Paula Wild | Paula Wild

January 22, 2021January 22, 2021

The Wolf Moon

The first full moon of the year appears in the heart of winter. And, depending on location and culture, it may be called Frost Exploding Moon, Freeze Up Moon or Cold Moon. For obvious reasons, my favourite full moon nickname is Wolf Moon.

It’s said that Indigenous people dubbed the January moon Wolf as the predators could often be heard howling throughout the long, dark nights. While some people believe the wolves are howling at the moon, they actually use that form of vocalizing to defend their territory, communicate with other pack members or grieve the death of another wolf.

Sometimes wolves seem to howl for the sheer pleasure of it or as a warm-up to the nightly hunt. Young pups learn to howl by watching and listening to their elders.

Although visible for several nights, the official 2021 Wolf Moon will appear in North America the evening of January 28. So, grab your binoculars or telescope and look up.

And speaking of looking up, the reason people think wolves howl at the moon is that, whether they’re sitting, standing or lying down, they always lift their snouts to howl. But that’s more for the vocal affect than anything in the sky.

Try it yourself by looking down and howling and then tilting your head back and howling again. Not only does the head-back howl sound better, the angle of the throat and mouth also projects the sound over a longer distance.

December 21, 2020December 21, 2020

Lighting up the dark…

2020 turned into a weird blip in the 21^st century, where life as we know it, took an abrupt and life-changing shift. For many, it has been marked by fear, boredom and frustration.

And now it’s the shortest, darkest day of the year. Winter Solstice, the official beginning of winter. What could be more bleak than that?

But when I look outside, I can’t help but smile. My neighborhood and many others are ablaze with colourful lights and displays. The holiday sparkle began early this year. I believe it’s humankinds way of lighting up the dark in the midst of a global pandemic.

Reflecting on my personal life during the Time of Covid, I also see some light. One of my most rewarding experiences was a Covid-safe writing retreat at Cluxewe Resort on Northern Vancouver Island.

Welcome sign and my cabin at Cluxewe Resort

My cabin provided a view across Queen Charlotte Strait to the BC mainland, a stunning estuary a short distance to the rear and, perhaps most important of all, time.

I opted to not hook up to Wi-Fi or turn on the big screen TV so my soundscape consisted of eagles calling, pounding surf during a big storm and raindrops beating a staccato rhythm on the metal roof.

Nature was my only distraction and with it came a feeling of space, as if the vastness outside had seeped into my mind, providing room to ponder the book I’m working on and what direction it will take me. The oasis of that little cabin and the time and space it provided were precious gifts in a year of uncertainty and upheaval.

And, although there is still an abundance of darkness in each 24-hour stretch, light is on the way. The Winter Solstice means minutes of light will be added to each day and, even better, Covid-19 vaccines are on the way.

As 2020 comes to a close, I hope everyone can find some time to think about what lights up their life (even during Covid) and take at least one small step to make that happen.

Top image by Dzenina Lukac

September 14, 2020September 14, 2020

Takaya

What does a wolf do when it finds itself in the middle of an urban area? Maybe daylight is seeping into the sky and people are stirring. The wolf’s instinct is to find a secluded, safe place. So, he plunges into cold ocean waters and swims a couple of kilometres through challenging currents to a small, rocky archipelago.

The wolf probably doesn’t realize this will be his home for the next eight years. A collection of islands with no deer to hunt, no year-round source of water and no other wolves.

He can see densely populated Oak Bay on southern Vancouver Island and hear dogs barking there. Sometimes he howls in return. He watches freighters and kayakers go by and learns to hunt seals, steal goose eggs and dig for water to survive.

But most of all, he learns to live alone. This is very unusual as wolves are highly social animals who live in family groups. No one thought the wolf would stay but, whether by circumstance or choice, he did. And thrived.

Takaya Lone Wolf is a story about a wolf and a woman. The first time Cheryl Alexander heard the wolf howl, she was hooked. The award-winning conservation photographer lived a short boat ride away and began watching the wolf she named Takaya. Personal observations and photographs were augmented by video footage and trail cameras. Before she knew it, she was documenting the life of a lone wolf.

Alexander’s new book provides an intimate glimpse into Takaya’s day-to-day life, as well as the vast beauty and richness of his domain and the wildlife that share it. The photographer’s persistence and patience also reveals some wolf behaviour that has perhaps never been documented before.

Takaya Lone Wolf is a beautiful blend of stunning photographs with heartfelt words. Alexander invites the reader into a wildness that, surprisingly, can exist close to the capital of British Columbia in Canada. It also raises questions about how humans relate to wolves. The book is scheduled for a September 29 release.

Last year, Takaya and Alexander’s story appeared on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s The Nature of Things, as well as BBC TV in the UK and ARTE television in France and Germany.

For more information visit the Facebook page TAKAYA: @takayalonewolf.

June 17, 2020June 17, 2020

A wolf’s ears

“Their ears are like radar. They can smell a man from three to four kilometres away. And their eyes… they can see through everything,” Ion Maxisimovic says in Wolf Hunter, a documentary film by James Morgan.

Wolves are built to move and that includes an aerodynamic head featuring a sleek muzzle leading to triangular-shaped ears that are gently rounded on top. Each ear can be independently rotated creating optimal antennae for picking up sounds.

According to Wolf Watch UK, domestic dogs can hear up to sixteen times better than humans. Experts say a wolf’s hearing is even more acute and that they can hear noises ten to sixteen kilometres (six to ten miles) away on open ground. It’s also suspected that wolves can hear frequencies as high as 80 kHz compared to a human’s upper range of 20 kHz.

Wolf pups open their eyes when they’re around two weeks old and begin to hear sounds after three weeks. Ears play an important role in wolf body language and communication. Wolves cock their ears to indicate alertness, aggression, playfulness or submission. And, along with eyes, ears, mouth, hackles, tail and posture, ears convey mood, status, sexual interest and intent.

Dogs evolved from wolves and, over the centuries, have been bred to fulfill the desires of humans, whether that be as companion, work animal or simply the trendy fashion accessory of the day.

These red wolf pups are only a few days old and are not yet able to see or hear. Their ears are still soft and floppy.
Photo by Ryan Nordsven, US Fish and Wildlife Services.

Studies show that a large proportion of people are attracted to dogs with floppy ears and shorter, rounded muzzles. These are juvenile characteristics that all dog and wolf puppies have. As wolf pups grow, however, their ears stand upright and their snouts lengthen, whereas many dogs’ do not.

The top photo shows an adult red wolf waiting to be transported to a site for release into the wild. It’s well beyond the puppy stage and its ears are erect. The position of the ears, the eyes and the general posture of the wolf shows that it is stressed. Photo by B. Bartel, US Fish and Wildlife Services