Linda Brown shared lessons learned from wolves with members of the Delpha Study Club during its October meeting at the Tonkawa Public Library.
Reviewing the book The Wisdom of Wolves: Lessons from the Sawtooth Pack by Jim and Jamie Dutcher, Brown gave the results of a study the couple made of a wolf pack with which they lived for six years in the Sawtooth Mountains. Jim Dutcher, a wildlife photographer and film producer for National Geographic, and his wife, Jamie, an former animal keeper and veterinarian technician at the Smithsonian National Zoo, produced a film about the animals in preparation for their reintroduction to the American West.
In 1990 Dutcher built a 25-acre wolf camp surrounded by a 10-foot chain link fence for wolf pups and included an eight-foot platform with a tent to live in and film from. He raised pups in his home for the first few weeks in order to build their trust in him. By 1996 the pack numbered 11 wolves from three litters, and each one had its own personality and a role to play in the pack.
The Dutchers observed that wolves seem to experience emotions similar to those of humans and their lives reflect characteristics that humans have come to value. Many of the qualities that make a wolf successful represent the best in human nature.
Lessons learned from observing the pack include put the family first, lead with kindness, have a sense of one for all, never stop playing, teach the young to respect the old, stay curious, find compassion and cherish one another.
When the Dutchers’ forest service permit expired, the Nez Perce tribe accepted the Sawtooth Pack at their reservation in Idaho. The Dutchers then formed the Living with Wolves Foundation, dedicated to informing the public about the true nature of wolves.
...
