News from Wild Wolf Film

Wolf Puppy

REEL WOLVES NEWSLETTER

Wild Wolf Film Project News
We all belong in the Web of Life
May 2011

In This Issue

Season of the Wolf Puppy

Puppies and other Happenings

The Web of Life

Our next Generation

Wolf Puppy

Season of the Wolf Puppy

Preserving Beauty

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Wolf smiles

"Smiled Wolf" as named by my friend's son Pavel"

PUPPIES!!!!!

It is puppy season in wolf country and in captivity. Usually, wolves have 2 to 7 puppies. From what I have heard, a wolf family in captivity who is part of the captive breeding program has had 5 puppies this spring and of course, there are the ones in the wild where it is a little bit more difficult to find out how many pups have been born because they are still in the den with their mother right now.
I just returned from a visit to wolf country in Arizona and New Mexico and the news I am bearing are fantastic. The San Mateo wolf family who lost their male last summer due to a bullet has accepted the male wolf that Fish and Wildlife Services released in their territory. Better yet, the female of the pack accepted him and had 5 puppies with him. A successful match making story for sure...
The Paradise Wolf Family in Arizona has also had puppies and I am delighted to have such good news to tell you. But what makes me the happiest is the story of the wolf family that I am personally closest to: The Hawk's Nest Wolf Family.
I had been shedding many tears over the loss of "Walks-in-my-Footsteps", the male alpha wolf of the pack when he got killed by a bullet last summer and when his yearling offspring, another male wolf suffered the same fate of a premature and unnecessary death. And when a male from last year's litter who had dispersed in search of a mate and territory got shot a long way from home near Grants, New Mexico. But I had prevailed in my quest to help the wolves thrive in the wild and doubled my efforts to give educational outreach talks and spread the word about our wolves.
I worried about the rest of the family, though. Would she be able to raise the pups by herself? Would she ever find a mate again? What would happen to his family?
It turns out I did not have to worry at all:
The widow of my buddy "Walks-in-my-footsteps" whom I call "Mama Love" because she has raised so many puppies during the last years has found a new mate of her own.
The people of Fish and Wildlife Services who are in charge of the Mexican Gray Wolf Reintroduction Program had different plans for her: Since it is very difficult for a wild wolf in the recovery area to find a mate due to their small population number they selected a male wolf with just the right genetics and released him in her general denning area. The idea had been to capture her and put her in a holding pen right next to his and let them "sniff each other out and possibly start bonding". Their intentions to help create a new wolf family were good. But Nature had something else in mind.
As far as I know they never got to capture her and released him in the vicinity of her family's territory. But this particular male wolf was not meant to be her new partner after "Walks-in-my-footsteps" had been shot last summer. Instead of courting her he showed up repeatedly in close proximity to human habitations. That caused concerns for their and their pets safety by the humans in that area and he was put in captivity again after his short somehow unsuccessful stint in the wild.
"Mama Love", somehow, against all kinds of odds and predictions, flow charts and human family planning for the wolves found herself her very own mate. I do not know who he is and what lineage he came from, but in my opinion that is not relevant. In fact, I am glad that I do not know him by his studbook number. I like the fact that the mated pair found each other naturally and out of their own volition. I am delighted that they did what wolves have been doing for thousands and hundreds of thousands of years without human interference and management. The only managing involved was that they "managed" to do this on their own.
And guess what: they welcomed a litter of puppies into their den this spring. The beautiful circle of life continues in the Hawk's Nest Territory. And I can't help but think that "Walks-in-my-footsteps" is smiling down at his family from his unmanaged eternal hunting grounds....

Wildlife outreach happenings:

Saturday, May 21st 8:45pm at the Guild Theater in Albuquerque:

"Otter Love" a short film about the endangered river otters by Elke Duerr

Summer 2011

Educational Wolf Outreach Work:

NM Wildlife Federation

UNM Continuing Education

Bookworks Bookstore, July 30th, 10:30-11:30, age 6 to 16

Comfort in and with Wilderness Camp for Children, Albuquerque Open Space:

505-897-8856

Please check the website for updates:

www.wildwolffilm.com

Wolf Headline Image

Our Next Generation

Curious George, Mexican Wolf Puppy

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he/(she) finds it attached

to the rest of the world..."

- John Muir


Wolf Grandma in captivity - The oldest generation

Guess the age of this old wolf lady and get a surprise prize!

First one to e-mail Elke with the right answer : elkeinnm@yahoo.com

From last issue: Where are the hearts on "Coat-of-many-color's" fur?:

1 heart on his throat, 1 right above it, 1 on his left hip and 1 little one right inside...

While hosting a wolf booth last month I had the most amazing experiences with the next generation. many young people and children seem to have an inbuilt sense of what we need to do to reconnect to Nature and her Creatures. They are naturally connected and just KNOW that we all belong her on this earth and do not come from fear towards wildlife. And they have kept that inner knowing through many cultural trials and tribulations.

Thus, when one young girl approached my wolf booth with happy, shiny eyes and skipped a beat or two when she saw the wolves represented there I knew that she was connected. "Thank you", she said to me. "I love wolves and all things wild." Then she looked at me closely and said: "That is the beauty of them. They are wild and not domesticated like everything else." Then she skipped off...

Or the boy who kept coming around and around many times. His eyes shone as bright as stars when he talked about wolves. "I have always loved them since I was born." He said to me. "And I will always love wolves and wild animals."

Now, if that isn't inspiring, I do not know what would be...

Here are a few more quotes that I collected from children during my educational outreach talks:

�It is a privilege to have them around
�They are good for the ecosystem
�Then we can visit them and we know that they are there
�Even if I do not see t hem ever in the wild it feels good to know that they are around
�They are awesome creatures and it is good to have them around
�They are just cool animals
�We all have a place on this earth and we were all created together and everybody belongs here

WILD WOLF FILM WISH LIST

We would sincerely appreciate your support with a variety of needs, including:

~ Manfrotto Tripod

~ Boom Microphone

~ Lapel Wireless Microphone

~ Airline Miles

~ Financial donations to cover overhead expenses (such as gas, equipment, travel, etc.)

To make a donation

to the Wild Wolf Film Project,

please visit our website and click on the "donation" link:

www.wildwolffilm.com

A note from Elke

This has been an incredible month since I last spoke with you all. The Gray Wolf cousins of our Mexican Gray Wolves to the North have been delisted and do not remain on the endangered species list. This means that their lives are not protected anymore.

But at the same time there is reason to celebrate new life in Wolf Country and the cycle of life continues. It is more important than ever now for each and every one of us to assess where we stand in the Web of Life and how we can make a difference in the lives of all the animals on this planet. They need us and we need them...

Wolf Headline Image

Thank you so very much for all of your support and love, care and concern for the Mexican Gray Wolves!!!

We all belong in the web of life.

To learn more about the wolves, visit Elke's blog at: wolfpack.typepad.com