The Tale of an Omega. The Tale of a Wolf, A Wolf so Close. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reading ‘Wolves at our door’ has just once more reminded me of the journey I have made over the last couple of years. When this all began it was in the wake of my dog’s death, and the subject of death weighed heavily on my lips. If only I could stop death itself, then surely I could remove the pain that stalked my waking moments and enveloped my nocturnal conscience. If I could just bring the world to right then the pain of missing Gizmo would not be as sharp, as real. But it was not long before I realized that there was simply nothing that would remove the lump in my throat which constricted my voice and made my eyes leak fearful tears. There were no kind words or acts that any one could do to change the pain and the missing. This in itself brought an air of terror to the situation until I was reminded of ancient teaching from the east which I had learnt as a child. The body is but a husk carrying the spirit. And it is in death that this spirit is relinquished. And so it was under this mantle of comfort which I sought to commemorate the life of Gizmo, the one that taught me tenacity, patience and an iron will to survive. So much of her was wolf, so much soul that only a wolf’s body would have sufficed, it was only a human that killed her, the parallels where infinite. The emotional energy of grief slowly poured itself into a singular crusade to save all that need saving. But the day came when watching a documentary, I see white men shooting hopeless wolves racing across a snowy plane, running desperately, biting at the bullet as it created the final wound channel. The emotion that washed over me was beyond temper or anger, beyond wrath and beyond the mindless nature of fury. It was more like the calm calculus of reason. Crystal clear, by nature with pin point focus, the boundary of black and white could never have been so stark. But the beauty of grey comes with the contrasts of reason and moral fiber. During the same documentary I saw a Native American Indian donned in wolf pelt. Confusion, a people most respected for their bond with the world. This umbilical cord to mother earth was I disillusioned or was I simply missing some glaring contradiction? Since then I have read, watched and experienced much of life in the wild. I have questioned many things, the moral fortitude of the human species being but only one. And when I began I believed mankind to be of inferior genetic thread, I was wrong. The animal world is a mirror of the human’s orb, capable of hunting, murder, incest and deception. And in the words of David Mech I found the solace of more questions. Tainted by what I was learning I began doubting just about everything my life was based on, and past beliefs. But it was Mr. Mech’s words, “Observe without prejudice or judgment”. A tall order, no doubt, but the insight and enlightenment that came from this has been infinite. One of the advantages that this provided was to see the system as a whole, while sometimes emotionally charged, it gave a more comprehensive view to my world. When one witnesses the predation of an infant it is natural to respond with compassion for the prey and anger for the predator. But this should not be true, and the story of Makuyi embodies this principle. Makuyi was the second wolf that Jim Dutcher introduced into his fledgling pack, the Sawtooth Pack, partner to Akai. Incidentally, these names came from Blackfoot, Akai meaning “Wise one” and Makuyi meaning “Wolf”, a touch of irony? Makuyi entered the Sawtooth pack with cataracts which partially blinded her, unknown to Jamie. And when the pups were introduced into the duo pack, Makuyi became the omega. A wolf displaced or shunned by the pack assumes the role of omega. Now one needs to appreciate the importance of this role in the wolf world. In wild wolves the omega will often break away from the back, dispersing to find a mate and eventually form a new pack. This hereditary behavior has been a cornerstone for the proliferation of wolves, as not only does it keep genetic lines strong, but it also has exponential affects on the ecosystem, or trophic cascade. But in captive wolves this role is nothing less than a life of anguish. This raises the question of captive wolves, and the simple response is that man has unbalanced the natural course of time through compassion. “Compassion?” I hear you ask, yes. It was mans compassion for prey that classified the wolf as vermin. If you have ever witnessed predation of any species you will know that it is a traumatic event, the horrors of journeying life’s known to deaths mystery. And wolf predation is probably even more horrific than most. The wolf is not endowed with the claws, agility and speed of the cat’s speedy kills, but rather the slow exhaustion of its prey, bloody, messy and conceived pain. Hence in mans compassion for the elk and the mule deer, man intervened. This and other factors changed the path of the wolf from symbol of freedom to that of devilry. Obvious influences from religion and agriculture also played a role, but the result was the same. And it has hence become necessary to protect the wolf from itself, from its own nature. Not to mention that it is through these captive packs than man is becoming more enlightened to his own follies. So Makuyi found herself not only captive to mans curiosity, but also the omega and physically challenged. And it was this that brought compassion to my eyes as I read. Expelled from her family she became a lone wolf. Victimized, tormented and worst of all wolf punishment, excluded form the pack’s social activities. And when you read of the torment that Makuyi tolerated from the pack it is hard to accept the truth. Truth being, that while one wolf is tortured, this natural behavior is what has been a foundation of all species survival. It is this process of natural selection, or survival of the fittest that has defined those that survive and those that become extinct. And while I read of this wolfs tragedy, I see it unfold in front of me, literarily. We humans will attach one another should a group believe that one of the members is not contributing to the objective of the group. There is no difference between the cunning human strategy of politics and the wolf’s violent and blatant attacks on the omega. We do this to ensure that the strongest survive to produce more of the same. Makuyi and Akai where the beginning of the Sawtooth pack, but Akai was no natural leader, and did not hold the natural leadership instinct to be an alpha. Makuyi, in all fairness was handicapped through her partial blindness. So when the puppies were introduced into the camp Makuyi saw only one conclusion. Leave. Leave the pack and seek out a life of solitude, the alternative would be to face three growing pups’ half blind. And wolves are renowned for their ability to sniff out the weakness of age, disease or injury; the result would have been death. And it was with this that Makuyi withdrew from life to roam the enclosure in constant fear of attack, while at the same time loneliness to a wolf is a slow cancer. While Jim tried to substitute himself for company, he was no wolf. Day after day she ran from the only family she knew, feeding at the risk of being viciously attacked for her perceived insolence. Holding, no, clinging to the paths that she new by memory to escape these growing wolves. Only Jim was her companion and provider. A tormented animal is not only dangerous, but unpredictable and this can bring about mortal results. To Jim, my greatest respect, he challenged his patience and slowly positioned himself in her trust, food, calming voice and most important just the sense of a calming being. And it was with this trust that Jim Dutcher was able to diagnose the cataracts. But this was not the end. Makuyi had the cataracts removed from one eye in order not to expose her to too much risk. And at the same time he took the blankets from the operating table into the enclosure for the wolves to smell. The logic being that the smell of antiseptics and other medical chemicals on Makuyi may provoke an attack from pack, so by introducing this to the pack before hand was the perfect gauge for behavior. But wolves are an intelligent species and what we smell is the chemical, but they know far more, leaving us clueless of their secretive order of things. And so as Jim returned Makuyi to the enclosure, quietly watching the pack made no move, they knew. They would sense her lack of confidence, her run and hide mentality must have hung from her neck like a neon sign. But while Jim, seen as the ultimate alpha by all but Akai, was present, not response would be entertained. The next morning when Makuyi was not to be seen Jim became concerned and went looking for her. The pack had made every attempt to remove the weak from the genetic pool. Now in your luxury chair this does not sit comfortably, it churns the gut and reflects barbarity, but there is a greater picture at play here. Get comfortable, this is a journey, I believe, you should take. A pack of hunters that eat what they kill and starve when they miss. Taking on a creature many times your size is a risky practice and ill advised for the faint of heart. It takes cunning, stealth and an intimate knowledge of the prey. A single hoof to the head would split a wolf skull like an egg. There would be no second chance, only one mistake is all any wolf is allowed, and the price is death or debilitating injury. What will happen to the pack chasing elk across the tundra and one of the wolves miss the all important binding attack? Instead of weighing down the powerful, flailing hind legs the elk is free to kick and stomp the other wolves. While the wolf shares in the meal so it must partake of the hunt and do so successfully, so Makuyi was doomed. Because the attack had occur the very night of the eye operation, the tent was still setup with all of the medical paraphernalia, and it was this alone that save Makuyi that day. Makuyi was saved to be returned to her original home, away from the pack, back to a captive but happy life. Was Makuyi just another omega? I think not. She was Jim’s first omega and I believe the catalyst which galvanized the leadership of Kamots, the rising alpha male. Makuyi was exactly her name, wolf. If you watch the little footage of her you will see the superior sensory perception of the wolf. You will see her compassion to Jim’s efforts and patience. And her contact with Jim must have been his first true wolf experience, and how I wish it had been mine. By Lee Ridley |
| As a foot note I would like to tell a short story of the Omega life of a Wolf. Being in captivity here at Wolf creek Habitat is something they have never had a choice in and it isn't an easy life for a Wolf but since they are, we as humans that try to save them from a certain death, with this we are given a remarkable look into their lives. This is dedicated to Ghost our Snow Pack Omega. We have had this pack for 5 years now and all that time we watched the hierarchy of this pack. With Shanakwa and Ghostwalker being the Alpha male & female, we soon discovered the roles of the rest of the pack. White Whisper and Ghost were off springs to the pair along with Sahara which already had been separated from the pack upon arrival because they totally ripped her neck wide open, so she came here with injuries that we had to keep a close eye on and help with the healing process. So since she was already removed from the pack, that left Ghost the Omega. Kiowa the sister of Shanakwa had her position in the pack as the Beta as well as White Whisper. Ghost always had her submissive tail between her legs and fell to the ground as any of them approached her. We watched her carefully and on a couple of occasions removed her from the pack only to have her tear containments apart or dig under our very strong perimeter ground fencing to get back to her pack. When we could no longer keep her contained and realized her inner strength came from not wanting to be separated, we put her back in. We always kept a watchful eye and noticed on several occasions she would defend herself quite well with the aid of her mother. Kiowa was always the instigator and would never totally leave her alone. The exhibit of this behavior was never anything that drew blood or injuries, just a ranking order that had to stay in place. This went on for 4 years Ghost never having anything more than a put to the ground threat. She knew to stay away from the pack at all times but on occasion going to momma for approval, which she got. Ghostwalker had passed away from old age a couple years back and White Whisper was in with a new pack and his mate, so this just left the 3 females. There were days I just wanted to take Ghost and place her in with another pack but, knew this could not be done because all the packs can see each other so they would have observed her Omega status. One day upon arriving home from work I looked out to see her, in her usual spot she loved to lay and the others off sleeping away a dreary day. They all looked up at my arrival home gave me a welcome home howl and proceeded in their dreamy state of slumber. We had to go pick up a couple of rescues and when we arrived home and as we were settling in the new arrivals one of the volunteers noticed that Ghost didn't get up for the usual greeting. In the short amount of time that we were gone she met her doom with the pack. I cried because I did everything I could to protect her and it was in her heart not to be separated from her only family. Yes, in the wild they can go off to start their own packs but in captivity that is not an option. So I feel on one hand I am saving them from a certain human death but cannot control the nature of a Wolf. I am always amazed by what the Wolf teaches me about family, ranking and death so I must respect the fact that though they are in captivity they are still wild and will live in the only way they know how and that is survival. Lee's words so hit home, when you live among wolves you do encounter the very core of what life really means whether human or wolf we can't change what nature deals us so we survive the best we can and Thank God for another day of Life. Jim Dutcher is my hero and I am envious of his time in the wild with the Sawtooth Pack, but I have been blessed to be able to take in the pack that I have and in some way feel I have too been taught by the Wolf. David Mech's quote "Observe without prejudice or judgment”; are words I live by here at Wolf Creek Habitat, because it would be very easy to do what we as humans do and that is not forgive and hold a grudge on the killers. But God gives us the ability to forgive when they are only doing what comes natural to them and we must understand and not judge, so that teaches us to be better human beings, and let the Wolf be what they were intended to be and that is a Wild Animal. Kathy Baudendistel Wolf Creek Habitat & Rescue |
| Hierarchy of a Pack |
| Ghost's normal approach to the pack |
| Ghost/ Omega submitting to Kiowa/ Beta |
| Kiowa submitting to Alpha's |
| Shanakwa /Alpha protecting Ghost/Omega from Kiowa/Beta |
| Ghost |