Wolf Songs. - book reviews

Aldo Leopold and Adolph Murie were lovely advocates for the wolf when it had few friends, Later, Farley Mowat's popular accounts of northern wolves, David Mech's studies of the Isle Royale packs, and photographer Jim Brandenberg's stunning images all helped to change public sentiment. Barry Lopez's and Michael Fox's reflections on the wolf were spoken into a greatly changed atmosphere. The sixteen diverse American writers collected in Wolf Songs created the continuum that led to our greater respect, understanding, and cherishing of wolves.

When he saw me, the old hero - worn out from struggling for two days and nights - arose valiantly to give battle. His eyes glared green with fury and his powerful jaws snapped viciously as he tried to reach me and my trembling horse. But the traps held him fast and, weak from hunger and loss of blood, he soon sank down exhausted. Now that I had him at last, pity came over me. "You grand old outlaw," I said, "I'm sorry to do it, but it must be done." I threw my lasso, but as the noose was dropping on his neck he seized it and with one chop cut the thick rope. I had my rifle but did not wish to spoil his royal hide, so I galloped back to the house to get another lasso - and Billy Allen. We flung a stick to the wolf and before he could drop it our lassos tightened on his neck. It was easy to lash his jaws tight over the stick with a rope.

One summer day, when the wolves were a little more than two years old, someone let them out. We never found out who. I think it must have been someone who believed all wild animals should be free but who did not know that wild animals raised in captivity are no longer wild. River was shot and killed by a man who told us later he wasn't sure what kind of animals they were but they looked wild and were trying to play with his neighbor's dogs, so he thought they might be rabid. With River lying there dead. Prairie bolted for the deep woods. The next day, when we got home (we were away at a funeral), she responded to Sandy's howling and came to her, lay down at her feet, trembling and disoriented.

COPYRIGHT 1996 Point Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group