Who Do We Study? Us or Them or Maybe Both?

It was 65 years ago on Isle Royale where famed wolf biologist L. David Mech snuck into a fishhouse along the frozen shoreline to get a better look at a wolf pack. Mech and pilot Don Murray had been aerially tracking the pack and knew their route. Murray quietly and expertly landed the plane out of sight of the traveling wolves and Mech crept into the hiding place unseen and unknown.

The wolves stayed true to their route and the rest is history. Mech clicked his best photos yet of the wary beasts, a mere fifteen feet away — close looks adding to his groundbreaking study of wolves at a time when little was known about them. This and many other encounters by Mech defined his career.

He went on to study wolves, bust myths, and learn about wolves in a way no one had before. Ultimately this helped wolves and humans coexist, leading to conservation action that rippled across the northern hemisphere. This was the start to what would become one of the best studied mammals in the world. Mech dedicated his life to the biological study of wolves. Could such a thing happen today?

Yellowstone circa 1930s. Predator control was park policy

Wolf reintroduction receives massive scrutiny, generates controversy, and almost always is preceded by some form of public  outreach which today is evolving toward the internet

Many believe wolf hunting leads to social acceptance of wolves but data are mixed

The public is fascinated by wolves and social media may be the best way to reach large groups of people otherwise unwilling to engage in outreach efforts

The newsletter presents this as a snippet of the full essay and directs readers to read the complete essay online. https://www.canids.org/who-do-we-study-us-or-them-or-maybe-both–2