EAwolf

THE WOLF (Canis Lupus)

When we think of the wolf, canis lupus, we typically think about the timber wolf, or gray wolf. The rare red wolf (canis rufus) and Mexican wolf (canis lupus baileyi) are the other two North American wolf subspecies.

Photo courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service

    Wolves are intensely family-oriented creatures, living in tight-knit packs of up to thirty members. The alpha male and alpha female are typically the only pair in the pack to produce offspring. They are the designated leaders of the pack, and keep their subordinates in line. Alphas often have to defend their high-rank in the occasional squabble with a haughty young wolf, and the latter is usually put in his place. While alphas often appear to "beat up" on their subordinates, their actions are rarely painful to the underlings, known as betas. Rather, the alpha is reinforcing submissive behavior with the occasional display of what we would call aggression. The omega is the unfortunate straggler that takes the brunt of the pack's frustration and aggression. The omega survives by picking the bones of the pack's kills. It's interesting to note that despite the treatment they receive, omegas would rather stay within the pack than go off on their own. And in times of high stress, such as relocation by humans, an alpha has been seen "coaxing" his omega out of a crate.
      The alphas always seem to stand a little taller than the rest of the wolves in a pack, with heads held high, tails relaxed, and ears erect. Betas, when around their pack leaders, tend to have a slouched posture with their ears back and their tails between their legs. Some demonstrate behavior similar to that of pups begging for food, and even our own domesticated dogs retain the habit of licking the alpha's muzzle, a sign of subordination in adults. Pups do this to coax older members of the pack to regurgitate food for them.
Though the alpha male and female are the only breeding pair within the pack, all members of the pack assist in caring for the pups by feeding them and protecting them. As well as caring for the pups, all wolves in the pack assist in the hunt of big game, such as moose or elk. Betas can often be seen mimicking the hunting tactics used by the alphas, even if such actions are not as efficient in hunting.
      Of course, wolves are also scavengers and will gladly eat carrion if they find it.

(Photo by T.A. Roe)

The wolf's howl had been said to be a haunting sound. In reality, it's quite a lovely sound. People tend to fear a wolf's howl because they fear the wolf itself.
Howling a form of mass-communication among the pack, and all pack members will join in if they can. They howl when they wake up, before they hunt, when they travel, and when they're ready to sleep. Wolves seem to enjoy howling. Even pups display the ability to howl at only a few weeks old.

(NPS Photo)

    Somehow, the gruesome repertoire of the Big Bad Wolf thrives in the modern world. If we don't portray them a vicious baby-eating plague upon the land (as some farmers seem to believe), then we're enthralled with the image of werewolves in today's horror movies and books.
      As interesting as this all sounds, these images have given us the wrong impression about this amazing creature, and sadly, because of it, the wolf has paid dearly.
      While mankind is doing its best to wipe the wolf off the face of the planet (massive wolf-kills are constantly in progress in Alaska and Canada), the wolf tries to retreat further and further from us. Wolves do not make an effort to be in our company (I don't blame them), and prefer territory far from human settlements.
      When I was in grade school, a man came to an assembly to teach us about wolves, bringing his own wolf. Along with the wolf, he also showed us a collection of films that hunters had taken, in which they shoot down and skin countless wolves. That was years ago… and those images are still burned in my head. Since then I've learned more and more that our attitude toward wolves is grossly unfair.
      Just recently, I viewed a documentary on the return of the Mexican wolf to the southwestern states. Within this documentary, there was a clip of the reintroduction committee proposing their plans to a farming community. One angry farmer stood up and said that he'd hold the committee responsible if one of the wolves ended up killing a child of theirs. I wish I could have been there to shoot that guy.
      To date, there have been no human deaths from wolves and wolf-related injuries are so rare as not to exist. You can quote me on that. Look it up in any wildlife book or ask any expert. It's there in plain text, and biologists will tell you it's true. Injuries from wolves are due either to disease in the animal or to human stupidity (an elk-hunter doused himself in elk urine and was ambushed by a lone wolf. The wolf, realizing its mistake, fled immediately). Rabies, a disease known to make animals (and people) aggressive, is actually less common in wolves, but found in vast amounts of foxes, raccoons, bats, and skunks.

    The exception to human injuries from wolves is the dog/wolf crossbreed. The result of a dog-wolf pairing is a canine that has all of the wolf's wild nature, but none of its shyness. They tend to become temperamental with humans because they have no fear of them. Aside from the examples given above, anyone claiming to have been attacked by a wolf was probably attacked by a wolf-dog hybrid.
     Some people are connived that having a wolf or half-wolf as a pet would be a fun idea. Obviously, they lack a few brain cells. Wolves do not behave exactly like our own domesticated dogs do, and lead miserable lives when forced to live in a house, barn, or cage. That, and given a wolf's natural curiosity and need to get his nose into everything, his owner might come home one day to a house that's been shredded. Wolves dig, scratch at trees, scent-mark their territory, and roll around in carrion or feces because they seem to like the smell. Nothing really keeps a hybrid from doing these same things. It's not worth the trouble.
     Also, people longing for an exotic pet, like a wolf hybrid, should be warned that not many states actually permit the ownership these animals, and almost no city in the nation does. (Colorado, for example, wolves and first generation hybrids require owners to have special permits. This does not include urban areas like Denver or Colorado Springs.) Most vets are not licensed to care for such animals, and could lose their job if they try to care for them anyway. If you're caught with an illegal animal, not only will you have to pay a fine, but your animal will be taken from you and destroyed. It's not fair to the animal, so maybe people should consider adopting from a shelter instead. Chances are, they'll enjoy the companionship of a fully domesticated dog much more that of a wild animal.
     Here are the states that don't require permits for wolf or hybrid ownership: Alabama, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma. That's it, and this does not apply to the cities or counties- they all have varying laws.

Mexican wolf. US FWS Photo

So why do wolves still kill livestock?
The simple answer is this- there's not much wilderness left for the wolves to hunt in. We should actually consider this- the wolf is not intruding on the farmer's territory, the farmer is intruding on the wolf's territory. To make things worse, human hunters take their toll on wild ungulates (deer, elk, moose, mountain goats, etc) and leave wolves with little to hunt. Like any sensible creature, the wolf is a determined survivor, and the solution to its food problem lies in the livestock that is readily available (farmers would do well to shelter their livestock at night- it would make a significant difference). This seems to be a particular problem around the Yellowstone National Park area, where wolves have been recently reintroduced (they had been killed off completely in the park by the 1950's due to a government order). Farmers just outside of the park tend to complain about livestock loss, though I would like to remind the farmers that wolves aren't the only beasties after their sheep and cattle.

US FWS photo

Wolf-pelts are still quite a popular item in many countries, including the USA, and can sell for a pretty penny. A shop nearby my home in Centennial, CO, sells wolf pelts for up to $500 each. That's a bit of money for a single pelt. The problem with wolf pelts is that the wolves that once wore them were taken out of the wild population. There's really no such thing as a fur farm with wolves in it, as there are fur farms for foxes, rabbits, coyotes, and minks. The fur trade is an issue that I usually don't bicker about, unless the fur in question belongs to a wild threatened or endangered animal. Wolves are considered threatened in the lower 48 states.

Red Wolf. US FWS photo

US FWS photo

If wolves interest you:

Here are some of my favorite books on the subject-

Busch, Robert H. 1998. The Wolf Almanac. Connecticut: The Lyons Press.

Mech, L. David. 1991. The Way of the Wolf. Minnesota: Voyageur Press.

Coppard, Kit. 1999. Wolves. London: PRC Publishing Ltd.

Here are a few good wolf conservation and education centers-

Wolf Haven International
3111 Offut Lake Road
Tenino, WA 98589

Wolf Park
Battle Ground, IN 47920 (See pics of their resident wolves, foxes, and coyotes.)

Grizzly Discovery Center
West Yellowstone, MT (You can see more about GDC in the Yellowstone entry)

Wolf Photography by Monty Sloan

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US Fish & Wildlife Service offers an array of public domain photos here.