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Being Educated by Wolves

By Scott Richmond

There's more to going fishing than just going fishing. Here's a good stop on your way to the Lochsa or Clearwater.

ur little group paused at the edge of a clearing, each one listening intently as a string of yelps split the cool mountain air. My first thought was that it sounded like a child screaming, and I wondered if there was a playground nearby. Then I realized it was a wolf.

Another voice responded to the first, and the two of them went back and forth, as if in argument. Then a deeper voice was added to the chorus. This one was long and low-toned, a true howl. Another howl was heard, and now we listened to a quartet. Soon, all four wolves were singing in unison, each on the same note.

"What was that all about?" I asked Randy Stewart of the Wolf Education and Research Center (WERC). These wolves are a pack that WERC maintains on Nez Perce land near in Winchester, Idaho, about 30 miles from Lewiston.

"The first wolf was Motoki," Randy replied. "She's an omega female, lowest in the social order. Her sister Ayet, the alpha female, probably came up to her and behaved in a dominant manner. Motoki was submissive, but annoyed. It's like when your boss keeps coming up to you every three minutes and says 'I'm your boss. I'm your boss. Don't forget it.' Eventually you get tired of it and say 'I know you're the boss. Just shut up and stop bugging me.' So then the two of them vocalized back and forth. Piyip the beta male, started a low howl, which was like saying, 'Be cool. We're family.' He was joined by Motomo the alpha male. Then they all sang the same note, which meant, 'Okay, everything's fine. We're in harmony now.'"

That's lot to deduce from four wolfs vocalizing back and forth, but Randy has been watching this pack for four-and-a-half years and knows each wolf intimately.

Personal Encounter

WERC provides public education and scientific research on gray wolves and their habitat in the northern Rockies. WERC leases 300 acres from the Nez Perce Tribe and maintains a 20-acre fenced enclosure, within which the Sawtooth Pack resides. This pack was originally eleven wolves, but natural attrition (and one escapee) means there are only five wolves still here.

The parents of the Sawtooth Pack were wild wolves, but this pack was born and raised in captivity. They are used to the presence of humans, but their instincts are wild.

"When I first came here," Randy Stewart says, "I was told, 'If you're in the enclosure and you fall down and break your ankle, just get up and quietly hobble out; when you're past the gate, you can collapse and scream all you want, but don't show any vulnerability to the wolves.'"

"Would they really attack you?" someone in our group asked.

"Probably not, but it's best not to take the chance. Their instinct is to go after the weak and injured. In the wild, they cull the herds of elk, deer, and moose and keep the herd healthy."

With that in mind, our group moved on to a gated area. As a special treat not normally available to the public, Randy led us to an inner enclosure where we met the pack. He placed us along the 10-foot-high cyclone fence at six-foot intervals. "Wolves need to see your eyes," he said, "so take off your hats and sun glasses. Kneel down and put your hands flat against the fence."

We obeyed, and one-by-one four members of the pack came to the fence and licked our hands, each one looking us in the eye. Then they back off and watched us. "Unlike domestic dogs, wolves don't need constant attention," Randy explained. "Once they've greeted you, they're done."

And we were soon done, too. After about 15 minutes, Randy judged the wolves to have had enough of strangers and we moved on. On the way back to my truck, I couldn't help but think that the world would be a more peaceful place if people learned to resolve their differences by singing on the same note like these wolves had.

How to Visit

The Wolf Education and Research Center is in the Idaho mountains about 30 miles from the Clarkston /Lewiston area. It's open seven days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and on weekends in May and September. There is a visitor center with displays and information about wolves in general and the Sawtooth Pack in particular. Guided tours take visitors on a 90-minute interpretive walk. To limit the number of people in each tour, reservations are required. See the website (hot link here) for more details and directions.

The "licking" close encounter we experienced is not available to the general public, and with 20 acres in which to hide, there is no guarantee that you will actually see the pack or hear them howl. But it's a treat just to know there's the possibility.

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 06/10/2004.

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Photo © copyright Wolf Education and Research Center

Photo © copyright Wolf Education and Research Center