized, “Icould be a person thatwould help wolves get backin Maine…the more I know about wolves themore I could help.” She was accompanied to theCenter by fellow CanaanElementary School students:

Matthew Chamberlain, age10, Jake Burrill, age 10, and Chantelle Natale, age9. When asked what shehad learned about the wolfcontroversy in Maine, shereplied, “The wolf debate in our region is verycomplicated, almost like asee-saw.

Since the trip, Caitlinsaid, “We shared what welearned by doing a slideshow at our school. I alsoplan to write a letter toGovernor Angus King.”


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Notes from the Field

From left to right: Caitlin Ross(age 10), Chantelle Natale (age 9),Matthew Chamberlin (age 10) and Jake Burrill (age 10), CanaanElementary school students, holdup the telemetry instruments theyused while studying wolves thispast winter on an educational trip to the Wolf Center in Ely.

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Wolf Organizations Meet

Aspecial Wolf Organizations Meeting atthe Beyond 2000 symposium brought

together representatives of wolf organizationsfrom across the nation and around the world.Forty-two participants representing 24 uniquewolf organizations gathered to share informationand to engage in a discussion regarding globalwolf restoration.

The discussion questions were: “What are thebarriers to global wolf restoration?” and, “Whatare solutions to overcome those barriers?” Eachtable of participants brainstormed, recorded theirideas, and shared their top responses with thegroup. The general responses (not ranked) are:

Barriers■ Negative attitudes, continuing and new

myths, misinformation

■ Livestock/people conflict

■ Continuing habitat change

■ Thinking in terms of numbers, not ecology

■ Increased human population, decreased available wildlands

■ Cultural realities differ; global economies vary

■ Lack of non-lethal control methods

■ International political boundaries

■ Fear of government

Solutions■ Increase educational efforts:

• use new cutting edge technologies• develop partnerships among advocates• educate politicians and media• coexistence

■ Identify and promote acceptable control methods

■ Habitat conservation, create wildland corridors,develop land purchase/lease/use partnerships

■ Shift education from species focus to systems focus

■ Learn cultural and economic issues of other countries—go beyond Sister Cities to Sister Bioregions

■ Expand research

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Minnesota’s Senate andHouse passed a wolf

management plan duringthe 2000 legislative session.After further negotiation,pos s ib l e change , andsigning by the governor, thebill could become the basisfor state wolf managementand federal removal of theMinnesota wolf from theEndangered Species List.The main features of theplan are (1) a 5-year mora-torium on public taking ofwolves except to protectproperty, (2) the need forthe Minnesota Departmentof Natural Resources andDepartment of Agricultureto implement a moredetailed plan to ensure wolfsurvival and minimizeconflicts with humans, (3)continued federal and/or state wolf depredationcontrol and state compensa-tion payments for livestocklost to wolves, and (4) divi-sion of the state into a wolf

zone and an agriculturalzone with different regula-t ions for each. At thiswriting, it was not clearwhether the governorwould sign the plan.

The nex t i s sue o fInternational Wolf willfocus on public attitudestoward wolves and willcover legislative develop-ments in greater detail.Please visit our Web site, atwww.wolf.org, for the latestbreaking news. ■

Julie Palmquist of Wolf Haven (standing, center) helps participants at theWolf Organizations Meeting brainstorm about barriers to wolf restorationaround the world.

News Flash: Wolf ManagementPlan emphasizes four key areas



John & Sandra Anderson

Ford & Amy Bell

Lammot Copeland, Jr.

Julie Corty & Richard Erickson

David & Vanessa Dayton

Susan Dresnick

Mary Potter Engel

Miriam Engel

Evelyn Fredrickson

Mrs. Thomas Fredrickson

Caroline Gabel

Gerald Gagich

Carol Geis

Nancy Gibson

Marilyn Gower & Sara Morton

Frances Graham

Hélène Grimaud

Ruthann Harrison

Neil Hutt

Dana Jorgenson

Terrence Kreczko

Dave Mech

Eric Moore

Rita & Timothy Mulcahy

Dolores Nesbit

James Oberholtzer

Dr. Karen Pajari

Linda Pirtle

Sherry Ray

Jane Scharrer

Dave & Julie Shafer

Gerard & Nan Snyder

Wendy Sommer

Bruce & Julie Steiner

David Stoll

Lynn Stone

Harold W. SweattFoundation

Nancy jo Tubbs

Turner EndangeredSpecies Fund

Ben & Mary Whitney

Joe & Shirley Wolf

Margaret Wyllie

Arthur Vassy

Peter Vukovich

Ronald Ziemba

MemorialsIn memory of Joe BruningJudy Smith

In memory of Nicole DavisSteven Brennen &Heather Davis

In memory of Howard “Sib” FeltonGolden K Kiwanis Clubof Grand Rapids

In memory of Dr. John Reiss Fuller Sr.Meryl & John Fuller, Jr.Dr. & Mrs. JosephGanshert Lisa HendricksonJane Mings Fred & JoyceScharringhausenJohn & Patricia Spreitzer

In memory of David HartmanJohn ClossRobert & Dawn Van Langenhoven Stinson, Mag, & Fizzell P.C.

Theresa Sullivan Mary Agnes TelfordSheri Ulery & David Draper

In memory of John HofflingerBerry FoundationRichard & Karen Bratrude Linda DietzGlen & Valerie Farha T Phillip & Sue GarrisonT. H. & Wilma Harbour Robert & MarilynHofflingerNellie HouserBernard & Ruth Kinsock Roger & Valera Lange Joe & Bev Mater Robert Mater Steve & CollettaMcGregorFern OdetteLeta Paque Daniel & Kate Scheer Mike & Lara SheltonJack & Sonja Shelton Tom, Sue & Wes StuckyEddy & Jenny Thompson

In memory of Gerald KonetshnyThe “BD” Itinerants Bruce and HelenSchroederSharon StevensSusan TidwellDavid and Linda ThompsonDorothy Zuzula

In memory of Mitchell LeeMarilyn Lee

In memory of Traci LembkeGretchen Giddings

In memory of Madeleine OliverMr. & Mrs. H. H. Moore

In memory of John ReiffElena & Ginny Gleason

In memory of Jan VolkmanJay & Page CowlesHenry S. Crosby Jr.Ronald & Lyla DusingR. R. Swenson

KianaMemorialsJudith Belchic-Martin

Annie Chang

Johanna Goering

Mary Robison

Chick Steffes

HonoraryIn Honor of Dr. Bunny BuchoKimberly VictorWestminster Garden Club

To DadLove, Susan Hawkinson

In Honor of Skylar Nicole ThomasFrom James Bleeker

In Honor of Clifford SiskoFrom Dolores Abbott

In Honor of Bill WhitmoreFrom Elizabeth & Peter Whitmore

In Honor of Steve A. WojdylaFrom Michelle Griffin

American Express

The Chase Manhattan

CITICORP

CNA Foundation

General Mills

IBM International

Liz Claiborne Foundation

Mass Mutual

McDonald’s Corporation

Monsanto Fund

Pfizer Foundation

Phillip Morris Companies

PPG Industries Foundation

US West Foundation

Matching GiftsDoes your company have amatching gift program? We havereceived matching gifts from:

Volunteer Lisa Heilman holds upa radio collar as fellow volun-teer Jim Bray smiles on at anauction that was part of the Wolf Center’s symposium,Beyond 2000: Realities ofGlobal Wolf Restoration.

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Contributors

Thank You!


Sarah, the alpha female of a captive pcak in Fillmore, CA, dugthis den at the age of 18 months. Breeding packs usually preparea den in spring, although wolves sometimes dig dens even infall. The Center’s resident wolves are not a breeding pack.

The Pack and the Staff AreDigging Densb y N a n c y j o T u b b s

One cold February morning,Wolf Curator Lori Schmidtwalked the fence line during

a regular check of the wolf enclosureat the International Wolf Center andspotted a sprinkling of sand on thetop of a snow bank in the woods.When Schmidt looked closer shefound a den the wolves had dug intoa sandy slope. The opening waspartly obstructed with balsam roots,but was big enough for a wolf toenter. The den was about six feetdeep and ended with a raisedchamber, which would be highenough to keep a mother wolf safefrom water that might seepinto the hole.

Although MacKenzie,Lakota and Lucas havedug shallow openings inthe enclosure before,none of the previousholes approached thesophistication of this one.Schmidt speculated that,although the Center’swolves are neutered andcan’t have puppies, theymay have been stimulated by a chemical trigger to prepare a denafter seeing and smelling a wildfemale wolf in heat outside the fence.Or maybe den digging does notdepend on the sex hormones thatneutering removes. Breeding packs innorthern Minnesota usually prepare aden in spring in preparation for pupsto be born in April, although wolvessometimes dig dens even in fall.

Digging a new permanent den

Center staff are planning anew den for the wolves too.

A temporary wood-framedunderground den built in1991 is beginning to sagwith age. In fall 2000,construction will beginon a permanent den,waterfall and pond

outs ide the wol fwatching windows.

While dens in thewild are birthing

Tracking the Pack

chambers for a mother wolf and herpups, rather than refuge for the entirepack, the new Center den will belarge enough to hold the threeexisting members of the pack, plus twoyoung wolves who will be introducedto the pack in late summer. U.S.Department of Agriculture regulationsmandate that shelter be large enoughto hold all the resident wolves.Improvements to the wolves ’ enclosure will be funded by $58,000in state bonding money.

The new den opening will beeasily visible from the Center’s auditorium. Slabs of local granite andgreenstone will frame the den andcreate a high vantage point where thewolves can romp or bask in the sun. A waterfall will cool nearby rocks inthe summer, making an enticingresting spot in the heat of the day.Visitors to the Center can watch thewolves splash in a little stream andpool, explore an island and chasebirds around new plantings of mountain ash and berry bushes. Theenclosure improvements are designedto make life more pleasant for thewolves and to make visitor viewingeven more of an adventure. ■


…the new Center den will be large enough to hold the

three existing members of thepack, plus two young wolves

who will be introduced to the pack in late summer.

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N O R T H E A S T E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A A N D T H E R E D W O L F

A Cautious Optimism“It is an ancient terrain, yet a land of beginnings.”R O D H A C K N E Y, P R E S I D E N T , R E D W O L F C O A L I T I O N

He is now 11 years old, the only living free-ranging red wolf born in captivity. Once the alpha male of the Milltail pack in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, this

venerable patriarch was deposed two years ago when his mate, the alpha female, died. Yethe remains with the pack, tolerated by the other members, interacting with pups and

serving as a surrogate grandfather. The other estimated 95 wild red wolves in coastal North Carolina know

nothing of life behind a chain-link enclosure, the first home of the oldwolf. They were all born free in this land of peat bogs and marsh

grasses, home to other endangered and threatened specieslike the bald eagle and the red-cockaded woodpecker.

The red wolf Species Survival Program successstory lends encouragement to restoration efforts

for other critically endangered animals such asthe Mexican wolf.

Although red wolf numbers continue torise slowly, the future of this shy and tenacious predator is far from secure.First, few options exist in the Southeastfor new release sites. Second, because oftheir limited numbers in the wild andthe presence of coyotes within theirrange, the potential for hybridizationwith coyotes threatens the red wolf’sgenetic integrity. It was such genetic“swamping” that originally endangeredthe red wolf.

Red wolf recovery is, however,gaining momentum and popularity.Plans are underway by the Red Wolf Coalition to build an educationcenter in the heart of wolf country.

Artwork by Eva-Lena Rehnmark

Although red wolfnumbers continue

to rise slowly, the future of this

tenacious predatoris far from secure.Red wolf recovery

is, however, gainingmomentum and

popularity.


The Coal i t ion is a lso developing strategies toencourage its members andthe public as well to getinvolved in land conserva-tion and water qualitycontrol efforts. In addition,the North Carolina Zoo’si n n o v a t i v e We b s i t e(www.nczooredwolf.org)features an interactiveprogram, The Red Wolves ofAlligator River, that allowsusers to participate in theprogram to save red wolvesand to learn about thisbeautiful “land of begin-nings.” School children can interact with biologistsand veterinarians in thefield and participate in on-line discussion groups.

Of intense interest nowamong researchers andmanagers is the question ofwhether the wolves ofAlgonquin Provincial Parkin Ontario and the redwolves of northeasternNorth Carolina are the samewolf. Canadian studiessuggest remarkable similaritybetween the two, althoughsome scientists disagree. Ifthe Canadian studies holdup to peer review, are replicated and withstandchallenge, restoration plansfor the red wolf may need to be revised.

T H E S O U T H W E S TA N D T H EM E X I C A N W O L F

Triumph and Trialfor El Lobo“It is such a big landscape.There is a chance they will make it.”R I C K B A S S ~ T H E N E W W O L V E S

Since March 1998, 34Mexican wolves have

been released into the wildin the Apache-SitgreavesNational Forest in easternArizona. One pack, theHawk’s Nest, continues tosuccessfully hunt elk in the region. Some of thewolves, however, have beenrecaptured because theyhave killed cattle. In addition, two wolves havebeen killed by cars, andseveral have been shot.

Despite these setbacks,the Mexican wolf recoveryprogram has achieved anumber of important goalsin captive breeding, educa-tion and outreach, andresearch. Substantial chal-lenges remain, however.More captive breeding facili-ties are needed. In addition,managers are concernedthat dispersing wolves mayhave difficulty finding otherwolves to establish newpacks. Also, there has beena tendency for some captive-raised wolves to approachdomestic dogs and to showlittle fear of humans. Recent

livestock depredations havecaused resentment amongsome local ranchers, and awave of negative publicityabout the recovery programhas been in the nationalnews spotlight.

Four wolves from therecaptured Mule pack weretranslocated in March to theGila National Forest in NewMexico. The Mule Packwolves will be the first to bereleased in New Mexico aspart of the federal reintro-duction program. Hopes arehigh among wolf managersfor the success of thisrelease, especially since thealpha female is expected togive birth to pups in earlyApril. A second pack, knownas the Pipestem, will be heldin acclimation pens in thisremote region until they areacclimated to the area.

The objective of theMexican wolf recoveryprogram is to re-establish100 wild wolves over 7,000square miles of public land

in the primary recovery zoneby 2007. To promote toler-ance and to build support forthe wolves in the region, the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService is stepping up itsefforts to hold informationalmeetings and question-and-answer sessions withlocal residents.

THE NORTHERN ROCKIESAND YELLOWSTONE,CENTRAL IDAHO,NORTHWESTERNMONTANA

After Five Years“The wolves are here to stay.” M A R K VA N P U T T E N P R E S I D E N T , N A T I O N A L W I L D L I F E F E D E R A T I O N

Science-based wildlifemanagement has been

responsible for some majorachievements in wildlifeand habitat conservation.Among the greatest mile-


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The Mexican wolf recovery program has achieved a number of importantgoals in captive breeding, education, outreach, and research.

continued on next page



R U S S I A N F E D E R AT I O N

What Good Is a Wolf?“The wolf is viewed as an enemy.”N I K I T A G . O V S YA N I K O V ~ W O L F S P E C I A L I S T G R O U P, I U C N

Nikita Ovsyanikov,eminent scientist and

bear researcher, is one of therelatively few people inRussia who speaks for thewolf. Wolves in Russia areprotected only in a fewnature reserves; elsewherethroughout the country,they are routinely perse-cuted, and in some regions,bounties are paid. Federallaw prohibits poisoning, butthis practice is still carriedout in some areas, especiallyin the Lake Bakal area andin the Russian Northwest

stones in species restorationand recovery is the return five years ago of the wolf to Yellowstone and centralIdaho.

One o f the or ig ina lwolves brought from Canadato Yellowstone is wolf 9 whobecame the founding femaleof the Rose Creek pack.Wolf 9, called “the posterchild of the Yellowstone wolfprogram” by National Park

Service wolf recovery leaderDoug Smith, gave birth toeight pups just after herequally famous mate wasillegally killed in the springof 1995. In the years thatfollowed, wolf 9 producedfour more litters of pupsfathered by a wolf designatedas 8. Now silvery gray andostracized from the RoseCreek pack by her daughter,wolf 9 was recently observedliving alone on the fringes o f the park . A l thoughresearchers acknowledge thatsuch a fate is common inwolf society, park managersfound it hard to view wolf 9’s remaining days withde tachment . Then onValentine’s Day, the famouswolf was discovered to havecompanions! Excitementhas soared over the recentlydiscovered pack, unofficiallynamed the Valentine pack.The new family consists ofwolf 9, another female thoughtto be one of 9’s daughters fromthe Rose Creek pack, and twoblack males.

Wolves are doing well inthe park and on immedi-ately adjacent public lands.National Park Service wolfrecovery leader Doug Smithsaid he expects wolfnumbers in and around thepark to level off at aboutcurrent numbers, althoughother biologists are not sosure. The 1999 year-endpopulation numbers forYellowstone were downfrom the estimated springhigh of 160. Contributingto the decline was high pupmortality. In addition, anumber of adults weremissing, either from mortalityor because of dispersal toareas outside the park.

The late 1999 estimatesfor central Idaho are alsoencouraging. Approximately147 wolves comprising 10 packs are believed toinhabit central Idaho, andanother 64 are estimated innorthwestern Montana.

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Wolf 9 was one of the originalwolves brought to Yellowstone and was the founding femalemember of the Rose Creek pack.Here Wolf 9 (right) stands with her pup (Wolf 7).



Federation. Although onlya small percentage of thenearly 15,000 wolves killedin 1999 were poisoned,Ovsyanikov is seeking wayst o h a v e t h i s p r a c t i c estopped. Wolves in Russiaare also killed for their pelts, a practice encouragedby a recent rise in the priceof pelts.

The current wolf popula-tion in Russia is thought tohave stabilized at a highlevel. An estimated 40,000to 50,000 wolves survive inRussia, but their numbersvary from region to region.More wolves live in thenorthern latitudes and inthe Arctic where the ungu-late population is high andwhere there are few people.

In rural areas wherewolves live near farmers,the wolf is viewed as vermin,and ancient myths of wolfpredation on people areprevalent. Many farmers,living on the brink ofsurvival, are not concernedabout conservation, soeconomic incentives mustaccompany education aboutthe reality and the possiblebenefits of large carnivores. ■

Spring 2000 Question:

What is the wolf ’s main prey in Yellowstone National Park?Answer:

The wolf’s main prey in Yellowstone NationalPark is elk. Elk form by far the greatest number ofprey available, some 10,000 or more, depending onthe area and time of year. Numbers of other prey such as bison, deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep,moose and mountain goats together do not total asmany as elk. Wolves do also kill these animals but infewer numbers. ■

How do Arcticwolves differ from other

wolves?

New Question

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To succeed, educa-tion about wolves in Russia, wherewolves are onlyprotected in a fewnature preserves,must includeconsideration ofeconomic realities.


Early trackingmethods began withchance encounters withwolves in which thetracker would recordeverything he observed, like this footprint and scat.Top photo by Lynn Rogers, middle photo by John Wright.

Murie’s classic book, The Wolves ofMount McKinley, published in 1944. A brief look at some of the early liter-ature can show us the fits and starts of a maturing science, which began asdescriptions of chance wolf encoun-ters, often given inexcruciating detail.

Feeding and huntingEarly literature often described

wolf feeding and hunting. In 1912,Charles E. Johnson was canoeing witha friend in northern Minnesota when,

“Peering through a little opening [we]saw a timber wolf taking savage bites at alarge body afloat but anchored in the stream.[It] proved to be an adult cow moose,recently dead in a pool. Whether the moosehad accidentally drowned or had suddenlydied from some natural cause is a matter ofspeculation. In the back a large deep holehad been eaten into the carcass…here thewolf was feeding when surprised. No otherpart bore any sign of attack.”

F.M. Fryxell in the Journal ofMammalogy, 1925, described aWyoming wolf catching live prey:

“I was startled by a rush and a crashingfollowed by peculiar, choking sounds. Upthe slope was a whirling mass of greyishfur, twisting with such rapidity that I couldnot possibly determine what animals consti-tuted the struggling group. From time to


Writings like Seton’s and afew other texts on naturalhistory, along with a

handful of scattered notes in journalslargely based on fortuitous observa-tions of hunters, trappers andwoodsmen composed the “scientific”literature on the wolf before Adolph

The Wolf in Early Scientific Literatureb y J a y H u t c h i n s o n

“Acting on the hint of an old trapper, I melted some cheese together with the kidney fat

of a freshly killed heifer. I inserted a large dose of strychnine. During the whole process, I

wore gloves steeped in the hot blood of the heifer. I made a 10-mile circuit, dropping a

bait each quarter mile, taking care not to touch any with my hands.

“I soon came on the fresh trail. An ordinary wolf ’s forefoot is 41/2 inches long, but

Lobo’s, as measured a number of times, was 5 1/2 inches from claw to heel.

“Lobo had come to the first bait, sniffed and finally picked it up....the second bait was also

gone. I followed to find that the third bait was gone...on to the fourth to learn that he had not

really taken a bait at all, but had merely carried them in his mouth. Then having piled the

three on the fourth, he scattered filth over them to express his utter contempt for my devices.”

From Seton, Ernest Thompson. “Lobo, the King of Currumpaw,” in Wild Animals I Have Known. Charles Scribner’s & Sons, 1898.

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time came the same low-pitched soundfrom the throat of a choking animal. In itsrapid gyrations the fur mass edged towardthe brink of an incline. Over this it finallytoppled, falling upon a mat of flat-toppedtimberline trees below. I followed the courseof the combat. The sounds from the chokinganimal became fewer…occasional forcedwheezes. Suddenly all sounds ceased. Thenout of the foliage leaped a timber wolfholding the limp body of a dead marmot.”

Historical truths and inaccuracies

Some of the early literature wasremarkably accurate. A 1934 note inthe Journal of Mammalogy described awolf pair in Mt. McKinley NationalPark in Alaska covering “100 to 150square miles of territory while foraging fortheir young.” These figures, while at the small end of the spectrum forDenali’s wolves, are supported bymodern research.

Sometimes, however, one journalwould begin building a false scientificcase by touting findings given inanother journal as “conclusive” whenin fact the original finding was notbased on especially good evidence at all.

This happened in a 1938 issue ofthe Journal of Forestry regarding the size of wolf “packs numbering fromfive to 30.” This “conclusive evidence”was based on a statement in a note inEcology in 1938 by Minnesota’sSigurd Olson: “Packs vary in numberfrom five to 30, the smaller group being by far the most common.” Olson hadmade six firsthand observations ofwolf pack sizes that ranged from fourto 20. In this note in Ecology,however, he also included unreliablehearsay observations of three trap-pers— of packs with 18, 20 and 24 wolves. But he never documentedwhere he got the “30.” (The largestMinneso ta pack documentedrecently was 23. See Fall 1999International Wolf).

Olson’s detailed early observationsand reports from the 1930s, however,were the best science available at thetime, and were reasonable firstapproximations, especially when oneremembers that all observations weremade on the ground without benefitof airplanes or radio-tracking.

Because Olson could only base hisreports on winter tracking, kills, andground sightings on frozen lakes andrivers, he had no way of accuratelyknowing the size of what he called the“beat” or “hunting range” of packs. He wrote, “The course a pack travels isin the shape of a great, uneven circle,the diameter of which is often 30 to 50 miles.” Sixty years later, thanks toaerial observations and radio-tracking,we now know that most Minnesotawolf packs have territories that rangefrom about 40 to 100 square miles,instead of the 700 square-mile territories that Olson’s “great unevencircles” might have included.

It would be a decade after Olson’s1938 Ecology note appeared, however,that low-flying aircraft were usedby Minnesota’s Milt Stenlund tocheck wolf kills and documentwolf pack movements, thusintroducing modern technologyto the study of wolves. ■

Jay Hutchinson is a freelance writer onnatural history subjects who lives inSt. Paul, Minnesota. He is retired fromthe U.S. Forest Service’s North CentralResearch Station.

Further Reading

Chapman, H.H. “Wolf Packs.” Journal of Forestry(1938): p.1158.

Olson, S.F. “Organization and Range of the Pack,” Ecology 19 (1) (1938): pp. 168-170.

Johnson, C.E. “A Note on the Habits of the TimberWolf,” Journal of Mammalogy (1921): pp. 11-15.

Dixon, J.S. “Mother Wolf Carries Food Twelve Miles to Her Young,” Journal of Mammalogy (1934): p. 158.

Fryxell, F.M. “An Observation on the HuntingMethods of the Timber Wolf,”Journal of Mammalogy (1925): pp. 226-7.

Aerial observations and radio-tracking aremodern methods of studying the wolf thathave aided scientists in determining the territory and habits of wolf packs.

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High Arctic, but rarely does anyone get a chance to watch them. After thepair killed the musk-ox during a five-minute attack, the female wolf gorgedherself and then headed off to regurgi-tate into caches over a mile away fromthe kill. The incident was detailed inthe October-December 1999 issue ofCanadian Field Naturalist.

WOLF NUMBERS AND DISTRI-BUTION IN LITHUANIA were

assessed by Petras Bluzma, Institute ofEcology, Vilnius, Lithuania. Bluzma’sfindings indicated wolves were widelydistributed throughout this Balticcountry. Wolves permanently inhabitabout 20 percent of the forested area,and because of conflicts with humans,Bluzma believes that their numbersshould be held to 100 to 300 animals.Bluzma’s article was published in ActaZoologica Lithuanica volume 9 (1999).

WOLVES AND RAILROAD TRAINShave not been getting along

well in Montana. According to the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, at least threewolves have been killed by trains in theWolf Prairie area. Apparently wolvesfind railroad tracks easy to walk alongand because they never evolved withsuch a hazard, lack the ability to dealwith the concept of a train bearingdown on them. Entire packs inMinnesota have been similarly wipedout by trains.

AWOLF INCREASE IN NORWAY hasbeen accompanied by an increase

in wolf biologists. At least 12Norwegians attended the InternationalWolf Symposium in February toexchange information with other wolf workers. Norway now has 62 to 78 wolves, and their main prey,summer and winter, is moose.However, they also prey on domesticsheep, a trait that is causing greatconcern among local farmers.

ISLE ROYALE WOLF NUMBERS areup again to 29, according to Dr.

Rolf Peterson, Michigan TechnologicalUniversity, who just returned from hisannual aerial count of wolves andmoose on this Lake Superior island.The wolves live in just two packs.Some 850 moose were also counted.

ALPHA WOLVES are the subject of arecent article in which arguments

are made that the term “alpha” is notusually appropriate; instead suchanimals should be called “breeders” orsimply “parents.” See “Alpha Status,Dominance, and Division of Labor inWolf Packs” in Canadian Journal ofZoology 77: pp. 1196-1203. ■

THE DISPERSING WOLF FROMCAMP RIPLEY, MINNESOTA,

which was mentioned in previousNews and Notes, was illegally killedeast of Camp Ripley. The perpetratorsank her collar in a mud hole, but itcontinued to send a few transmissionsto the satellites. By tracking the trans-missions, biologists were able to findthe collar and determine many detailsabout when and where the wolf waskilled. Conservation officers havenarrowed the range of suspects buthave not yet made an arrest.

TWO WOLVES WERE SEEN KILLINGA COW MUSK-OX ON ELLESMERE

ISLAND during one of the few suchobservations ever reported. Wolvesprey regularly on musk-oxen in the

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Wolves prey regularlyon musk-oxen in theHigh Arctic. Two wolves(not those shown here)were recently seenkilling a cow musk-oxon Ellesmere Island.

Dav

e M

ech



Cindy Gorman, an International Wolf Centermember since 1992, brought InternationalWolf magazine with her while visiting the city

of Jerusalem. “I’ve been such a big fan of theInternational Wolf Center and the work they do toeducate people about the wolf, I thought I’d bring the magazine with me on my tour of Israel,” she said.

Cindy has been a long time animal lover and alife long student. During some course work atMetropolitan State University in Minnesota, shewent on a weekend wolf tracking expedition. Shedidn’t see any wolves, but did see tracks. From herreading about wolves, Gorman concluded that“wolves and humans are a lot alike and more can be done to ensure that we coexist peacefully.” ■

Please send photos or slides of you or a friend reading the magazine in a favorite or far-off place to magazine coordinator, International Wolf Center,5930 Brooklyn Blvd., Suite 204, Minneapolis, MN 55429. Identify the person pictured and include their permission to use the photo, the photogra-pher’s name and the location. Regretfully, we are unable to return slides or prints.



earth was flat if theconcept of a roundearth had not beena d v o c a t e d b yCopernicus based onhis factual observa-tions. The advocacyof sound science andpolicies based onthat science is whatgood educa t ionshould be all about.

Axel RingeNew Market, TN

I believe in educatingt h e c o m m u n i t y[about] the impor-tance of wildlands to

the wolf. However, there are numerous organizationsalready established toeducate and protect theparks, reserves and otherwildland areas, many moreorganizations than there are protecting Wolves.

I would like to see themission of the Wolf Centerremain centered on thewolf, its life and behaviors.I would support the inclu-sion or linkage of web sites,references to other organi-zations or inclusion of theirmaterials at the center, but I would not like to see ourresources diluted to encom-pass wildland preservation.

Roberta L. PhillipsSt. Paul, MN

Predator ControlI am simply aghast at theInternational Wolf Center’sspr ing 2000 “ In to theMillennium” issue. Anyreputable organizationworking towards “thesurvival of the wolf aroundthe world” (taken directlyfrom the IWC mission statement) should beashamed to allow the articleby Steven Fritts to presentsuch a black and white casein favor of lethal predatorcontrol. I am deeply disap-pointed that Fritts, an experienced and well-respected wolf biologist,would condone the use oflethal predator controlwi thout g iv ing morecredence to the potential

of developing effective non-lethal control strategies.

To put the icing on thecake, you juxtapose thea r t i c l e d e t a i l i n g t h e depredation of CherylDahl’s horse in the sameissue! While I agree that itis important to create adialogue discussing thechallenges that some peopleface living with wolves....you should have includedan article outlining currentresearch in the field of non-lethal predator control toaccompany both the Dahland Fritts articles. Yourreaders deserved a balancedview on wolf managementin this issue. The claim that“killing problem wolves isthe most effective tacticavailable” stems from aculturally ingrained accep-tance of lethal predatorcontrol and an aversion ofo u r g o v e r n m e n t a n dwildlife managers to reallytake wolf management “into the millennium”through investing valuableresources into developingviable alternatives to lethalwolf control.

Pamela UihleinMissoula, MT

Technical Editor’s Note: The problemis lack of suitable non-lethal methodsof alleviating wolf depredations. The federal government has exhaustedmany millions of dollars attempting to solve this same problem withcoyotes, but so far, with little to showfor it, they still find it necessary to kill coyotes. ■

Letterscont. from page 2

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Home Sweet Homeb y N a n c y j o T u b b s

Imagine you’re a furry newborn wolf pup. You weigh

just a pound.At home in your den, you’re snuggled up against

your mother and four brothers and sisters. You may notyet know where you are, because you’re blind, deaf andnearly helpless. You wiggle around and find your mother’snipple. You drink milk from her warm body.

The dark, quiet den will be home, safe home, for thefirst two months of your life. Two weeks will pass beforeyour eyes open and three weeks before you can hear. At that time, you’ll take your first wobbly steps outside the den.

Your mother picked this place. She dug a hole about 10feet into a sandy hillside. Roots overhead keep the dirt rooffrom falling in on your head. At a high spot at the end ofthe hole, where no rain or wind can reach, is the place

AMazing Trip:

Lead thepups’ father

home to his family

at the den!

where your mother gave birth to you.When you are about eight weeks old and used to playing

outside, your pack may move to a new place away from theden. This is called a rendezvous site. Here you and theother pups will play, explore and sleep outside. You have leftyour den for now, but may return with the pack next year.Then you’ll wait outside to hear the first puppy whimpers ofa new litter of wolf youngsters.

Wolves can make a den out of an old fox burrow, ahollow log, a small cave, an abandoned beaver lodge ornearly any protected spot. Within their territory, they picka site near water so the mother doesn’t have to go far for adrink. The adult wolves hunt near the den and bring foodback for the mother and pups. The den is a good hidingplace for pups, who are easy prey for predators, such asowls and eagles. ■


Solution



people if they are tolerated, thrive bestin large areas of wild land. This aware-ness has prompted wolf supportersand groups to ask themselves a keyquestion: What is our next step?

One answer is for wolf organiza-tions to expand their missions byusing the wolf as a motivator for amuch larger objective – wild landsconservation. Individuals and groupshave begun to see the need to focus onthe survival of the wolf in its naturalenvironment and to teach about thewolf’s dependence on wild lands.Conserving wild land for the wolf hasthe added benefit of providing habitatfor its wild prey and for a long list ofother interesting species as well.

How each organization respondsto this exciting challenge dependson many things. But all organizations, no matter howlarge or small, can begin tofocus on topics related to theenvironment wolves needand to shift their efforts towolf habitat preservation.The same techniques andstrategies that worked forwolf recovery can workfor habitat and wildlands conservation.Leaders and membersalike in wolf groupshave educated andmotivated themselvesand others. Their effortshave replaced centuries-old fear and hatred withrespect and appreciation.

They are well-qualified to dedicatetheir knowledge, resources and energies to developing and imple-menting strategies not only for wolf conservation but also forconservation of the land the wolf best inhabits.

Cornelia Hutt is a former public schoolteacher from northern Virginia. Shecurrently writes education programsfor conservation organizations and actsas an advisor for curriculum planning.She serves on the board of directors ofthe International Wolf Center and theRed Wolf Coalition and presented apaper, “The Wolf As a Keystone forExpanded Conservation Initiatives,” atour international symposium in Duluth.

For many years, wolf organiza-tions, advocates and biologistshave worked with dedication

and courage on behalf of wolves.These groups and individuals havepersisted in the face of dauntingobstacles, and their achievements are indeed remarkable. In severalregions, wolves are approachingrecovery levels, and there areproposals to restore them to addi-tional parts of their former range.

Research has revealed a wealth ofinformation about wolves. Educationhas improved understanding andchanged public attitudes. Once fearedand vilified, the wolf has now garnereda strong and vocal constituency. Nodoubt about it, people are fascinatedby the beauty, intelligence and tenacityof this charismatic predator.

Interest in wolves is as complex asthe wolf itself. Wolf books fill shelvesin stores and libraries. Artists andphotographers by the dozen try tocapture some aspect of the wolf’sessence. Consumptive users such ashunters and trappers see the wolf as a worthy quarry. The InternationalWolf Center enhances the localeconomy by $3 million per yearthrough visits by wolf aficionados.Gift shops everywhere feature wolfcoffee mugs, jewelry and apparel.Howling cookie jars were an imme-diate sellout at Beyond 2000, theinternational wolf symposium inDuluth in February. The wolf has alsobolstered the popularity of eco-tourism, a hot new travel trend.

Wolves have benefited from thesupport of dozens of organizations, allof which share strong commonalities.Perhaps the most important of these isthe evolving realization that wolves,although flexible enough to live near

B y C o r n e l i a H u t t

Lynn

Rog

ers


Cherokee Kirby Dakota Montana Yukon PalmerNanook Houston Melville Whitehorse Sitka Nome KirbyDakota Montana Yukon Palmer Nanook HoustonMelville Whitehorse Sitka Nome Kirby CherokeeMontana Yukon Palmer Nanook Houston MelvilleWhitehorse Sitka Nome Cherokee Kirby DakotaCherokee Kirby Dakota Montana Yukon PalmerNanook Houston Melville Whitehorse Nome KirbyDakota Montana Yukon Palmer Nanook HoustonMelville Whitehorse Sitka Nome Kirby CherokeeMontana Yukon Palmer Nanook Houston MelvilleWhitehorse Sitka Nome Cherokee Kirby DakotaCherokee Kirby Dakota Montana Yukon Palmer

HELP CELEBRATE OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY!

The International WolfCenter is Expecting!

In mid-May we will be celebratingthe birth of our two arctic wolfpups. These rare wolf babies will be introduced to our ambassadorpack in Ely, MN in early July.

Make your mark! Here’s yourchance to make history, help usname our rare arctic wolf pups.

Get your creative juices flowing and in the next month check outour web site at www.wolf.org for an opportunity to submit your suggested name for our new arrivals.

Here are a fewexamples of theitems for sale...

Relax to a MelodicWolf Song.

Hanging on your front or back porch,our wolf silhouettechimes will produce a warm, peacefulsound all summer long!

Dine inCandlelight.

Create subtleambiance to any room in your housewith our howling wolf candle holders.Choose from three different sizes and two colors to create an enchantingarrangement.

Durable and elegant,chimes and votives areavailable in brick orpine green.

Many more valuesavailable online!

on any orders placed betweenMay 1 and August 15, 2000

Shop online and

Online purchases only. Discount does not exceed 20% and includes member discount.

Intern

atio

nal W

olf

5930 Brooklyn BoulevardM

inneapolis, MN

55429-2518

NO

NPRO

FIT ORG

.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit #4894

Mpls., M

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!

Whether it’s a breezy 65°F or a tropical 90° thissummer, you can learn firsthand about the arctic tundra

without the -100° temperatures (Brrrr!).

Get a taste of tundra starting in early July, when our naturalists

introduce two cute, fuzzy arctic wolf pups to our ambassador pack.

Learn how these rare wolf pups play, eat, and communicate, as

well as how they would adapt to a chilly arctic environment.

And once you’ve encountered Canis lupus, you can sign up

for a behind-the-scenes look at how our staff meets the wolves’

growing needs. Or take an abandoned den hike, and discover

even more about how wolf pups are raised in the wild.

Meet the pack, and our new pups (they won’t be pups for long).

There’s an adventure for everyone in your family!

Plan your trip to wolf country today.

Call 1-800-ELY-WOLF ext. 25.www.wolf.org

C E N T E R H O U R S : May, June, September and October 9:30 AM to 6 PM Daily

July and August 9:30 AM to 7 PM Daily

November through April 10 AM to 5 PM Fri., Sat. and Sun.

Experience an Arctic Summer!

L. D

avid

Mec

h

Documents

A Wolf on the Hunt: Researcher Relates Intimate … PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER SUMMER 2000 A Wolf on the Hunt: Researcher Relates Intimate Encounter Symposium Attracts