YELLOWSTONE'S WILD WORLD

Wolf advocacy – divided we fall, together we win

Sitting here at “Footbridge,” on a cool, rainy morning in April – the last day of the month – and hoping to see Lamar Canyons come down to the elk carcass, just south of here, to feed.

It occurs to me – we hear it so often – the saying, “Its about the animals, not the people, requires action. Just saying the words is not enough. The work to make wolf advocacy about the animals, not the people, is intense. And, that work requires honesty, integrity and due diligence. It requires sharing the animals, and holding out your hand in welcome, no matter the personality or the competition that might exist.

The wildlife in Yellowstone belongs to everyone and that all have a right to see, know and enjoy.

One of the most wonderful things that has happened in Yellowstone’s wolf world over the past six months is the acknowledgement that we are all entitled to the exact same information about the wolves. No watcher/visitor is any more special than the other. This acknowledgement was followed immediately by positive action to ensure the fairness of information by NPS employees – a move that has made it so much easier for me to know and enjoy the animals that I care about so much.

The unfortunate thing is that not all of the watcher/visitors are on board with this park policy and they still believe that they are the privileged ones, when in fact they are not. None are. And, so they gain pieces of information and then share privately amongst a chosen few, while leaving the rest of us out of the loop. In my opinion that does not exhibit an attitude of fairness and putting personalities aside for the sake of the animals. Though, in their case their viewpoint might be so skewed that they believe that the sharing of this information, that wolves are in the area, might be detrimental to them. Just a guess on my part. Most likely it is because someone, a visitor who has never seen a wolf before, will get a parking space that they want for a friend. Or, another person will break the news first, as if they are the only ones who should be informed.

The main thing that the general public needs to remember, is that the people who watch wolves in Yellowstone are not a part of the wolf project in any official way – in fact, they have no official standing in the park and are the same as you and me, so no privilege is offered them that won’t be given to us as well. Recently, I asked Wolf Project Manager, Doug Smith, to confirm this fact and this was his reply:

“You are correct, Lizzie and Rick do work for the government, the others don’t, therefore they are considered visitors, whom we treat with respect, but they do not have a government position. If they did I would be responsible for all that they do and that is unworkable. And yes, the wolves are a public resource that we hope everybody enjoys and that the wolves are worth a lot themselves, or I should say have intrinsic value which is separate that anything people project on them.”

I remember, a few months back, believing that some truly did put the animals first and that I had found some kindred souls. Until one morning, after I had found a new carcass and gotten information that 755 might be in the area. And so I was sticking close when one of the fellow watchers came by to also keep an eye out. They thanked me for letting them know about the carcass and I mentioned that it would be really good if the sharing of information were a two way street.

They sort of played dumb, like what are you talking about. But, of course it meant that I was the only one to share and there wasn’t much reciprocation – i.e. no one made it a point to contact me and make sure I knew what was going on.

This person proceeded to fill me in on some details of the day, much of which had been discovered by the plane when they flew over. They did give me a good list of information but left out the two key events of the day. The first of which was that 870 had been attacked and was badly injured. The second of which was that one of her pups had been found dead. When I was informed of these events a little later in the day, by Rick McIntyre, was when I knew without a doubt that wolf watching for this person was not about the animals, but was about privilege, ownership, personalities and competition.

I never said anything because, for me, it is about the animals, along with keeping people who can not be here informed about their activities. And, about introducing the wolves to people who had not previously known them, along with educating others with all of the true facts. No sugar coating, just straightforward, this is the way things are in Wolf World. I believe that in order to be an effective advocate for these animals, one needs to know everything and refrain from portraying them as beautiful wild animals that would never hurt a thing. But, I did store the new information and decide to watch actions more closely than words.

Over the months since that time I have heard many times, a radio conversation about meeting up to provide additional information, excluding the rest of us as unworthy to be in the know. When I am in a national park, attempting to view and photograph park animals, I don’t much appreciate being excluded from knowing where they are. This is not activity that is consistent with “It is about the animals, not the people.”

Fortunately, the park service and those employed by the wolf project are doing everything in their power to make sure that all information is equally available to everyone, and that there are no secrets that get shared only with a few. The reason for this, I feel, is because this is our park and those are our wolves – belonging equally to everyone

And, to carry that reasoning a step further, an atmosphere of being open, welcome and inclusive, ultimately benefits the wolves. We want people to see the wolves and to experience their own story with them. And, we want people to know who they are and where they came from. We want people to hear them howl, watch them hunt, eat and play with their pack members. We want people to see the wolves travel through the landscape. We want people to see them not just as pretty animals that other folks have given their hearts to but as those that provide far greater benefits to the eco-system. We want people to know that theirs is not a pretty life, but one that is real and filled with pretty moments, along with others that are not so pretty. We want people to see that their survival is not much different than man’s, but that their motives for everything that they do are honest and true. Survival is truth – gluttony, which is often man’s motivation, is not.

People can not see these things if others don’t share their whereabouts and their stories. Most of all, we want people leaving the park feeling good about their experience and the existence of wolves. And, hopefully, they will go on to educate others, including their children and grandchildren. And, one day, if the positive cycle can flow and continue to flow, wolves will be accepted as belonging on this earth.

And, so, as you can see for yourself, any display of secrecy or possessiveness about the wolves is counterproductive to their continued existence.

This holds true for any negativity that is portrayed in wolf watching and advocacy circles, of other individuals or groups.

Often, there is down time, when wolves are either sleeping or not being seen. And, during those times, with large groups of people standing around and waiting for action, the gossip commences. This past winter many visitors overheard people who were quite obviously involved with watching the wolves to a large extent, yelling at others for being nice to a certain person, or for giving information to people they didn’t like. Wolf study personnel were told by other visitors not to share information with individuals. And, there were many complaints about the actions of other visitors, that were in no way wrong. But, the loud complaining created a stir and got those who did not know any better all riled up. Unsuspecting visitors, asking about a particular person, were given an earful of lies about the individual. Not to mention Facebook games of I can only be friends with you if you unfriend them – a game to see how many friends or fans a person could lose.

Very childish behavior in the atmosphere of a national park that belongs to everyone. The display of ownership and authority is appalling, in and of itself. But, the display of negativity, back stabbing and drama, does not speak well for the animals. This display spoke of a private club where only a privileged few were allowed to be in the know about the wolves, excluding all others. An exclusivity that only exists in their minds but not in the true mission of the park.

These same people who participated in the gossip circles and in trying to keep wolf information from others, then turned around and said, “It is about the animals, not the people.”

A person can say whatever they want but it is always their actions that will speak the loudest. And, making wolf advocacy about the wolves requires diligence. It means putting up with people you might not like but know that they have the best interest of the animals at heart. It means sharing the wolves equally with everyone, with no show of secrecy or exclusivity. Being open and honest is of utmost importance, along with being patient and kind. No one can carry out these ideals 100% but they are a way of being that one can strive for every day.

To this end, I made a resolution right in the beginning to always try to do the right thing – not the selfish thing that some times tempts me, but how I would want to be treated. And that is that I have always shared. Despite no one sharing with me, I have always let people know when there were wolves to be seen. And, yes, this some times idiotic behavior, has its moments when I want to say, screw them, let me have my moment. But, I never do because I don’t want to argue with the voices in my head as they try to make up some justification about how it was okay. So far, it has not been okay. But, maybe the day will come when I am so fed up with the one-sided sharing of the wolves, that it truly will be and there will not be an argument.

Please don’t tell me it is about the wolves, not the people, show me. Be true to this ideal and share the animals every chance that you get. Not just in private circles or on private pages, but in public for everyone to see.