It’s near impossible to bring up the subject of wolves without stirring up a certain level of controversy. As a top predator and keystone species, charismatic and fearsome at the same time, the wolf gets a lot of attention. Some lament that wolves kill big game animals hunters could be harvesting, while others argue that wolves are a necessity for proper ecosystem function. Some would prefer all wolves killed in the name of human safety and livestock protection, while others like the idea that wolves exist even though they’ll never see or be affected by one in a direct way. It’s no wonder wolf issues can get so complicated.
When a reader suggested I check out Farley Mowat’s book “Never Cry Wolf”, I hesitated. I vaguely remembered watching a movie based on the book as a kid, and recalled there being a good deal of controversy around it. There was also the fact that Mowat’s writing seemed to take on a pretty anti-hunting slant. But since only reading things we agree with can get boring after a while, I thought I’d take on the challenge.
“Never Cry Wolf” begins as young naturalist Farley Mowat is hired on by the Canadian government to undertake a biological study on wolves in the Arctic. It’s the 1940’s, and public sentiment against the wolf seems to be at an all time high. The caribou herd, critical to the survival of the Arctic people and rural economy of northern Canada, is dwindling. People blame wolf predation for the low caribou numbers, and demand the government do something to control wolves.
Mowat’s task is basic: go to the Arctic, learn as much about wolves as possible, and report back with his findings. The concept is a good one. Hire a biologist to collect data in order to ascertain what’s actually going on in the ecosystem. Then, take action based on information rooted in science.
With little to no guidance or direction, Mowat found himself in the middle of nowhere, living in a trapper’s shack and observing a pack of wolves for weeks on end. He slowly grew attached to his study subjects as he learned more about them, giving them names and attributing human characteristics to much of their behavior.
Over the course of a year, Farley learned a lot about wolves, not only through his direct observations of this pack, but also from Eskimo knowledge shared by a native who befriended him and helped in his research. Perhaps of greatest significance were his findings regarding wolf diets. Mowat learned that throughout the summer, the majority of the wolf’s diet consisted of mice. Only in winter did the wolves chase deer and caribou, and even then he believed they only targeted the sick and weak.
Mowat’s findings were very controversial in the public eye. While locals wanted to see more wolf population control to help the caribou herd, the young scientist argued that it was overharvest by humans that caused the caribou declines, and that wolves actually helped caribou by culling the sick and weak. Not only was there public backlash to this idea, there was also a great deal of support from citizens who began to view the wolf in a positive light.
“Never Cry Wolf” is an interesting book, because it introduces some scientific basis for public decision making on wildlife issues, at a time when this was a new concept. Where it falls short, however, is in Mowat’s obvious anti-hunting, pro-wolf bias, and despite great writing style, a seemingly arrogant attitude toward dissenting views on the wolf debate. His certainly wasn’t the unbiased, even-handed approach to research that one looks for in a good biologist – which makes one wonder about the validity of the entire study.
It turns out that “Never Cry Wolf”, while an excellent read full of interesting observations, may not be completely factual after all. Many critics attacked the credibility of the book and the research expedition, including Mowat’s supervisor, who called the book ‘semi-fictional’, and pointed out several blatant lies and suggested that some of the work was plagiarized. Though he fought the claims, Mowat did admit later in life that much of his writing was ‘subjective nonfiction’, and that he never let the facts get in the way of a good story!
In summary, Farley Mowat seems to have been a great writer, pretty good environmentalist, and fair to poor biologist. Still, “Never Cry Wolf” was a wildly successful book that changed the way the public thinks about wolves to this day. Without considering the important aspects of wolf behavior, biology and their role in the ecosystem, we can’t have a productive discussion about wolf management. That would be like ignoring the known and documented wolf impacts to domestic livestock and ungulate populations we see today. Both sides have merit, and both can be considered.
I really enjoyed reading “Never Cry Wolf”, and remembering why we should appreciate top level predators and their role in the ecosystem. And after I finished it, I enjoyed setting a few coyote traps on the farm before dark.
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