I was in Yellowstone in 2016 and saw wolf 755 and his new pups in the Hayden Valley. Learned about his story from our guide who used to work on the Wolf Project. I enjoyed reading this more detailed account of the wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone and hearing for the first time about the ugly political side to the whole thing. As an East coaster and a national park fan I had no idea that so many people hated wolves!

Anyway, I really enjoyed the book, but I think this one probably has a somewhat limited audience. ( )

Wolves are such interesting animals. This book gave me a good understanding of pack behaviour, the politics of National Parks ( Yellowstone) endangered lists, hunters / trappers and the people who observe and love these wonderful creature. I enjoyed this read very much. ( )

Fascinating what an emotionally charged issue the re-introduction of wolves to Yellowstone was. People obsessed with loving them, people obsessed with killing all of them. Here in Canada, they're more of a vague notion in the background that occasionally, thrillingly comes to the fore. So sad that with all humans have usurped from nature, we (some of us anyway) cannot find a place in our hearts or our future for something as beautifully wild as wolves. ( )

The only reason I'm not giving this book five stars is that the chapters on politics were irritating beyond belief. Because it seems all the attitudes, both pro and con, were based on optics and emotion, and not science or facts.

The book itself is well-written, well-researched, and very informative. The story of the Yellowstone wolves is a fascinating one. The author does a great job showing the animals and humans in all their individuality. There is no sentimentalizing here, just the portrayal of a complex species of apex predators in their natural environment, or as natural as it can be in a national park visited by millions of people.

I'm not anti-hunting, having lived for several years in Alaska where many people are subsistence hunters, and eat what they kill. I can understand, although don't always agree with, ranchers hunting to protect livestock. However, I do not understand trophy hunting. It is literally killing for the sake of killing, to have a head or a hide on the wall where someone else might hang art. This is not a thing to be proud of. Shooting an animal with a long distance weapon like a rifle is nothing close to 'fair chase,' no matter how much a hunter tries to justify it. Without need, without risk, there is no fair chase. So despite Blakeslee's attempt to portray the killer of wolf 0-six in a neutral light, I ended up despising him.

The concept of trophic cascade, how the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone ended up improving the entire ecosystem, is fascinating, and I would have been interested to learn more about that.

I have seen wolves at a distance in Canada and Alaska. Once, in Katmai National Park, I happened to be alone on a short trail through the woods. The group of people ahead of me had turned a corner and were briefly out of sight. A gray wolf stepped out of the trees onto the trail ahead, between myself and the rest of the group. It wore a research collar and stood still, looking at me, perhaps twenty feet away. I stopped, not wanting to get closer, but also aware that the group was getting farther away. We looked at each other for several moments before the wolf disappeared back into the woods. Although the encounter wasn't frightening, I was definitely aware of being in the presence of an intelligent predator. It had a completely different feeling than one gets from a dog. ( )

Non-fiction about the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone in Wyoming in the mid-1990s. Park ranger Rick McIntyre, after spending time at Denali in Alaska, relocated to Wyoming, and became a diligent wolf observer, documenting wolf behavior over the course of years. The author relied heavily on the Rick’s and other wolf-watchers’ field notes as reference material from which to create this account of wolves in the wild. The storyline focuses on an alpha female, O-Six (the year of her birth), and pack behavior throughout the region. Highlights include the social and family interactions of the pack, territorial aggression, and tracking prey.

I found this book extremely informative and well-written. The author has a knack of converting notes, interviews, and research into a cohesive and compelling story. In fact, one of the themes of this book is the impact of storytelling, conveyed through Rick and his interactions with the many visitors to the park. It communicates the passion of the wolf-watchers of Yellowstone, as well as portraying the differing points of view of hunters and ranchers. The book excels when it focuses on O-Six, her pack, and the other Yellowstone packs. I was very interested in the portions on the wolves and animal behavior but less fond of the chapters on politics. Unfortunately, a book of this sort was almost required to delve into the political aspects of wolf-hunting. The author interviewed one of the wolf hunters and included his viewpoints, assigning him a pseudonym. Even so, the tone is pro-wolf, elucidating the environmental benefits of a thriving ecosystem, complete with both predators and prey, eventually leading to balance.

Obviously, in the wild lots of harm comes to animals through a variety of means, so if you are sensitive to animals being injured or killed, you may want to skim or skip certain segments. Recommended to those interested in animal behavior, wolves, or environmentalism. ( )