This content was originally published by OR Magazine.
Her handlers bring her out on a leash, evoking the tameness of her domesticated cousin. But as I crouch down to her level, that notion wavers for me, if only for a moment. Her eyes, that’s where her wildness remains, and as she comes forward to sniff my lens, I think, this is a real, live wolf.
Of course, I am completely safe and she is as friendly as my dogs back home. Tundra, the soon-to-be 15 year-old gray wolf (66 in wolf years), pushes her body against the back of my thigh, looking to be patted.
Today, I’m not the only lucky person. A guided tour of two families waits patiently for their turn. Kids look on in awe and excitement, which only increases as they begin petting her thick coat. One mom asks her son, “Can you believe you’re touching a wolf?” as she snaps photos on her phone.
I’m visiting Wildlife Images, an animal rehabilitation and education center located outside of Grants Pass, Oregon. Founded in 1981 by J. David Siddon, its goal is to provide a place where injured wildlife can receive treatment, while at the same time educating the public. For Tundra and her two wolf companions, Kelsey and Argo, Wildlife Images is a permanent home, as it is for the bears, bobcats, mountain lions and several other species. Each has a gloomy origins story. One resident black bear was used in place of a guard dog for a junkyard, and Tundra was abandoned as a pup on the doorstep of Sarvey Wildlife Center in Arlington, Washington. Still, all found their way to a better life here.
For the spring 2016 edition of OR Magazine, my team and I are exploring the story of wolves in Oregon. With solutions journalism, we hope to shed light on the processes and people who are striving to alleviate tension between the animals and the state’s ranchers and cattle farmers.
Dave Siddon Jr. picked up right where his father left off, taking over at Wildlife Images when his father passed away. During our talk, he offered a perspective on the wolves from a conservation angle, naturally. “A lot of what I try to convey to people is the Yellowstone story,” he says, “Wolves had been extirpated from Yellowstone for I think 70 years. Their reintroduction, what it did for bringing the habitat back as a healthy and sustainable bio-system, and the benefits of having wolves in Oregon, it’s a wonderful thing.” Oftentimes, the predators are the first to go when humans are involved, and Siddon believes it’s time to get over the pioneer mentality of a time long past.
Nonetheless, farmers deal with the very tangible difficulties of protecting livestock from predators, and there is much more to the story. But for now, I’m motivated to continue the pursuit and excited to cross my experience with a wolf off the life list.