BBC Wildlife - UK 2020-07)

(Antfer) #1
July 2020

PHILIPPAFORRESTERisa producer,writer
andpresenterwholivesinWyoming,USA.She
istheauthorofOntheTrailofWolves:A British
AdventureintheWildWest(Bloomsbury,£17.99).

Inourseriesaboutpeoplewithapassionfor a species, we ask presenter


andauthorPhilippaForresterwhysheloves the grey wolf.


PHILIPPA FORRESTER


Whythelifelongfascination
withwolves?
Oneofthethingsthatmakeswolves
mostinterestingtomeis their
relationships.I lovetohearthestories
ofindividualsthatshowingenuity
andextremecouragetoprotector
feedtheirfamily,andlearnabout
theinteractionsbetweenpacks.For
example,whileI wasinYellowstone
NationalPark,US,theJunction
Buttepackhadgrowninpower
andwasnotafraidtoshowit,with
thewolvesf launtingthemselvesin
theirneighbouringpack’sterritory,
constantlypushingboundaries–
theyseemedsoconfidentthatit was
almostliketheyweredoingit forfun!

Whathaveyoulearntabout
thegreywolfafterrelocating
toWyoming?
I hadn’trealisedtheamountof
passionpeoplehaveforwolves– both
negativeandpositive.Thepresenceof
wolveshasaffectedsomanyhuman
livesandI wantedtotellthosestories
inOntheTrailof Wolves. Opinions
ofwolvesarestillpolarisedand
thismotivatedme.I wantedto
getbeyondmyownprejudicein
ordertolistenandunderstand
whattheproblemsreallywere,

While settlers were building ranches
and the national buffalo herd was
being decimated, wolves and ranchers
were in a head-to-head. The wolves
were vilified and there was every
effort to eradicate them. I found the
level of that hatred extraordinary when
I read the old records and still find it
painful, to be honest – there was no
mercy until the job was done.

How did you trail grey wolves?
Trackingwolvesis difficultwithouta
plane!Atfirst,myhusbandCharlie
andI followedtracksthroughdeep
snowformiles.It wasexhaustingbut
greatfun,weputcamera-trapsoutin
placeswherewewereprettysurethe
wolveswouldbehangingout(wehad
specialpermission)andcheckedthem
regularly.Thechallengewithcamera-
trapsis that 99 percentofthetime
theycatchnothing,orjusta bison’s
bottom,oranelk’sfacebeforehe
chewsthecables.InYellowstone,it
is easytospotthewolves,because
youseea groupofwolfwatchersfirst.
Othertimes,yourelyoncontactsand
sometimes,oftenthebesttimes,it
justhappensbychance.

WILDLIFECHAMPION


VIEWPOINT


to change the way I
reacted to the things
I didn’t understand,
like trophy hunting,
and ask questions
instead of judging.
This kind of
conversation, for
me, is key to the
successful conservationofapex
predators and other species.

HowdidtheUSwolf
populationbecome
nearlyextinct?
Untilrelativelyrecent
times,thehistoryofwolf-
and-humanrelationships
hereinWyominghas
beenoneofwarfare. Theexpertview

Wolveswerereintroducedto
Yellowstonein1995,andbecameone
oftheworld’smostheavilystudied
wolfpopulations.Theirhighvisibility
alongwiththededicatedmonitoringeortsof
parkstahasallowedunparalleledinsightinto
thelifehistory,behaviour,andecologyofwolves.
KnowledgegainedfromYellowstonehasassisted
wolfconservation,management,andconflict-
resolutioneortsacrossthenorthernhemisphere.
AimeeTallian, wildlifeecologist,OurWorldofWildlife

99 percent
ofthetime,
camera-traps
catchnothing,
orjustabison’s
bottom.

S


T


Philippa: Emma Peios/Getty; wolf: George Sanker/naturepl.com

Interview by Jo Price

Free download pdf