International Wolf Center, Ely MN
I have long been fascinated by wolves as very social, loyal animals and for my 35th birthday, I went to the International Wolf Center in Ely for an overnight with the wolves. A small group of us hung out with a naturalist all evening in front of the large glass windows of the wolf exhibit, listening to her stories about raising them and watching them interact. A highlight was when she howled to them and the pack howled back. We slept on the floor by the windows.
I learned that wolves are not how I thought they were. They are social and loyal but also ruthless and hierarchical. The pack will kill any wolf who shows weakness. This combination of connection and violence resonates with me.
I find wolf howls soulful and I wept to them during some very difficult days. I learned that howls are sometimes used to communicate individual positions or location of a kill among pack members. Sometimes wolves howl for reasons we don't understand. Here are several examples.
Howl 1
Howl 2