The big bad wolf is a Hollywood contrivance bearing no resemblance to the real animal in the wild, which is intelligent, skittish of humans and, being an apex predator, an integral part of the food chain. Frank Capolupo, volunteer outreach coordinator for the California Wolf Center (CWC) , a nonprofit Julian group dedicated to the recovery of wolves in the wild, had that and more to say on July 30 at Tom Mangelsen’s Images of Nature Gallery at 7916 Girard Ave. in La Jolla. “It (CWC) has some of the most dedicated volunteers I’ve ever met,” said Kathy Hatch, director at the gallery, which showcases wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen’s portfolio. “I know wolves are near and dear to Mr. Mangelsen,” noted Hatch. “He shares pretty much the same ethics as the CWC, which is to kind of live and let live.” A slideshow presentation by Capolupo started out with a group of howling wolves at the Julian CWC.
“But they weren’t howling at the moon,” pointed out Capolupo, noting the display was rather a “form of interspecies communication.” He pointed out that howling allows wolves to communicate with one another for distances up to nine miles. Capolupo noted that wolves have gotten a bad rap, which led in part to their being hunted to extinction in many parts of the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He added that previous to European settlers’ arrivals, wolves inhabited every present-day state except Hawaii. Capolupo showed a current map of where wild wolves are located in the United States, revealing that they remain in only a handful of states. “The coyote adapted to urban life; wolves cannot,” said Capolupo, who noted wolves’ natural prey are bison and elk. Farm animals, which wolves turned to when their primary prey became scarce, are not the animals’ natural targets. At the behest of concerned farmers and ranchers, anti-wolf campaigns were launched, allowing hunters to kill the animals through poisoning and hunting. Open season on wolves led to their mass extermination in many places, including Yellowstone Park, where they disappeared altogether in the ’20s before being reintroduced to that ecosystem in the ’90s. “Why do we care?” asked Capolupo, answering his own query with a quote from naturalist John Muir: “We’re (animals) all connected to each other. When they (wolves) go, we go. We’ll be next in the chain.” Capolupo said when wolves disappeared from Yellowstone, the population of elk skyrocketed. That caused a cascading domino effect of negative consequences reverberating throughout the entire park ecosystem. With no predators to contend with, elk consumed many more plants and young trees, preventing trees from reaching maturity. When wolves were returned and began culling the elk herds once again, as they were meant to, Capolupo said the national park’s ecosystem gradually returned to normal, though it took years. Capolupo added that effective nonlethal methods, using sound and wind-blown red plastic strips, keep wolves away from livestock. Another major misconception about wolves is that they pose a direct threat to man. “They’re very shy, very timid,” said Capolupo. “They’re more afraid of you than you are of them. They don’t want anything to do with humans or urban life.” At the CWC, there are wolves on exhibit and others roaming free waiting to be repatriated back to the wild. “We’ve got the second-largest breeding facility for Mexican Gray wolves,” said Capolupo, who added wolves on exhibit in the center are fed mostly frozen chicken. Free-ranging animals are fed a stricter diet geared toward transitioning them back into the wild. Capolupo invited people to come out to the CWC. He noted that reservations for the guided tours are have to be made. The cost, hours and number of guests vary with the day and the time of year. For more information, visit californiawolfcenter.org or email [email protected].