Julie Argyle - Wolves: Western Warriors

Throughout history, and certainly for as long as I can remember, wolveshave been hated, hunted, and exterminated. They have been labeled as the Big BadWolf and have been the demons of childhood bad dreams. They were frequentlyconsidered as monsters that would follow you home and the moment you werentlooking, attack and consume you. The myths and legends of the past were so awfulthat even people in their right minds were scared to walk alone in the dark for fearof being attacked by a wolf.

The hate for these animals was so contagious that people everywherewanted them dead, and anyone who crossed their paths would kill them on the spot.Not only were people scared of wolves, but they also believed they would wipe out anentire population of game animals if they were allowed to live in a certain area.Because of this, wolves were eradicated from many wild places, includingYellowstone, where they were eliminated through strategic hunting and by theintentional introduction of fatal diseases like sarcoptic mange. But if the wolveswere going to wipe out all of the ungulates in and around Yellowstone, they wouldhave done so a long time ago. Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone more thantwenty-five years ago, yet plenty of elk still roam the park.

Interestingly enough, Indigenous people described wolves as familymembers representing loyalty, family ties, communication, education, understanding,and intelligence. They had a connection with wolves and knew truths that somehow gotburied along the way.

Most of the time wolves appear as a dot on the landscape; other times,you get lucky and have the encounter of a lifetime. Regardless, it is a thrillwhenever you see them. Wolves are among the most captivating animals I have everspent time watching. From their mannerisms to their love for and loyalty to theirpack, they are truly one of the most unique animals on the planet. When it comes towolves, you either love them or you hate them, and people arent afraid to speaktheir minds. Im not saying there arent a few gray areas regarding wolves, but mostpeople either want to protect them at all costs or, sadly, want them dead.

When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, I neither tried to findthem nor was I one who hoped to cross paths with them. I honestly had no interest inthem. I was looking for bearsgrizzly bears, to be specific. All of that changed oneday when I was driving between Dunraven Pass and the Tower Fall General Store, and agray wolf crossed in front of me. At first glance I thought it was a coyote, butthen after looking at its size, ears, nose, and overall beauty, I realized it wasdefinitely a wolf. It was in a hurry, and after crossing the road, it headed over asmall hill and disappeared from my view. I parked, and then walked about thirtysteps up the hill with my camera, hoping to get one last look at it. When I reachedthe top of the hill, to my surprise that gray wolf was about forty yards out, and afew yards ahead of it was a black one. The black wolf, wasting no time, continued onits way and was completely out of sight in a few moments. The gray wolf, however,just stood there and looked at me.

At first, I watched it through my camera lens, noticing just howcaptivating its eyes were. I snapped a few photos, and then, when I put down thecamera, there in front of me was one of the most beautiful animals I have ever seen.It seems funny to say beautiful, because this particular animal was covered inmange. Its tail was missing all of its fur, and the rest of its body had a few smallbald patches. But its face was a different story: That stunning gray mask and thosepiercing yellow eyes are something that I will never forget, and in that moment,looking into the eyes of that wolf, something inside me changed. A deep passion wasawakened, and I knew that I needed to find out more about these incredible animals.What was their truth?