The Ellesmere Wolves - by L David Mech & Morgan Anderson & H Dean Cluff (Paperback)

About the Book

"In a fascinating story of discovery and science, we meet a remote population of wolves unafraid of humans. For parts of twenty-four summers, wolf biologist L. David Mech lived with a group of wolves on Ellesmere Island, some six hundred miles from the North Pole. Elsewhere, most wolves flee from even the scent of humans, but these animals, evolving relatively free from human persecution, are unafraid. Having already spent twenty-eight years studying other populations of wolves more remotely by aircraft, snow-tracking, live-trapping, and radio-tracking, Mech was primed to join their activities up close and record their interactions with each other. This book tells the remarkable story of what Mech-and the researchers who followed him-have learned while living among the wolves. The Ellesmere wolves were so unconcerned with Mech's presence that they allowed him to camp near their den and to sit on his all-terrain vehicle as he observed them, watching packs as large as seven adults and six pups go about their normal activities. In these extraordinarily close quarters, a pup untying his bootlace or an adult sniffing his gloved hand was just part of daily life. Mech accompanied the wolves on their travels and watched as they hunted muskoxen and arctic hares. By achieving the same kind of intimacy with his wild hosts' every action that we might experience living with domesticated dogs, Mech gained new insights into common but rarely studied behaviors like pup feeding, food caching, howling, and scent-marking. After Mech's time at Ellesmere ended, his coauthors and fellow wolf researchers Morgan Anderson and H. Dean Cluff spent parts of four summers studying the wolves via radio collars, further illuminating the creatures' movements and ecology. This book synthesizes their findings, offering both a compelling scientific overview of the animals' behavior-from hunting to living in packs to rearing pups-and a tale of adventure and survival in the Arctic"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

In a fascinating story of discovery and science, we meet a remote population of wolves unafraid of humans.

For parts of twenty-four summers, wolf biologist L. David Mech lived with a group of wolves on Ellesmere Island, some six hundred miles from the North Pole. Elsewhere, most wolves flee from even the scent of humans, but these animals, evolving relatively free from human persecution, are unafraid. Having already spent twenty-eight years studying other populations of wolves more remotely by aircraft, snow-tracking, live-trapping, and radio-tracking, Mech was primed to join their activities up close and record their interactions with each other. This book tells the remarkable story of what Mech--and the researchers who followed him--have learned while living among the wolves.

The Ellesmere wolves were so unconcerned with Mech's presence that they allowed him to camp near their den and to sit on his all-terrain vehicle as he observed them, watching packs as large as seven adults and six pups go about their normal activities. In these extraordinarily close quarters, a pup untying his bootlace or an adult sniffing his gloved hand was just part of daily life. Mech accompanied the wolves on their travels and watched as they hunted muskoxen and arctic hares. By achieving the same kind of intimacy with his wild hosts' every action that we might experience living with domesticated dogs, Mech gained new insights into common but rarely studied behaviors like pup feeding, food caching, howling, and scent-marking. After Mech's time at Ellesmere ended, his coauthors and fellow wolf researchers Morgan Anderson and H. Dean Cluff spent parts of four summers studying the wolves via radio collars, further illuminating the creatures' movements and ecology. This book synthesizes their findings, offering both a compelling scientific overview of the animals' behavior--from hunting to living in packs to rearing pups--and a tale of adventure and survival in the Arctic.

Review Quotes

"For any wolf biologist, this is required reading. But the storytelling is so fluid, so vivid, that anyone with a passion for wildlife will find themselves drawn in. Mech's descriptions are rich with detail: you can almost feel the Arctic wind on your face and sense the heart-pounding thrill of watching wild wolves from just a few meters away. These white wolves, unafraid of humans, offer an intimacy that is as rare as it is captivating. It is this unusual tameness and Mech's years-long commitment that make the book so unique and so moving. . . . The Ellesmere Wolves is far more than a book for scientists. It is a love letter to a remarkable population of wolves, and an invitation to anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to truly know wild wolves."-- "Integrative and Comparative Biology"

"A must-read. . . . A fascinating story of meeting a remote population of wolves unafraid of humans. This research imbues readers with a new respect and care for the species and its challenging way of life."-- "Psychology Today"

"The book bears the multitudinous citations typical of academic tomes. But it's also a page turner, and full of surprises. . . . For Mech and his colleagues, the adventures were a rare opportunity to research wolves up close and personal. Gained in the process was a respite from the many conflicts wolves inspire in places such as Minnesota, whose present-day inhabitants include not only wolves, but people and their stuff--their towns, homes, yards, roads, pets and livestock. 'The Ellesmere wolves--way off there near the end of the Earth--should long be able to continue their lives as natural as can be, ' Mech writes, 'wild and free of human wrath.'"-- "Minnesota Star-Tribune"

"The pack, up close. Ellesmere Island, the second-closest landmass to the North Pole, is home to some of the world's most intriguing species. The wild, snow-white Arctic wolves residing there have captivated renowned wolf researcher Mech for twenty-five years, and they sustain the reader's attention as well. . . . His groundbreaking work paved the way for other researchers and documentarians, as he became a steward to these wolves and their trusting nature. The book is sprinkled with delightful photos of pups, yearlings, and adult wolves, along with anecdotes and heartwarming moments that make it a joy to read. Deeply moving and richly described, the book makes it clear that one does not need to be a scientist to find these wolves fascinating. A mesmerizing account of wolves and the researcher who devoted his life to understanding their world."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"As a youth, I devoured wildlife documentaries, including watching Mech encounter the 'White Wolf' that wasn't afraid of humans on the edge of the North Pole (Ellesmere). This book tells the fascinating story behind that documentary and the decades of groundbreaking research that followed. An inspiring and engaging read for any wolf enthusiast!"--Grant Spickelmier, executive director, International Wolf Center

"Imagine white wolves living on Mars, chasing ten-pound Easter bunny lookalikes that gather by the hundreds. Ellesmere Island provides a scene almost as unbelievable, and even a Mars-like rover driven by a biologist who could follow wolves and observe them largely without notice. Living with wolves in such manner for more than twenty summer seasons, Mech and his colleagues here describe behavior that had rarely been seen before their groundbreaking adventure, advancing our understanding of the adaptability and resilience of these fascinating carnivores living in one of the most remote and unusual landscapes on Earth."--Rolf O. Peterson, author of "The Wolves of Isle Royale: A Broken Balance"

"Remarkable. . . . Mech is probably the most knowledgeable wolf researcher on the planet. . . . Following nearly forty years of research, living alongside the wolves and watching the pack interactions, pup rearing, and hunting was a whole new experience for a scientist more used to watching wolves from a plane. In intimate prose, often revealing the author's excitement, Mech discusses the wolf research he and his coauthors conducted each summer. Illustrated with photographs, maps, and figures, this close-up look at the daily lives of wolves is a wonderful addition to the wolf canon."-- "Booklist (starred review)"

"Wolves are creatures of the wilds, or at least that is where they do best. No place is more wild than Ellesmere Island in the far north and no team of scientists is more eminently qualified than Mech, Anderson, and Cluff to tell the story of these amazing creatures in one of the world's harshest and most unique environments. This book will stand tall in the wolf literature."--Douglas W. Smith, coeditor of "Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World's First National Park"

"The key story of the book is one of incredible adaptability, stamina, resilience, and endurance: the wolf is all this, well beyond the stereotyped simplifications. . . . Remarkable."--Luigi Boitani, from the foreword

About the Author

L. David Mech is a senior research scientist with the US Geological Survey and adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota. Among his many books are Wolves and Wolves on the Hunt, both also published by the University of Chicago Press. Morgan Anderson was a wildlife biologist for the Government of Nunavut and is now a senior wildlife biologist with the British Columbia government. H. Dean Cluff, retired, was a wildlife biologist for the Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Environment and Climate Change, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.