THE SOUL OF THE WOLF: A MEDITATION ON WOLVES AND MAN

The Soul of the Wolf

The Soul of the Wolf

Michael W. Fox

Lyons & Burford, Publishers

Copyright © 1980 by Michael W. Fox

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews and articles. All inquiries should be addressed to: Lyons & Burford, 31 West 21 Street, New York, NY 10010.

Printed in the United States of America

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Fox, Michael W.,      1937-

The soul of the wolf/ Michael W. Fox.

   p.      cm.

Originally published: Boston: Little, Brown, cl980. With new foreword.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-55821-150-0

1. Wolves.   2. Wolves—Behavior.   3. Human-animal relationships.

I. Title.

[QL737.C22F693     1992]     599.74′442—dc20     92-13374

CIP

Unless otherwise noted, photographs are by Michael W. Fox.

Foreword to the 1992 Edition

Much has happened to wolves and other wild creatures of this world since The Soul of the Wolf was first published over a decade ago. The persecution of wolves and all wild predators of the land, air, and sea continues to intensify. Soon there may be only captive-bred wolves in zoos and wildlife parks, along with dwindling numbers left in the wild. They may be well cared for and receive good veterinary and scientific attention to ensure continuation of these chosen species—remnants of a once vibrant, beautiful, and beneficient Earth. Mother of us all.

Now the Earth is beginning to fail us because we have failed her. We have failed from a Christian perspective (according to the second Genesis story of the Creation), to dress and to keep the garden of divine conception. Had we followed centuries ago the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, who called the feared wolf of Gubbio his little brother, and who enjoined all peoples to have respect and reverence for all creatures, the Earth would surely not be failing us today.

To be able to see wolves and other wild creatures only under captive conditions or protective custody in the future will mean the end of the wild. These animal survivors will lead impoverished lives under such artificial conditions, and may experience the stress and distress of an anomolous existence. So too may our descendants feel an emptiness and an unbearable sadness for never knowing, except from films, holograms, and books what the world of the First Creation was really like before it was transformed into a bioindustrialized wasteland.

I am grateful to my publishers for reissuing this book because I feel that it can help people have greater respect and reverence for wolves through an objective understanding and a sympathetic concern for their current plight. Concern for wolves or any creature is a first step into the boundless circle of compassion for all of Earth’s creations. If we begin to see the world through the eyes of the wolf (and, from the perspective of my Lummi Indian friends and teachers, Kenny Cooper and Jewell Praying Wolf James, in a sacred or shamanic way), then the accelerating extinction of wolves, other endangered species, and their natural habitats might slow down* sufficiently so that some parts of the First Creation might be protected, restored, and conserved for all time.

Michael W. Fox

Washington, D.C.

Spring Equinox 1991

*Many steps to accomplish this, such as eating less meat, supporting wildlife protective legislation, and habitat preservation have been detailed in my book You Can Save the Animals: 50 Things To Do Right Now. New York: St. Martin’s Press. 1991.

"Life outside a person is an extension of the life

within him. This compells him to be part of it

and accept responsibility for all creatures great

and small. Life becomes harder when we live

for others, but it also becomes richer and happier."

—ALBERT SCHWEITZER

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank all those people who have helped me in so many ways, not only in my wolf research, but also in bringing together the diverse aspects of the wolf — from its behavior and ecology to the politics and ethics at the wolf-man interface. My thanks go to Professors Tom Sandel, Viktor Hem-burger, Owen Sexton, and Barry Commoner of Washington University, St. Louis, and to Carol and Marlin Perkins, Bruce and Cynthia Pitzinger, and all my friends and colleagues of the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center, St. Louis. Thanks also to other wolf people, of whom there are many, especially Karlyn Atkinson Berg, John Harris, Drs. Erick Kling-hammer, Dave Mech, Durward Allen, Konrad Lorenz, and Erik Zimen, and to former students, particularly Jim Cohen, Stewart Halperin, and Randy Lockwood: a diverse pack indeed.

As for my acknowledgment to my other friends and colleagues — the wolves — this book is their testimony and respectful tribute.

M. W. Fox

Contents

Introduction: Lessons from the Wolf

Wolf Eyes

Wolf Touch

Wolf Heart

Wild, Tame; Domestic and Civilized

Wolf Sex

Wolves and Strangers

Wolf Brain

Wolf Space and Time

Wolf, Hunter and Hunted

Wolves and Men, Women, and Children

Wolves as Individuals, and Pack Dynamics

Wolf Pack and Politics

Wolf Social Tension

Between-Pack Politics

Wolf Body Language

Wolves and Sympathetic Resonance

Wolf, Ritual, and the Noble Savage

When Man Becomes Wolf

Wolf Communion

Wolf Kin and Humankind

Wolf Conservation and Human Salvation

Evolution: Wolf and Man

Conclusions

Postscript

Appendix I: Wolf Fact Sheets

Appendix II: Organizations for Your Support and Involvement

The Soul of the Wolf

Man is only fully alive when he is aware of his existence, and being deeply aware of one’s existence is to be religious. A wolf is fully aware within the limits of its-own being, no less than we are in relation to our own limits, and thus the wolf’s existence, and that of any sentient being, should hold no less religious significance than life to man himself.

Introduction:

Lessons from the Wolf

This book is not a scientific treatise on wolf behavior and ecology (although short, informative capsule statements are included in the Appendix), nor is it another account of someone living in the wilderness with wild, or tame, hand-raised wolves. There are plenty of books along these lines, and children’s books too, ranging from the factual to the extremes of fiction; I have written such myself. What this book offers is more than insights into the nature of wolves. It goes beyond the surface nature of both men and wolves, shattering the arbitrary, if not illusory, barriers between animal and man to explore the common ground within the essence of life that is shared by all sentient beings. Any life form could be such a key to heightened awareness of this common ground of kinship for mankind. It so happened that through and for me, the wolf became both mirror and teacher. These lessons from the wolf may not only help foster a reverence for all life within which lies our salvation from self-destruction, since our wholeness is dependent upon a healthy and whole earth, but our consummate fulfillment also as stewards of planet Earth; as cocreators working in sympathetic resonance with nature, which, until now, we have attempted to exploit, dominate, and subdue. But in so doing, we demean and ultimately threaten our own survival. Man and wolf are not only of one earth, but they are also of one essence. The wolf is an endangered species today, thanks to man; and mankind, through his own actions in ignorance, is no less endangered.

An adult wolf captured in a reflective mood by wildlife photographer Scott Barry.

The wolf is a complex symbol, an archetype of many attributes good and bad that most human cultures have projected upon it since the beginning of recorded history. Today, science is coming to its rescue by destroying many myths about the wolf’s vicious and blood-lusting nature, as well as by justifying its protection and conservation since the wolf plays a vital role in the balance of nature in its wilderness habitat. Those who have studied its family life see how close the wolf is to man in many ways and use this as evidence to favor its conservation. The same approach is used to justify the conservation of whales, dolphins, and the like — who, having complex brains like ours, should also be conserved since they are most like us, just as the wolves, socially, are more kin to us than perhaps our closest primate relatives.

But this book is not another conservationist plea to save the wolf — it is more a description of what I have learned from wolves: simply, lessons from the wolf. For me, it