Suggested Reading


We have compiled a list of books that we recommend for a better understanding of wolves and the perils they face.


Tundra – A Gift from the Creator

“Tundra – A Gift from the Creator” is the story of the journey that Tundra & I have been on for the past 13 years educating both students and the public about the ecological importance of wolves and the incredible importance the wolf is to First Nation culture. Tundra is very well received by all First Nation people that meet her.
I think you will enjoy the many stories that we have collected and experienced on this journey. This book will be liked by children and adults.
Proceeds from this book will fund the work that our Society, Tundra Speaks Society is doing in schools and in community groups. - Gary Allan.







INTOLERABLE CRUELTY
The truth behind killing neck snares and strychnine by Gilbert Proulx
Intolerable Cruelty is about killing neck snares that are used in Canada to kill thousands
of red foxes, coyotes, wolves and non-target animals. This book discloses exclusive snapshots of long and painful deaths of snared animals, and reviews scientific findings related to their cruelty and non-selectivity. Intolerable Cruelty is also about the use of
strychnine in Canada to kill predators. This book reviews how strychnine baits are used to destroy wolves and an array of non-target  species.
Per Rocky Mountain Books: A collection of essays and articles that reflect upon the ecology, conservation history, missed opportunities and emerging possibilities of a place that could have been about so much more than oil.

Naturalist, hunter, conservation activist and recovering bureaucrat Kevin Van Tighem explores the landscapes and wildlife of one of Canada's most diverse and beautiful provinces and the ways in which Albertans have often failed – and sometimes succeeded – at the challenge of sustaining their home place.
The Pipestone Wolves: The Rise and Fall of a Wolf Family by Gunther Bloch, Photos by John E Marriott (2016).
The book chronicles not only the rise of the Pipestones and how they established and maintained dominance in the valley, but also how an increase in mass tourism in Banff led to a decrease in prey density for the Pipestones, which in turn led to the wolves changing their hunting strategies and expanding their summer range. Bloch explains how the Pipestones faced an inevitable fall from the top as pressure from eager wolf watchers increased exponentially in the park at the same time the wolves’ prey base was shrinking rapidly. Combining these influences with other factors like rail mortality and old age, Bloch and Marriott knew the end was near for the Pipestones.


The Carnivore Way: Coexisting with and Conserving North America's Predators by Cristina Eisenberg (2014)
Eisenberg argues for the necessity of top predators such as wolves, and how a continental-long corridor—a “carnivore way”—provides the room they need to roam.
Wild Wolves We Have Known: Stories of Wolf Biologists’ Favorite Wolves by Richard Thiel, Allison Thiel, and Marianne Strozewski (editors) (2013) 

http://www.wolf.org/wolf-info/basic-wolf-info/in-depth-resources/books-and-videos-about-wolves/wild-wolves-we-have-known/
Wolf experts from the U.S., Canada, and Europe (David Mech, Rick McIntyre, Doug Smith, Rolf Peterson, and many more) share stories of remarkable wolves.
The Hidden Life of Wolves by Dutcher and Jamie Dutcher (2013)  

https://livingwithwolves.org

Delve into the lives of wolves with the Dutchers, a couple who spent years living with a pack of wolves at the edge of Idaho's Sawtooth Wilderness.
Among Wolves: Gordon Haber's Insights into Alaska's Most Misunderstood Animal by Gordon Haber and Marybeth Holleman (2013)

Haber’s fieldwork registered as one of the longest studies in wildlife science and provided exceptional insights into wolf behavior.
Decade of the Wolf, revised and updated edition: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone by Douglas W. Smith and Gary Ferguson (2012) 

Written by an award-winning writer and the leader of the Yellowstone Wolf Project, this definitive and updated book recounts the years since the wolves’ return to Yellowstone.
Alphie, A Yellowstone Wolf Pup  by Brian A. Connolly with sketches by George Bumann (2013)

Filled with wolf facts and sketches that offers an accessible introduction to wolves for kids and adults.
 Homeward Wolf by Kevin Van Tighem (2013)

Kevin Van Tighem’s first RMB Manifesto explores the history of wolf eradication in western North America and the species’ recent return to the places where humans live and play. Rich with personal anecdotes and the stories of individual wolves whose fates reflect the complexity of our relationship with these animals, The Homeward Wolf neither romanticizes nor demonizes this wide-ranging carnivore with whom we once again share our Western spaces. Instead, it argues that wolves are coming back to stay, that conflicts will continue to arise and that we will need to find new ways to manage our relationship with this formidable predator in our ever-changing world.

http://www.rmbooks.com/display_author.php?contributor_id=1747
Bears: Without Fear by Kevin Van Tighem (2013)

In this timely and sensitive book, Kevin Van Tighem calls on decades of experience, knowledge and understanding in order to enlighten readers about our relationship with and attitude toward bears. Along the way we are confronted with the realities confronting these great animals as a result of our ever-expanding human population and their ever-shrinking natural habitat. Through historical research, field observation, practical advice, personal anecdotes and an array of stunning photos, Van Tighem has written a comprehensive book that is meant to demystify bears in order to promote a deeper understanding of these powerful yet vulnerable creatures.
 In the Temple of Wolves by Rick Lamplugh (2013)

When Rick Lamplugh arrives at the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch on New Year’s Eve, he has one goal: to learn as much as possible about the ecology of the Lamar Valley. All winter he will work and live in this remote corner of Yellowstone National Park, home to some of the best wildlife watching in the world. A literary blend of facts and feelings, In the Temple of Wolves celebrates nature’s stark beauty and treacherous cruelty, while revealing Lamplugh’s inner battles with his own human nature.

 http://ricklamplugh.blogspot.ca
Born to the Wild: Journals of a National Park Warden in the Canadian Rockies by Rob Kaye (2015)

Kaye gives a vivid account of wardens’ lives in the park. He describes back-country encounters with wolves, bears, bighorns, and other wildlife, as well as accounts of survival and tales of adversity.  Kaye relates heartfelt and humorous stories about the back-country wardens’ most trusted companions—the riding and pack horses that shared their high country travels.

http://robkaye.ca
 Wolf Totem: A Novel by Jiang Rong (2004)

Published in China in 2004, Wolf Totem has broken all sales records, selling millions of copies (along with millions more on the black market). Part period epic, part fable for modern days, Wolf Totem depicts the dying culture of the Mongols--the ancestors of the Mongol hordes who at one time terrorized the world--and the parallel extinction of the animal they believe to be sacred: the fierce and otherworldly Mongolian wolf. Beautifully translated by Howard Goldblatt, the foremost translator of Chinese fiction, this extraordinary novel is finally available in English.
 Howl of Woman and Wolf by Susan Imhoff Bird (2015)

Commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the reintroduction of wolves to the American West, Howl follows Susan Imhoff Bird's exploration into the passions and controversies surrounding nature's most fascinating predator. At a crossroads in her own life, Bird travels around the West, talking with wolf watchers, landowners, wildlife managers, conservationists, and hunters about their understandings of what matters most, which almost always is their connection with the natural world. However, the often-conflicting issues raised by hunters, ranchers, and politicians prompt Bird's personal examination of wolf science, myths, and ethics, culminating in her conviction that wolves must be allowed to recover and thrive on our lands. Along the way, Bird begins to unleash her own wild nature, learning to howl and inviting us to do the same.
Never Cry Wolf: Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves by Farley Mowat (1963).

Hordes of bloodthirsty wolves are slaughtering the arctic caribou, and the government's Wildlife Service assigns naturalist Farely Mowat to investigate. Mowat is dropped alone onto the frozen tundra, where he begins his mission to live among the howling wolf packs and study their waves. Contact with his quarry comes quickly, and Mowat discovers not a den of marauding killers but a courageous family of skillful providers and devoted protectors of their young. As Mowat comes closer to the wolf world, he comes to fear with them on onslaught of bounty hunters and government exterminators out to erase the noble wolf community from the Arctic. Never Cry Wolf is one of the brilliant narratives on the myth and magical world of wild wolves and man's true place among the creatures of nature. "We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be -- the mythological epitome of a savage, ruthless killer -- which is, in reality, no more than the reflected image of ourself." -- from the new preface to Never Cry Wolf.
Wolf Land by Carter Niemeyer (2016)

Carter Niemeyer has followed wolves – and captured many – since he helped reintroduce them in the Northern Rockies in the mid-1990s. In his second memoir, Wolf Land, he takes us across the rugged West as he tracks wolves, shares in their lives, and seeks middle ground for these iconic animals, both on the land and in our hearts.
Deep Into Yellowstone by Rick Lamplugh (2017)

"Deep Into Yellowstone: A Year's Immersion in Grandeur and Controversy begins when Rick and his wife Mary trust Yellowstone's pull and relocate to Gardiner, just outside the park's north gate.During the year as they cross-country ski, hike, bicycle, canoe, and backpack into Yellowstone's grandeur, Rick digs into important controversies: the outrage over the proposed removal of grizzlies from the endangered species list; the dispute over hunting park wolves along Yellowstone's border; the debate about whether wolves help or harm the ecosystem and the economy; the fight to stop the slaughter of park bison; the overuse of the park; and their community's battle to prevent gold mining on the park's border.Rick ends the year with a stronger love for Yellowstone's grandeur, a deeper knowledge of the controversies threatening the park, and a desire to inspire readers to protect our nation's first national park."