Every hunter that kills a wolf ends a wonderous adventure, says author
CBC Radio · 2 hours ago
The Wolf author Nate Blakeslee says every hunter that kills a wolf ends a wonderous adventure. (Penguin Random House Canada)
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Listen23:23
Originally aired on November 28, 2017.
Read Story Transcript <http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-november-28-2017-1.4421390/tuesday-november-29-2017-full-episode-transcript-1.4423592#segment2>
When Alberta grey wolves were introduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995, not everyone who lived around the park howled with delight.
Wolves had been absent from the area since they were killed by hunters in the 1920s.
“Because so much of that land is controlled by the federal government, you see this us versus them, this local control versus intrusive federal bureaucrats — at least that is how it is cast in the West,” says Nate Blakeslee, author of The Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West.
“The ranching industry is so powerful there, the hunting industry is so powerful there, all those state legislatures were largely opposed to reintroduction, even though a number of people there were very excited about it,” Blakeslee tells The Current’s Anna Maria Tremonti.
While wolf experts initially thought the wolves would be pretty invisible to humans, living deep in the park, some of the packs lived in open areas easily watched by nature enthusiasts.
She was such an accomplished hunter.- Nate Blakeslee
And of those wolves, none was more loved or photographed than an alpha female called O-Six, who lived and hunted close to humans.
“She was a grey wolf. She had uncommonly attractive facial markings, sort of this owl-like mask around her eyes,” says Blakeslee.
“She was such an accomplished hunter.”
* Grey wolf wins Canada’s Greatest Animal contest <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/grey-wolf-calgary-zoo-canada-greatest-animal-contest-1.4123430>
* Using poison to cull wolves in Alberta is inhumane, says animal advocacy group <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-wolf-cull-animals-poison-1.4388721>
The wolves of Yellowstone were free to hunt and roam the area safe from hunters until 2012 when they were removed from the endangered species list.
Any wolf that left the safe confines of the park itself became a potential target for hunters.
“‘O-Six sadly did leave the park during that first legal hunting season,” Blakeslee says.
“Who could have foreseen that one of the first wolves to be shot during Wyoming’s first legal hunting seasons in generations would be the park’s most beloved animal?”
What is the value of one wolf’s life?- Nate Blakeslee
After she was shot, the rest of the wolf pack came out of the woods and circled their fallen leader.
And then they began to howl.
“What is the value of one wolf’s life?” Blakeslee asks.
“If every wolf leads this wonderful adventure story as O-Six did, if every wolf’s life is like that, and every wolf killed by a hunter ends such an amazing story, does it force us to reevaluate how we think about those policy goals and does it force us to go back again and take a look at what our values are in that process?”
Listen to the full conversation near the top of this page.
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This segment was produced by The Current’s Howard Goldenthal.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/how-o-six-became-yellowstone-s-most-beloved-wolf-1.4421434
Exposing the Big Game 
Reblogged this on Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting Blog.
Very sad. Her family mourned her.
Yes. And the pitiful, self-centered excuse for killing her, and for continuing to hunt Park wolves around the borders. A recent book asks that we consider the point of view of this poor wretched creature (the wolf killer). Never.
Oh Sorry. Nate Blakeslee in the next breath was the one who asks that we consider the point of view of her killer too.
We’ve heard so many stories from killers, they can’t help but blab about their exploits. However, when you strip away all the PR BS it’s always the same:
“I wanted to kill a wolf/wolves because I like killing things and it gives me a sense of accomplishment.”
Nothing less of serial killer’s justification for doing what they do.
Nate Blakeslee made the point that her killer is simply resentful of gov’t control. So it’s even more than hunting for food, or they just like killin’ stuff. No excuse for his behavior. I don’t like hunting personally – but there are hunters, and there is this kind of behavior. The guy was no Aldo Leopold, having an epiphany about what he had done. I hope the author wasn’t trying to make the point that he was.
I haven’t read it, but I have read excerpts and unfavorable comments about what they thought was giving more credit than is due to this guy.
But that’s people for you – delusions of grandeur on both sides of the issue. So frustratingly repulsive. 😦
Reblogged this on seachranaidhe1.
I feel a fleeting smidgeon of sympathy for the wolf killer to the extent that it must be frightening to be so intensely hated by so many. I admit that I hate him and will reveal his identity to the world if I ever figure out who he is. He has deprived me and everyone else who cares about wildlife, and he has done enormous and irreparable harm to that wolf and the family group. People should take responsibility for their actions, right? Why doesn’t the killer announce to the world who he is and defend his “accomplishment”?
I liked Nate’s book, but try to see the world through the killer’s eyes? I can imagine this guy’s insecurity, his desperate need to prove his pathetic manhood and dominance, and the surge in his self-worth as he snuffs out the life of another being. I feel too nauseous and too contemptuous to probe any deeper. Frankly, based on his actions, the killer has ample reason to feel like a worthless POS.
Oh please do. In an unfavorable comment, it said that the perv kept the pelt and showed it to Nate, who had a photo taken with it. He’d never have the you-know-whats to come forward on his own.
It isn’t possible for me to see anything through any killer’s eyes. Especially an overgrown child who resents the gubmint.
As I said, hunting is one thing – but this is something else entirely.
forgot to add – I’d be afraid to look, quite frankly! Was he quoted as refering to himself as a worthless POS in the book? Then he may not be entirely hopeless.
I should also add that I don’t hate people like O-Six’s killer – I only feel dismay at their behavior. It is very offensive to me to be asked to have ‘sympathy’ for people who already have the upper hand and every advantage, and just want more, or to wrest control of the public lands from the other people in this country.
I think the author is new to this, because it is the kind of issue that you must make a stand for and take a side on, now more than ever. If you have sympathy for wildlife killers, then nothing will change. I choose the side of the wildlife, the underdogs. I know my opinion means zero.