Amazon.com Review
Since the dawn of history, no other living thing (save,possibly, the snake) has been as reviled by humankind as thewolf. Still, wolves and people have been drawn to each other since thebeginning. Canis lupus bounds through our folklore, howls inour dreams, and--occasionally--competes with us on the hunt. As onezoologist imagines it: "Through the cold of winter the wolf made musicin the mysterious darkness and sometimes, in curiosity, sat justbeyond the dwindling circle of firelight and watched." The curiositywas mutual; this is the feared animal, ironically, that gave rise toman's best friend. Yet only recently has science begun to understandthese complex social mammals. Enter biologist L. David Mech. Years ofresearch during the 1960s in Michigan's Isle Royale National Parkprovided Mech with a level of firsthand knowledge shared by few in thefield. In 1970 he compiled his findings (updated in 1980) into thepreeminent document of its kind. Thomas McNamee, author of The Return of the Wolf toYellowstone, calls the book the "best single source ofinformation on wolf biology," and refers to its author as "theundisputed king of wolf research." When government officials in theearly 1990s decided to embark on an ambitious project to reintroducewolves into their former range of Yellowstone National Park, theycalled on Mech's expertise. All this is to say that, if you want tolearn about wolves, you cannot ignore this seminal work or itsauthor. Chapters cover wolf evolution, range, and physiology; societyand pack behavior; reproduction; hunting and predator-preyrelationships; and the species' uncertain future. Like anyself-respecting scientist, Mech includes all the hard data, but hepresents his work in an engaging manner that is accessible to abroader audience, drawing heavily on anecdotes and personalexperience.

"Many people strongly dislike the wolf," Mech writes,"others rush to its defense. But no one denies that the animal isstrong, powerful, intelligent, keen, and dynamic." While persecutionby man has severely restricted its current status, the tide isturning, thanks to education and conservation efforts. After all, anight without a howl echoing somewhere across the landscape wouldsurely be a colder, less alive night. --Langdon Cook ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

clear view of wolves and how we treat them
Wonderfully statistical, this book has not to do with the photos, but the information presented. Mr Mech has opened our eyes with his other books, and this on clearly defines the treatment of wolves by governments over the world and shows us how the ecology of the world is in fragile balance. One an learn how wolf packs travel for food, how they eat and how much an how they cope with the environment and the hazards hidden within it.

The Wolf
Excellent book for the needed information.I purchased this book for a friend that was going to be taking a test with our state conservation dept to get a permit so they could keep their wolves.They read this book and passed the test the first time.Very good information!!

Excelent book!!
Great book! Very comprehensive, with plenty of pictures and covering a wide variety of subjects of the wolf's life. For me, it's the ultimate guide for this species.

A Good Resource for anyone interested in wolves
This was the first book I studied before I bought my wolfdog.It's a great general reference book on wolves, factual and not biased.It's especially useful for understanding wolf behavior and body language, which one must aquaint one's self with before considering getting a wolfdog.Some of data is outdated, such as showing the wolf and domestic dog as separate branches on the canine family tree, but by and large it's a good reference book.

Aaawwwwoooooo!
I simply wish to echo what was said in the previous two reviews of this book. If one wants a primer on wolves for lab, classroom or at home reading this is the one to get.

It is a highly enjoyable book easy to understand for a wide ranging audience. It is my hope this book will inspire it's readers to probe deeper and consider reading further on the topic, for example: Wolves of Minong: Isle Royale's Wild Community (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) by Durward Leon Allen. ... Read more

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Discusses wolves, their behavior, and their problems surviving. ... Read more

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Part memoir, part meditation, part love story, Shadow Mountain is an impassioned commentary on how our connection to the wild can rescueor destroy us.

While completing an undergraduate research thesis, Renée Askins was given a two-day-old wolf pup to raise. Named Natasha, the pup, was destined for a life in captivity. Through her work with Natasha and her siblings, Askins developed a deep, fierce love for the species. On the day Natasha was unexpectedly taken from her and sent to a remote research facility, Askins made a promise to the wolf pup: "Your life, your sacrifice, will make a difference."And it did.

Renée Askins spent the next fifteen years in the grueling effort to restore wolves to Yellowstone, where they had been exterminated by man some seventy years before. The campaign's popularity with the American public aroused the rage of the western ranching community and their powerful political allies in Washington. She endured death threats, years of contentious debate and political manipulations, and heartbreaking setbacks when colonizing wolves were illegally killed. But in March 1995, Askins witnessed the realization of her mission when wolves were released into their native home in Yellowstone–the first wolves to be found there in almost a century.

A born storyteller, Renée Askins offers moving and vibrant examples of the reciprocity that exists between man and animal. And, like a wolf in the shadows, Askins circles the issues surounding the conundrum of embracing wild nature. Shadow Mountain explores the wildness present within animals and humans, urging us to recognize both its light and its shadow–its power to heal and harm. Roaming from wolves to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, from passion to politics, Shadow Mountain is the story of shared struggles and destinies, of failure and redemption, and offers insight into how we can mend our contentious relationship with wildness by understanding the power of the wild to guide and shape us. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Loved Shadow Mountain!
Renee Askins has written a beautiful memoir.Her tale ranges from the fields and forests of Northern Michigan to the rugged Yellowstone outback, describing in attractive, forthright prose how wildlife, and ultimately wolves, helped shape identity and meaning in her life.The account of the complex cultural and political fight to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone is worth the purchase price, but the book offers much more.An important perspective on our connection to our environment, the importance of honoring that connections, and the perils of continuing to disregard it.

Askins if my hero
I loved this story, everything from the depth of the details to the devotion and dedication this woman took for something she loved. I, too, love the mystic and wildness of wolves. She wrote about wildness in everyone, that maybe true. She is such an inspiring woman and she never gave up.

Great read
I truly enjoyed this book. The only reason it is not getting 5 stars is b/c I felt a litle misled by the synopsis on the back. I thought the entire book would be about wolves and Yellowstone. The book was about these topics but also much more about the author's relationships with her animals. As an animal lover, I really enjoyed these parts of the book. And as a married person without children, I can relate when she writes about people not treating pets as family or the lack of sensitivity towards animals (as opposed to humans).

I bought this book after visiting Yellowstone recently and it was a good follow-up to my trip. How could anyone not have been excited about the reintroduction of wolves into the park. What an amazing story.

Flowery Garbage
Someone should ban this woman from ever using a simile or a metaphor again.At least she could refrain from using 3 or 4 of them in every sentence.I like wolves and from reading the back of the book it sounded interesting.I wish that I would have read the first chapter before buying this book.It might have some decent imformation in it, but I just about threw up from trying to get past the first chapter.

current favorite
This is an excellent book and has much to offer for nature /animal lovers, how difficult such a project is, to combat many opposing forces. It has a measure of spirituality, romance and animal nature. ... Read more

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Endangered Wildlife and Plants of the World 12 ... Read more

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Contents: Gorillas, Other Monkeys, Wolves and foxes, Insects and arachnids, The gian panda, Other bears, Whales, dolphins, and porpoises, Other sea creatures, Rhinoceroses, elephants, Big cats, Bats, Small mammals, Birds. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Beacham's Guide to Endangered Species: North America, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 2560 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Presents extensive data on the habitats and ecosystems of more than 1,200 species identified as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. Arranged taxonomically, entries include introductory information, a summary section detailing information on each species and a concluding summary of recovery efforts. ... Read more

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The premier predatory animal in the Southwest, and certainly the most controversial, the wolf came to grips with European settlement, particularly the livestock industry, and lost. First in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, and finally in Old Mexico, the southwestern wolf was driven to extirpation; ironically, the last wolves were hunted down not long before the advent of laws—and a conservation ethic—that could have saved them. Drawing on reports of the U.S. government’s former Office of Predatory Animal and Rodent Control (PARC), and from accounts of wolf hunters themselves, David E. Brown has compiled the history of the wolf’s elimination. Included is a complete documentation of the eradication program, fascinating stories of the last few wolves that eluded hunters, and information on wolf biology from those who best knew its habits.

Since its first publication in 1983, The Wolf in the Southwest has proven itself as the single most valuable and informative reference to Canis lupus of the Mexican borderlands. Now, the descendents of the last wolves captured in Mexico once again roam portions of wilderness in New Mexico and Arizona. With reintroduction, this second edition contains a new Preface and Epilogue by David E. Brown, and a new Foreword by author and biologist Harley Shaw. Once again there are wolves in the woods, and just as in the days of the pioneers, people are taking sides. Love him or hate him, the wolf is again making history, and The Wolf in the Southwest is back in print. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Dramatic Reminder
The distant howl of the wolf seems at home alongside campfires under a brilliant moon. The echoes of those cries ring with loneliness and pain. They are forever linked with the wildest of the wild, nature untouched and pure. The Southwestern U.S. to Mexico is a wild and natural area, but far from untouched and pristine wilderness areas. Moon-filled nights are no longer punctuated by the wolf's plaintive calls due to a century of persecution that eliminated all species of wolf from the South West. With the attempts to reintroduce wild packs and the subsequent controversy regarding this issue a new edition of the David E. Brown's brilliant `The Wolf in the Southwest - The Making of an Endangered Species' has been released by High Lonesome Books. Originally published in 1983, `The Wolf in the Southwest' documents the fervor to rid the wolf from the wilds of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas from the late 19th century until the late 1970's. David E. Brown has painstakingly researched his book from decades of archival records documenting the plight of the southwest cattlemen. These ranchers whose heavy losses to cattle depredation lead to a government sanctioned declaration of war on all predators. It is a grimly fascinating tale of the sad history of the wolf in the southwest. David E. Brown's `The Wolf in the Southwest' is the definitive resource on the various species of southwestern wolf, covering their biology, territory and first hand descriptive accounts of their place within their historical environment. These coincide with various trapper reports, techniques and encounters. Thorough and complete with many historical photos and documents, David E. Brown brings this shortsighted era to life. `The Wolf in the Southwest - The Making of an Endangered Species' is a bitter read for it eulogizes, not celebrates the wolf. A dramatic reminder of how destructive the world was and still is and how once we set foot in pristine natural areas we slowly begin to lose them.

The Wolf In The Southwest
As always, David Brown's revised edition of The Wolf In The Southwest, meets the highest standards in wildlife writing! This updated version is the 'cornerstone' of information on the history of the Mexican Gray Wolf in the southwest, and has practical insight included for the wolf's current status in Arizona and New Mexico. It is an unbiased, factual representation of historic gray wolf management and biology, and a valuable resource on this large carnivore, which once again roams the manificently rugged Arizona-New Mexico border country. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Beacham's Guide to Endangered Species: North America, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1587 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Presents extensive data on the habitats and ecosystems of more than 1,200 species identified as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. Arranged taxonomically, entries include introductory information, a summary section detailing information on each species and a concluding summary of recovery efforts. ... Read more

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Features: Documents the love/hate relationship between humans and wolves in four national parks in the Rocky Mountains (Banff, Jasper, Glacier, Yellowstone), from the killing of wolves as worthless vermin to their rehabilitation as symbols of romantic wilderness and ecological vibrancy. This controversial study explores the tumultuous relationship and highlights the struggle of wolf packs to retain footholds on ancestral territory in the parks. Compares distinctive lupine histories with anecdotes and narratives of wolves from Aboriginals and early Europeans from the 19th and 20th centuries. Considers changing ideas of nature and wilderness and competing visions of the North American West. Documents the changing tenets of landscape preservation and species protection in preserves in the US and Canada through a capacious study of canine history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Will hold special appeal to those interested in wildlife
Karen R. Jones' very specific title, Wolf Mountains: A History Of Wolves Along the Great Divide, will hold special appeal to those interested in American and Canadian wildlife conservation in general and wolf conservation efforts throughout Canada and the United States in particular. Karen Jones provides a blended focus on Canadian and American national parks, and the wolf's place in their ecologicalsystems, including examining interactions between wolves and people in four Rocky Mountain regional parks. The different terrains and histories of these Canadian and American parks (including the Yellowstone National Park), makes for a fine foundation for surveying the history of human/wolf encounters from early to modern times. ... Read more

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Gale proudly presents the completely revised and updated version of the acclaimed “Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia” set. Hailed by many as the best reference work on animals ever published, a legacy left to us by famed zoologist and animal lover Bernhard Grzimek, this set is renowned for its scientific reporting and coverage, and serves as a major point of reference for researchers, students, and those hoping to satisfy their curiosity about the animal kingdom. Information can be found on life cycles, predators, food systems, overall ecology and much more. Staying true to the original scientific pedigree, Gale enlisted prominent advisors and contributors from the international scientific community to incorporate recent developments in our knowledge of the animal world.

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This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on March 9, 2009. The length of the article is 643 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Setback for gray wolves.(Editorials)(Salazar ends protection across most of West)(Editorial)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: March 9, 2009
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: A8

Article Type: Editorial

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Endangered Species Update, published by University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources on September 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1447 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Mexican wolf reintroduction vital to the American Southwest. (Opinion).
Author: Sue M. Sefscik
Publication: Endangered Species Update (Newsletter)
Date: September 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources
Volume: 19Issue: 5Page: 214(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on August 7, 2010. The length of the article is 470 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Wolves regain legal shelter.(Editorials)(Editorial)
Author: Unavailable
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: August 7, 2010
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: A8

Article Type: Editorial

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more