It's hardly Twilight for Washington's wolves
Did you hear? Big, howling, wolves are loping through the forests of Washington, prowling the dark corners, fighting vampires...um... I mean... OK, so the wolves of Twilight: New Moon are a tad more human and mythological than the average Canis lupus, but the return of real wolves howling in Washington after decades of silence is nothing less than legendary. Can we plan for the wolves that really roam the state, as opposed to those the reign in our imagination?
A pack of hunky werewolves has movie goers enthralled with the power of wolves on our psyche, but we must manage real wolves on a real landscape using real science, and that has its challenges. We need to speak up for wolves today (click ACT, above)
Twilight: New Moon has enthralled movie goers this month. Accordingly, wolves appear to be all the rage of late. Full disclosure: I haven't read the novels or seen the movies beyond a few featurettes, but a chat with a teenager or a quick surf on the web reveals the excitement that many felt around seeing the CGI-wolves in action. Even our 2008 photo of Washington's new pups showed up on a Twilight books blog and had commenters cheering for the return of wolves to Washington!
Werewolves are a thing of horror films and legend, and the idea of half-man, half-wolf is pretty terrifying, even when the human side is as cute as these actors! The raw power of an animal like the wolf has left an indelible mark on human psyche over time, from misunderstood soul to ruthless demon. I wonder, though, can we ever manage real wolves on our real landscape just for what they are?
Read any newspaper wolf article's online comment section, and it's obvious that people have strong emotional reactions to wolves. Some revere the wolf for its power, strength, and hunting prowess, and some fear it for the very same reason. Some call them spirit guides or noble creatures, and some call them names much less complimentary. But, in the end, wolves are just…well…wolves. They aren't devils. They aren't saints. They simply are a vital part of a complete, healthy ecosystem, where they influence everything from streamside tree growth to the health of prey populations.
Here is some of what we do know (learn even more at Western Wolves): Wolves are highly social animals, living in tightly knit groups that rely heavily on the cohesiveness of the whole for everything from finding food to pup-sitting, sort of like our own families. They hunt in groups, often stash their kills for later consumption—leading some to erroneously anthropomorphize and assume that they kill for fun—and yes, sometimes they go after prey that humans value, like livestock. They are predators, after all. An alpha male and female lead the pack, and when accidents happen or people hunt wolves, the untimely death of an alpha can lead to the pack breaking up, and inexperienced younger wolves hunting "easier" prey, like livestock, which can lead to more hunting of "problem" wolves. It's complicated stuff.
Like all things in nature, nothing is cut and dry, and we must consider these and a myriad other things when planning for wolves as they return on their own to Washington's wildest places. This is why Conservation Northwest was so integrally involved in the working group responsible for bringing a recommendation for wolf management to the WDFW. It's also why we are asking our supporters to speak up for wolves this month to ensure Washington uses the best science and common sense for wolves and people as it drafts a wolf management plan.
Werewolves may lope through the Washington forests in Twilight's world, but in our world it is simply a real animal—neither devilish nor saintly—that may roam our wildest forests far into the future. Wolves' real, positive effect on our ecosystems and their place in the natural legacy of the west means they deserve a chance to recover, and a good management plan will make that possible. We think Jacob will agree.
