“What is being done to protect the wolves is not working and if more people do not figure that out, they will all be Ghost Wolves.” Deby Dixon @2014
Ghost Wolf
Though I have thought about this post often, every word comes straight from my heart, without edits.
I make no secret of the fact that I came to Yellowstone to learn about wild wolves and their impact on the earth and society, because my son is one who thinks that all of them should be dead.
Rather than argue with my son I chose to come here to educate myself and did so with open eyes and open mind. Well, as much as an forever animal lover can do. I had heard the horrible wolf stories and so many of them did not ring true while some were made to sound bad but so what? What was the big deal?
Before that time I had stayed completely away from the wolf issue and had never even dreamed of photographing wild wolves, despite having seen them in Tetons a couple of times. In fact, I just remembered that the first time a wild wolf crossed a road in front of me it was the limping, collared, black wolf in Tetons. I was so stunned at the time that it was hard to believe it had really happened.
But, in Yellowstone, I came, I saw and the next day she was dead. Meaning 06′, or 832F, the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon pack. That single act and the belief that she was targeted for being a favorite, collared Yellowstone wolf, was incomprehensible to me. I could not understand that much hatred. Because, by that time I had begun to see the good what the wolves were doing for the eco-system.
Intuitively I understood that when the planet was created, wolves were given a place and a job, just like everything else. For me, whether one believes in God, a higher power or anything that just might be way more brilliant than any of us, it was obvious, suddenly and at last, that everything was created for a reason. And that the reason was not for hate. Wolves are the huge balancers of our eco-system and when they are not around, everything goes out of whack. It is the same for many other species but I believe that wolves have a massive impact on the balance and keeping things working smoothly. Our country was not meant to be an elk and deer farm – it was meant to have room for everything and for everything to have its job.
And, so, 06′ was killed and it feels as though I was thrust, kicking and screaming, into the world of wolf advocacy. Kicking and screaming because I had advocated for animals before and found the atmosphere to be one of the most hostile I had ever encountered anywhere. And, I was a cop on some pretty mean streets!
I had no previous experience with wolves, no particular knowledge and certainly no expertise, but I could see that they belonged. And so I started from there, while continuing to educate myself by watching the nation’s only watchable wild wolves.
Except that, with the death of 06′ came less wolves to watch because her pack dispersed and moved on. And so I missed the great days of deciding which pack to watch and came in when Lamar Valley was empty for more days then it was filled.
In the beginning I had idealism – don’t shoot any wolves! Dammit! I hated the hunters and the ranchers but really did not know them or the way that they thought. And, I still pretty much don’t like irresponsible ranchers who feel like we are responsible for the safety of their livestock while they sit back and make no accommodations for the greater good. And, as far as avid wolf haters are concerned, there is not much use talking to them, as is the case with my son. But, to tell the truth, most of them, if you did not know that they hate wolves, are good people in other ways. It is like they have this closet self that is not so pretty and that can be all consuming if allowed to show itself. A hatred that can destroy families and friendships.
But, I was able to open my mind enough to begin asking questions and to take a look at the other side of the story when it made sense. We do not know what others are thinking or doing unless we ask and they tell us. There is always another side, and even if it would not impact us in the same way, it impacts them.
Oh, and then I found out that wolf advocates do things like issue death threats, send hate mail, hack haters Facebook pages and out their identities, and a lot of other stuff that serves no purpose except to cause more resentment, which could or could not get more wolves killed. And, I saw that wolf advocates were stabbing each other in the back and doing more fighting amongst themselves then they were doing any good for the wolves. Also, there were the alpha wolf advocates who wanted to be the hero and so made everyone less than they.
And, I said something back then that no one else was saying, “What we are doing is not working and we need to find a better way.” That better way included putting egos and personalities aside and focus on what is best for the wolf. No one said that back then and no one appreciated hearing that but today some well-known advocates say those same words. So, despite my lack of experience, my instincts kicked in accurately.
I began a crusade of asking people to get along – to focus on the wolves – and began to focus on educating people in hopes of eliminating the reasons that wolves are killed.
Today, wolf advocates are at each other’s throats more than ever. The lack of integrity is shameful and harms the wolves. Hey, I am just speaking as a human who has human reactions to certain things, not as an expert. It is human nature to retaliate when not treated fairly. Or when not getting their way.
I was ostracized by large national wolf advocacy programs and their advocates were instructed to stay away from me. Simply because I spoke up and spoke the truth. Simply because I thought that the wolves deserved something better.
But I kept going and over the course of time I made the decision to focus my advocacy efforts on Yellowstone wolves because they are at the center – where everything began. BTW, I advocate for all animals, as well as for human fairness and integrity. My heart tells me that if we can not save Yellowstone wolves from being killed then we have failed and all of them will end up dead.
Why? Because Yellowstone wolves are the only visible wild wolves in the world. Yes, you can see wild wolves from time to time but in Yellowstone we get to see nearly every part of their lives, except for their denning time and the early days of the pups. We see them play, feed, kill, mate, fight and just be. We see the wolves interact with other species and often we see our favorite animals killed by wolves. Because that is the way the world was designed. We kill to eat, whether we do it ourselves or the butcher does it for us – the food still comes from a live, breathing, feeling animal that has been slaughtered so that we can eat. We take more than our share while wolves only take what they need – because, in part, hunting is dangerous for wolves. No sport, only purpose – feed the family.
Lately, so many have spoken against those of us who focus on Yellowstone wolves and that baffles me. Why would any wolf advocate not see the importance in people seeing wolves in the wild, while being educated by people who have watched those wolves, and become a wolf advocate as a result? Mind blowing that the concept is so hard to understand.
Another thing that I have heard is that Yellowstone wolves don’t count because they are habituated. Well, that is a load of crap! Yes, there is one or two that don’t mind humans but for the most part the animals are staying far away from us. I think that part of the reason is because they have seen their pack mates killed by man. Sort of the same as with elk, wherein the elk are now wild and employing tactics to stay safe – now that they have a natural predator besides man.
Lately, the newest bashing that I have heard from wolf advocates, is how dare you say anything against anyone else who is an advocate. Well, number one, I have not seen any personal statements against anyone person – not like national wolf advocates have done to me – but have seen well thought out and reasoned reasons why certain tactics might be harmful to Yellowstone wolves. Because, when wolf advocates want to be highly visible, they bring their fight to Yellowstone where the wolves are well known, instead of to the Sawtooth where they are hated beyond any reason. They bring their advocacy to Yellowstone without knowing a thing about the work that has gone on to bridge the gap between the wolves and hunters, ranchers and haters. And they have no clue about the culture and the heritage that much of the local community has grown up with and passed on.
Well, I have a problem with wolf advocates from other states coming to Yellowstone, making demands or employing unconventional methods of protecting the wolves, without consulting the vast local network of wolf related professionals. Because if those tactics anger the local community, then the park wolves pay the price. Simple as that. And, why would I think that is a good idea? If we don’t have wild wolves to show the world and to provide education to others then we don’t have people who care – pretty soon all we have is dead wolves and bitter memories.
And, so I will continue to speak out when my experience, as limited as it may be, tells me that something is not a good idea. I will continue to speak out against those who are unwilling to compromise so that we can BEGIN to make headway and bridge the many gaps that exist. Initially those compromises might not be all that great but each one is a step towards something better.
But, mostly, I will not speak very much any more. Wolf advocates, so many of them, have shown themselves to be very cruel to those who do not agree with them and they make it personal. When I say it is a bad idea to advertise with media attention the wolf patrols around Yellowstone, it is not anything personal. I do not know these people at all – I just think that they are not being sensitive to the community and that will not be a good thing for the wolves. My worst enemy, whoever that might be, could come up with the best idea for helping the wolves and I will applaud them all of the way.
This is about the wolves, not me nor you.
My advocacy is going to focus on education, as it has in the past. I will post photos and write stories. When I am able to make those public without harming wolves, I will do so. Otherwise, I have an added layer of protection, which is my website.
Which brings me to one last thing. Many have berated me for “selling” information about wolves. My website, The Yellowstone Daily, is about Yellowstone, not wolves. At the moment it is primarily wildlife based (all wildlife) but that will change as the site grows. And most of my wolf information, what I am comfortable with sharing, goes on Facebook. Because I am here in Yellowstone, watching the animals myself, I feel it is important to provide the facts as much as possible. My site, from my end and purpose, is supposed to be a wildlife education/story site that will hopefully make more people aware of nature and the animals. I work very, very hard with long hours that are quite costly, with very little return on my huge investment. And so, I created The Yellowstone Daily, as a way to put fuel in the gas tank and continue sharing the stories. It provides a very small portion of my expenses – the rest comes from me and because of that I go without personal necessities. Which is my choice – no complaints!
I understand that not everyone is going to agree with me and that many people will not like me for whatever reason and am okay with that. What I would not be okay with is being less than my authentic self.
What I promote is responsible, educated and informed activism. No name calling, no personal berating or ostracizing of individuals. All inclusive for everyone who wants to work together. Egos have no place when it comes to saving nature – it is too important a task to make it personal. When I speak against something it is with good information and without any personal attacks against the individual.
What is being done to protect the wolves is not working and if more people do not figure that out, they will all be “Ghost Wolves.”
Thank you for indulging me in this long explanation. It is has been a long time coming and some recent attacks make the timing necessary. I will not be signing petitions, or going to meetings, instead I will continue my own education and passing the fruits of that along to you.
I have felt strongly that wolves outside YNP and GTNP need to be managed as lion and black bear are in Wyoming. That was fairly radical beliefs among my coworkers in my previous life as a pipeline for a major oil company in WY. Like Deby, among family, my WY In-laws, it was worse than my being a Democrat which was shame enough. They are gratefully ex-laws now (grins). That said WY often sets quotas with little or no knowledge of the actual populations. I think harassing hunters and trappers is nuts. I am out in the ranges and basins a lot. I do advocate turning in all suspicious activity, so knowing the seasons for the area, helps turn in poachers and wolf vigilantes. Some of the militia types that are showing up with the wolf haters are almost domestic jihadis and have little regard for their own lives or yours.. So tread carefully and use the law. I agree the death threats, the confrontation tactics, and purist dogma kill the very animals we want to protect.
Rob, I think that we have to accept the fact that wolves will be hunted but we need to work towards eliminating the reasons for hunting them and that can only be done through education and making ranchers responsible for their own livestock. I know that even responsible ranchers will get some predation but then we can deal with that on a case by case basis – but to give them a blank check while they sit back and don’t do a thing to minimize predation is just not fair to the rest of us. And, the hunters – really – back in the day the hunters went hiking or packing and stayed in the back country where they tracked the elk. They did not walk out their front door and shoot a trophy. To be crying over that loss is unfair to society. Your advice to the wolf patrol, to tread lightly, is good. I have a tiny bit of awareness of what goes on in those forests during the night and no one should feel safe if they come across suspicious activity. Unreal that people do not understand what these nasty tactics are doing to the animals. Thanks for your well thought out comment.
Very well said Deby!! I totally do not understand wolf haters but what is even more baffling is the multiple personalities of the wolf advocates. But if you look at the whole environmental movement it has always been like that. Another way to look at all of it is to compare some organization like the National Wildlife Federation (fairly conservative) to Earth First! (radical tree spikers, put sugar in bulldozers, etc.) I have always believed you have to have the two extremes to get to the middle but that still doesn’t explain the multiple splits within the wolf advocates. Just think what we could get done if we all worked together. Like you said education is the answer. That is what I believe and that is what keeps me going. My sister didn’t like pikas because she thought they were rats. Now that she knows they are rabbits she wants one of her own.
LOL – Knowledge is power and it changes everything. As long as that knowledge is the truth then people can make informed decisions. When people are repeating lies, or pretending to be experts when they don’t have a clue is when bad decisions are made. Did you tell your sister that Pikas eat the feces the first time they come out, so that they get more nutrition? That might change her mind again.