by Nick Jans
“Probation May Be Revoked for Man in ‘Romeo’ Case,” Juneau Empire, January 23, 2011, http://juneauempire.com/stories/012311/loc_774966703.shtml.
“Wolf Killer Back in Court as Judge Weighs Facts of Legal Filing, Previous Criminal History,” Juneau Empire, April 5, 2011, http://juneau empire.com/local/2011-04-05/wolf-killer-back-court-judge-weighs-facts-legal-filing-previous-criminal-history#.UkSsP4Y WJRo. The comment section that follows this story (and others related to the wolf) is especially interesting.
“Myers Sentenced for Probation Violation,” Juneau Empire, July 17, 2011, http://m.juneauempire.com/local/2011-07-16/myers-sentenced-probation-violation. This is a very strange Empire piece with no byline that mischaracterizes facts, doesn’t even mention why Myers was really in court, and carries obvious sympathy for Myers. See also blog comments.
Suggested Reading
Of Wolves and Men, Barry Lopez, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1978.
Though dated in some respects (much has occurred in both the wolf- related political and scientific realms since its publication), this book remains a cornerstone of nonfiction wolf literature. An eclectic and cerebral combination of research summations, wolf lore and legends, history, philosophical musings, and polemic.
Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani, editors, University of Chicago Press, 2007.
This massive, 448-page compendium of wolf research, illustrated with photographs, diagrams, and tables, is the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on wolves available. Accessible and highly recommended.
Among Wolves, Gordon Haber and Marybeth Holleman, University of Alaska Press, 2013.
The research and observations of Alaska wolf biologist Gordon Haber, in his own words, with added writings by Holleman and others who knew him. Haber’s four decades of research on wolves within Alaska’s Denali National Park includes some of the longest and most detailed personal field observations of wolf family groups and individuals ever conducted. His writing is lucid and compelling. Haber’s refusal to formally publish his findings in peer-reviewed journals, his abrasive, sometimes contradictory personality, and his fearless advocacy for wolves made him a controversial figure. Haber died in a plane crash in 2009 in Denali while studying the wolves he loved.
The Wolves of Mount McKinley, Adolph Murie, University of Washington Press, 1985.
Biologist Murie’s book is based on studies of wolves he made in Denali National Park in 1939–1940 and is full of vivid observations and analysis of wolf behavior in the wild.
The Wolf Almanac: A Celebration of Wolves and Their World, Robert H. Bush, Lyons Press, 1995, updated 2007.
A useful, well-illustrated, and well-researched compendium of wolf information with an extensive bibliography.
Arctic Wild, Lois Crisler, Harper and Brothers, 1958.
A classic narrative featuring keen personal observations and detailed interactions with captive-raised, free-ranging wolf pups in remote Arctic Alaska.
The Arctic Wolf: Living with the Pack, L. David Mech, Voyageur Press, 1988.
A beautifully photographed and well-written record of personal observations by eminent wolf biologist David Mech, detailing his experiences studying a pack of human-habituated white wolves in the high Canadian Arctic.
Romeo: The Story of an Alaskan Wolf, John Hyde, Bunker Hill Publishing, 2010.
Photographer John Hyde’s book features superb color images of Romeo, along with a six-thousand-word text relating the story of the wolf from Hyde’s perspective.
Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom, Jennifer S. Holland, Workman Publishing, 2011.
A series of true anecdotes of friendships between animals of different species, with color photos of the actual animals involved. Light, heartwarming, and a fast-paced read.
The Emotional Lives of Animals, Marc Bekoff, New World Library, 2008.
Biologist Marc Bekoff explores the abilities of animals to express emotions once thought the sole province of humans, and their abilities to establish emotional connections with others.
Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures, Virginia Morell, Crown, 2013.
This thought-provoking and far-reaching examination of animal sentience by noted science writer Morell is bolstered by the latest research. Chapter 10 specifically addresses the similarities and differences of the inner workings of wolves and dogs.
The Last Light Breaking, Nick Jans, Alaska Northwest Books/Graphic Arts Center, 1993.
This collection of personal essays set in Arctic Alaska includes stories of my life among the Inupiat, including wolf encounters and hunting referred to in this book.
A Place Beyond: Finding Home in Arctic Alaska, Nick Jans, Alaska Northwest Books/Graphic Arts Center, 1996.
My second collection of Arctic essays, including a three-part story of camping near a pack of wolves, referred to in this book.
Never Cry Wolf, Farley Mowatt, Atlantic/Little, Brown, 1963.
While numerous questions have been raised regarding the veracity of Mowatt’s story, this account of human-wolf interactions in the Canadian Arctic nonetheless remains an entertaining classic.
Wolf Song of Alaska, a nonprofit organization located in Eagle River, Alaska, maintains a huge online library covering wolves within a huge range of contexts, from wolves in art and literature to specific articles, editorials, and so forth, from both Alaska and around the world, including antiwolf materials. Highly recommended and worthy of support. For Alaska articles spanning 2001–2011, search their archives for titles, http://www.wolfsongalaska.org/.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game maintains a website with links to its research on Alaska wildlife, including wolves, http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=librarypublications.wildliferesearch.
Index
Adams, Grizzly, [>]
adaptation, [>]–[>], [>]
Admiralty Island, [>]–[>]
adverse operant conditioning, [>]–[>], [>]
aerial gunning, [>], [>]–[>], [>]
Afghans, [>], [>]
Akita pup incident, [>]
Alaska. See also Fish and Game, Alaska Department of
Amalga wolves, [>]–[>], [>]
animal naming in, [>]–[>]
animal-human friendships in, [>]–[>]
charges against Romeo’s killers in, [>]–[>]
glacial melt, [>]–[>]
jurisdictions, [>]
Palin as governor of, [>]–[>]
trapping in, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>]–[>]
Wildlife Troopers, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>]–[>]
wolf attacks in, [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
wolf diet in, [>]–[>], [>]
wolf life span in, [>], [>]
wolf management politics in, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]
wolf population in, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>]
wolf relocation in, [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
Alaskan Brewing Company, [>], [>]
Alexander Archipelago wolves, [>], [>]–[>], [>]
Amalga
poisoning bait in, [>]
Romeo relocation near, [>]–[>]
“spirit bear” in, [>]
wolf sightings in, [>]–[>], [>]
Ambler, [>]
ammunition, hazing, [>]–[>], [>]
Anan Creek Wildlife Observatory, [>]
Anchorage Daily News, [>]
animals
adverse operant conditioning of, [>]–[>], [>]
aggression of, [>]
captive to wild, [>]
emotional capacity of, [>], [>], [>]
fear reflex toward, [>], [>], [>]
growling communication of, [>]–[>]
interspecies friendships, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
of Mendenhall upper valley, [>]–[>]
naming wild, [>]–[>]
photographic expeditions for, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
reincarnation of, [>]
stari
ng communication of, [>], [>], [>]
tracking, [>]–[>]
trapping, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>]–[>]
in wolf’s diet, [>]–[>], [>]
Arnold, Dwight, [>]
arrest, of Romeo’s killers, [>]–[>]
Audubon, John James, [>]
Australian cattle dogs, [>]
Back Loop Road, [>]
baiting
poison, [>]–[>]
station stakeout, [>]–[>]
Barten, Neil
on food conditioning, [>]
mystery wolf of Amalga and, [>]
necropsy of mystery wolf kill by, [>]
Romeo’s hazing by, [>]
Romeo’s relocation by, [>]–[>]
on Tank the beagle incident, [>]–[>]
beagle incident, [>]–[>], [>]
bean bag rounds, [>]–[>]
bears
aggression of, [>]
black versus brown, [>]
Franklin, Benjamin, [>]
human friendships with, [>]–[>]
mythology, [>]
naming wild, [>]–[>], [>]
Peacock’s hunting of, [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
photography of, [>]–[>], [>]
Romeo driving off, [>]
“spirit,” [>], [>]
in wolf diet, [>]
beavers, in wolf diet, [>]–[>]
Bennett, Joel, [>], [>], [>], [>]
Romeo memorial from, [>], [>]
Treadwell filming by, [>]–[>]
wolf kill investigated by, [>]
in wolf management politics, [>]–[>]
Bennett, Louisa, [>], [>]
Bernal, Dean, [>]
Berner, Candice, [>]–[>], [>]
Beston, Henry, [>]
Big Rock
first encounter at, [>]
pug incident around, [>]–[>]
Romeo’s routine around, [>]
winter vacation encounter at, [>]–[>]
Bill (Akita owner), [>]
birds, wolf diet and, [>]
Bobber (dog), [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
Bosarge, Douglas, [>]
Bourke, Ace, [>]
breakaway social behavior, [>]–[>]
breeding
mating bonds and, [>]–[>]
pack hierarchy and, [>]
wolf-dog hybrid, [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>]
British Columbia, coastal wolves of, [>]–[>]
Brittain (dog), [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]
Brooks Falls, wild animal naming in, [>]–[>]
Brooks Range, [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
Brotherhood Bridge parklands, [>], [>]
Burch, John, [>]
Canadian border, [>]
Capital City Weekly, [>]
captive animals
food conditioning, [>]–[>]
placing, [>]–[>]
wolf, [>], [>], [>]
car incidents, [>]–[>], [>]
Carnegie, Kenton, [>], [>]
Chase, Denise, [>]–[>], [>]
Chase (dog), [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>]
Chignik Lake wolf attack case, [>]–[>]
Chilkat valley, [>], [>]
Christian (lion), [>]
Clark, William, [>]
Classen, Roy, [>]–[>]
coastal diet, [>]–[>], [>]
Coleman, Jon T., [>]
color, fur, [>]–[>], [>], [>]
communication
growling, [>]–[>]
howling, [>], [>], [>], [>]
interspecies, [>]
staring, [>], [>], [>]
conditioning
adverse operant, [>]–[>], [>]
food, [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
human, [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
Cooper, Judith, [>]–[>]
coprophagia, [>]
cracker shells, [>]
culling, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
Dakotah (dog), [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
darting, [>]
Dau, Jim, [>]–[>], [>]
death
of Bennett, Louisa, [>]
of Berner, [>]–[>], [>]
of Carnegie, [>], [>]
by cars, [>]
of Dakotah, [>]–[>]
by dogs, [>]
by hazing, [>]
of Korc, [>]
by lice, [>]
mourning, [>], [>], [>]–[>]
within pack, [>], [>]
reincarnation after, [>]
of Romeo, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]
of Romeo, false alarm, [>]–[>]
of Romeo’s possible mate, [>], [>], [>]–[>]
of “spirit bear,” [>], [>]
by tranquilizers, [>]
by trapping, [>]–[>]
of Turley, Barbara, [>]
by wolf attack, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
deer, [>]
Denali National Park
wolf diet in, [>], [>]
wolf life span in, [>], [>]
wolf studies in, [>]
diet, wolf
adaptation and, [>]–[>], [>]
animals in, [>]–[>], [>]
coastal, [>]–[>], [>]
food conditioning and, [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
hunting tactics for, [>], [>]–[>]
Romeo’s, [>]–[>]
scavenging for, [>]–[>], [>]
size of, [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
tracking, [>], [>], [>]
dingoes, heelers and, [>]
disease
lice, [>]
rabies, [>]
safety, [>], [>]
dispersal, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
DNA analysis
of diet, [>], [>]
Romeo’s death and, [>]
wolf versus dog, [>]–[>], [>]
dog food, [>]–[>]
dogs
Afghans, [>], [>]
Akita incident, [>]
Australian cattle, [>]
bad owners and, [>]–[>], [>]
death by, [>]
evolution of, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
heelers, [>]
huskies, [>]
intelligence of, [>]–[>]
loyalty of, [>]–[>]
lundehund incident, [>]–[>], [>]
Pomeranian incident, [>]–[>]
predatory status of, [>]
pug incident, [>]–[>]
pups, [>], [>], [>]
Romeo’s alleged attacks of, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
Romeo’s friendships with, [>]–[>]
Romeo’s love interests among, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]
showing, [>]
sled, [>], [>]
Tank the beagle incident, [>]–[>], [>]
wolf anatomy versus, [>], [>]
wolf genetics versus, [>]–[>], [>]
wolf interbreeding with, [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>]
dolphins, human friendships with, [>]
Douglas Island, [>]–[>], [>]
dreams, about Romeo, [>]–[>], [>]
Dredge Lakes
bears in, [>]
Romeo dog attack around, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>]
Romeo territory around, [>], [>], [>]
Eagle Beach, [>]
education, wolf, [>], [>]–[>]
Egan Drive/Glacier Highway (The Road), [>], [>], [>]
Elton, Kim, [>], [>]
Emotional Lives of Animals, The (Bekoff), [>], [>]
emotions, animal, [>], [>], [>]. See also interspecies friendships
Empire. See Juneau Empire
endangerment
of Romeo, [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]
wolf culling and, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
environmentalism, [>]
Eskimos. See Inupiat
evidence, trial, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
evolution, dog, [>]–[>