Reports of a young male grey wolf crossing into California have sparked new debate amongst state officials and conservationist concerning the protection of the species in the US.
It has been more than 80 years since the grey wolf was spotted in California. Government-backed programmes to cull the wolf population to protect livestock almost saw the extinction of the species in the mid 20th century. Grey wolves remain on the endangered species list in many US states, although conservation initiatives in Idaho have successfully boosted the population in some areas.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool believe that although the wolf may have largely disappeared from sight, the public support for the protection of the animal has continued perhaps in part due to its continued popularity and status in fairytales, legend, and fantasy literature.
Interest in the species has been sparked recently through the success of American novelist, George R.R. Martin’s, fantasy series The Game of Thrones, which features a pack of ‘direwolves’ as companions to the human characters in the book. The dire wolf is thought to be an ancient relation of the grey wolf living in America more than 16,000 years ago.
Dr Nick Davis, researcher in narrative and early modern literature from the University’s School of English, explains where the human interest in the wolf first began: “Our fascination with the wolf often emerges in myth and storytelling. Wolves are generally known for ferocity and drive of appetite. In Norse mythology the last days of the world’s destruction are the ‘hour of the wolf’, when the offspring of the great wolf Fenrir swallow the moon and the sun. There are many tales in which travellers making lone journeys find themselves menaced by wolves which won’t give up the pursuit.
“Wolves, however, while being particularly terrifying predators, are also seen as counterparts to human beings, in a way suggesting that they possess some wisdom from which we can learn, or that they correspond to aspects of ourselves which we don’t usually recognise but of which it is sometimes good to become aware.
“There are many stories in which human beings are brought up by wolves, Romulus and Remus and Mowgli for example. ‘Wolf child’ has become a generic term for young children who have lived or seem to have lived for a period outside human society, receiving the nurture of animals.
“In fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood’s ‘grandmother’ presents the double image of kind, elderly relative and rapacious wolf, whilst Angela Carter’s The Company of Wolves, one of her best reworkings of folktale material, retells this story as one of growing up and encountering the more turbulent forces at work in the mind. It incorporates the enduring image of the werewolf whose body morphs, often without the individual’s volition, between that of human being and beast.
“The lone wolf, seen out of the company of other wolves, of which the werewolf is usually an example, holds special interest as one who seems to be pursuing a solitary destiny. In Greek mythology Odysseus’ grandfather, Autolycus – ‘Lone Wolf’ or ‘The Wolf Himself’, who also names Odysseus – is occupationally a thief and brigand, and a human version of the wolf that makes a way for himself while avoiding attachments and alliances. Part of the resourcefulness and capacity for endurance which enable Odysseus to survive his misadventures seems to come out of this wolfish heritage.”
Officials in California are now tracking the wolf and monitoring whether other grey wolves will follow and re-establish themselves in the state.
For more on the story visit: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/story/2012-01-10/endangered-gray-wolf-california/52587048/1