Recommend me anything books/ podcasts/ films to do with WOLVES
August 25, 2023 1:48 AM Subscribe
Recommendations of real wolf [not robot/ dystopian world / transformer wolves] texts please!
Also, since we can chat this week, you can also tell me your close-encounter-with-wolves stories.
My sister gave me a monograph about wolves a few Christmases ago, and since then I am kinda obsessively reading books, listening to National Park podcasts, reading about wolves, watching documentaries about these critters, young adult books like ‘Julie of the Wolves’ and romance novels with wolves as background plot and characters. I even made a little pilgrimage to Ely, Minnesota to see the wolves last year. I also heard them howling at night in Boundary Waters on my canoeing trip there a few years ago, and it was just beautiful.
I’m also saving up to do a Yellowstone winter tour, like the fucking wolf tourist I’m becoming.
I liked the dry and methodical Richard McIntyre in ‘The Reign of Wolf 21’ and loved Farley Mowat’s ‘Never Cry Wolf’ from 1963. I’ve just read a few Peter Heller books recently and enjoyed them for their easy escapism.
I love Pam Houston type books - hardy, clear-eyed, interesting, with a story?
Thanks!
My sister gave me a monograph about wolves a few Christmases ago, and since then I am kinda obsessively reading books, listening to National Park podcasts, reading about wolves, watching documentaries about these critters, young adult books like ‘Julie of the Wolves’ and romance novels with wolves as background plot and characters. I even made a little pilgrimage to Ely, Minnesota to see the wolves last year. I also heard them howling at night in Boundary Waters on my canoeing trip there a few years ago, and it was just beautiful.
I’m also saving up to do a Yellowstone winter tour, like the fucking wolf tourist I’m becoming.
I liked the dry and methodical Richard McIntyre in ‘The Reign of Wolf 21’ and loved Farley Mowat’s ‘Never Cry Wolf’ from 1963. I’ve just read a few Peter Heller books recently and enjoyed them for their easy escapism.
I love Pam Houston type books - hardy, clear-eyed, interesting, with a story?
Thanks!
I'd recommend Jack London's books (White Fang especially) - but maybe also this account of his life and connections with wolves.
posted by rongorongo at 4:47 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by rongorongo at 4:47 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
I love the documentary Living with Wolves. Looks like you can watch it on YouTube.
posted by FencingGal at 5:04 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by FencingGal at 5:04 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You may have seen this already, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune had a big section/bunch of articles called State of the Wolf last summer. It is probably paywalled, but I subscribe— memail you if you'd like it!
posted by pepper bird at 5:17 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by pepper bird at 5:17 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
The founder of the Wolf Connection wolf sanctuary wrote a book and has a podcast that you might enjoy.
posted by corey flood at 6:06 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by corey flood at 6:06 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
A pretty good film was made from Mowat's book in 1983, starring Charles Martin Smith and Brian Dennehy.
posted by dunhamrc at 6:07 AM on August 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by dunhamrc at 6:07 AM on August 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
This Is Criminal: Episode 232 and This is Love: Episode 72
posted by imitura at 6:08 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by imitura at 6:08 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
I work with a wolf researcher who has written a bunch of books. You might find some of them interesting.
posted by belladonna at 6:11 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by belladonna at 6:11 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Erica Berry recently did an article on The Top 10 Stories about Wolves in the Guardian.
posted by tallus at 8:03 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by tallus at 8:03 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: a "close encounters" story and then a book recommendation. and a video too...
Back in 1999 or so we did an early fall trip to Yellowstone and early one morning, up in the Lamar Valley section of the park, we saw some cars pulled off the road and a bunch of people at roadside with binoculars and spotter scopes. So we joined them. turned out it was a couple of academic researchers (one of them dutifully logging each time and place they saw a wolf poop, so they could find and sample it later) and a whole bunch of wolf-watcher tourists. This was the territory of the Druid Peak pack, which included Wolf 21 and Wolf 42, who came to be known as Cinderella.
The pack had downed an elk during the night, and the word went out over the wolf-watcher telegraph. By the morning, the pack had done most of the eating and were lolling around "meat-drunk," as the researchers phrased it. But a couple of them -- 21, I believe, were trotting back and forth between the kill (down near the river) and the den up on Druid Peak, bringing meat to the pups.
The pack and the kill were a good 300 yards away, so the scopes were essential, but the they were crossing the road maybe 100 yards west of us. So we got some great looks at them, at a respectful distance. Totally dumb luck on our part. Even more luck: The folks in the group told us that a filmmaker who had been following the wolves since introduction was doing a private screening a rough cut of his documentary for National Geographic at one of the visitor centers the next day. I mentioned I was a newspaper reporter, and so they invited us to tag along. So we did, and the documentary was fabulous. IIRC it told the story through 42's battle with her sister and the arrival of 21. It used to be available buried deep on NG's website but I can't find it anymore.
When we got back I interviewed a bunch of the scientists and wolf-watchers and put together a draft and shopped it to a few magazines, with no takers. I imagine if I'd waited until the documentary came out, I might have had more luck, but by then life had intervened, etc... We've been back a couple of times and seen them again, nothing quite as notable -- though one time we did see a wolf pup, at great distance, trying to stalk a young bison -- until the adults ran up and whisked him/her away.
Anyway... one of the folks I interviewed, Douglas Smith, the ranger and biologist who lead the reintroduction program, wrote a book called "Decade of the Wolf," about the first 10 years of the program. It's great, and it's been updated since its was first published in 2005. Worth tracking down if you can find it.
posted by martin q blank at 8:21 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
Back in 1999 or so we did an early fall trip to Yellowstone and early one morning, up in the Lamar Valley section of the park, we saw some cars pulled off the road and a bunch of people at roadside with binoculars and spotter scopes. So we joined them. turned out it was a couple of academic researchers (one of them dutifully logging each time and place they saw a wolf poop, so they could find and sample it later) and a whole bunch of wolf-watcher tourists. This was the territory of the Druid Peak pack, which included Wolf 21 and Wolf 42, who came to be known as Cinderella.
The pack had downed an elk during the night, and the word went out over the wolf-watcher telegraph. By the morning, the pack had done most of the eating and were lolling around "meat-drunk," as the researchers phrased it. But a couple of them -- 21, I believe, were trotting back and forth between the kill (down near the river) and the den up on Druid Peak, bringing meat to the pups.
The pack and the kill were a good 300 yards away, so the scopes were essential, but the they were crossing the road maybe 100 yards west of us. So we got some great looks at them, at a respectful distance. Totally dumb luck on our part. Even more luck: The folks in the group told us that a filmmaker who had been following the wolves since introduction was doing a private screening a rough cut of his documentary for National Geographic at one of the visitor centers the next day. I mentioned I was a newspaper reporter, and so they invited us to tag along. So we did, and the documentary was fabulous. IIRC it told the story through 42's battle with her sister and the arrival of 21. It used to be available buried deep on NG's website but I can't find it anymore.
When we got back I interviewed a bunch of the scientists and wolf-watchers and put together a draft and shopped it to a few magazines, with no takers. I imagine if I'd waited until the documentary came out, I might have had more luck, but by then life had intervened, etc... We've been back a couple of times and seen them again, nothing quite as notable -- though one time we did see a wolf pup, at great distance, trying to stalk a young bison -- until the adults ran up and whisked him/her away.
Anyway... one of the folks I interviewed, Douglas Smith, the ranger and biologist who lead the reintroduction program, wrote a book called "Decade of the Wolf," about the first 10 years of the program. It's great, and it's been updated since its was first published in 2005. Worth tracking down if you can find it.
posted by martin q blank at 8:21 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]
Chatfilter response:
"I have a phobia of wolves"
posted by Windopaene at 10:47 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
"I have a phobia of wolves"
posted by Windopaene at 10:47 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Many years ago I was in Alaska to see the aurora borealis. I drove to a semi remote location at night, got out of my car, and then a minute later wolves started howling. I have never heard a sound like that, it felt like the hills were full of wolves and I was surrounded. I felt like prey, I jumped back in my car without a thought beyond a need to get to safety.
Once I calmed down I got out and and listened with wonder and appreciation, but first moment of fear was impressive.
posted by lepus at 11:10 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
Once I calmed down I got out and and listened with wonder and appreciation, but first moment of fear was impressive.
posted by lepus at 11:10 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]
I read Wolf Island, by David Mech (mentioned above), a few years ago, and enjoyed it.
Same for Nate Blakeslee's American Wolf, which is partly about writer/former park ranger/all-around wolf guy Rick McIntyre. I don't think I've read any of McIntyre's books, but you could.
posted by box at 11:15 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Same for Nate Blakeslee's American Wolf, which is partly about writer/former park ranger/all-around wolf guy Rick McIntyre. I don't think I've read any of McIntyre's books, but you could.
posted by box at 11:15 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Came also to cite David Mech and the Isle Royale Project. The Wolves of Isle Royale: A Broken Balance [U Mich 2007] by Rolf Peterson is one more recent account.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:33 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:33 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
The non-fiction book Wolves in the Land of Salmon by Dave Moscowitz sounds right up your alley.
You might also like watching "Island of the Sea Wolves" on Netflix (cinematography by noted underwater photography and videographer Maxwel Hohn).
posted by cnidaria at 4:32 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
You might also like watching "Island of the Sea Wolves" on Netflix (cinematography by noted underwater photography and videographer Maxwel Hohn).
posted by cnidaria at 4:32 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
I recommend you read up on the story of The Beast of Gévaudan. Gévaudan is a village in the Languedoc region of France where an animal- probably a wolf or wolf hybrid - killed and often ate over 100 locals back in the 1760s. The account reads a little like a fairy tale but was very much a real event. The page lists several books and other sources.
posted by rongorongo at 2:28 AM on August 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rongorongo at 2:28 AM on August 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: You’re all wonderful, thank you so much for these. Some I have read or seen or heard. I loved the This is Love Episode which got me into finding out more about 21, and I have Wolf Island currently playing on my audiobooks.
Can’t wait to dive into Erica Berry’s list and find the film version of Mowat’s book! I will definitely be watching Wolves in the Land of Salmon as I loved Island of Sea Wolves. I’ve devoured the Star Tribune articles after pepper bird’s suggestion and I am gob-smacked to learn that my favourite USA state has more wolves than all other 48 contiguous US states combined, 2700 hundred of them!
I just loved martin q blank’s story and recs, [publish the interview!] but I will be consuming everything you all suggested, thank you!
[Next post will be in the IRL tab: “Minnesotans, who wants to do a Wolf Tourism with me?”]
posted by honey-barbara at 4:25 PM on August 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Can’t wait to dive into Erica Berry’s list and find the film version of Mowat’s book! I will definitely be watching Wolves in the Land of Salmon as I loved Island of Sea Wolves. I’ve devoured the Star Tribune articles after pepper bird’s suggestion and I am gob-smacked to learn that my favourite USA state has more wolves than all other 48 contiguous US states combined, 2700 hundred of them!
I just loved martin q blank’s story and recs, [publish the interview!] but I will be consuming everything you all suggested, thank you!
[Next post will be in the IRL tab: “Minnesotans, who wants to do a Wolf Tourism with me?”]
posted by honey-barbara at 4:25 PM on August 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by box at 4:46 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]