Well, I will add one to the collections that Norman Bishop has put out about wolves and humans. This one it not quite so old. This one was from a bit before delisting, from 2006.
For about 7 years, I lived on the closest piece of private land to the south east corner of Yellowstone National Park, at the head of the Dunoir Valley. There was a wolf pack of about 6 or 7 adult individuals who lived about 150 yards off my front porch. From early June through early November they would sing 2 or 3 times a day.
If you have never heard wolves singing, the real thing, not a recording, it is an experience of incredible beauty. The word that I would say best describes it is celestial.
That summer I had an intern and late one afternoon she went out for a walk. On the way back to the house she happened to walk through the middle of their ‘living room’ 150 yards from the front porch.
They started singing, surrounding her 360 degrees at about 50 feet.
When they were finished singing, she continued back to the house.
Never before or since have a seen a human in such ecstasy.
Here is a photo of one of the pups from that year, taken from the back porch.
While I have lived in occupied wolf habitat ever since and regularly find wolf tracks, I have never heard a wolf sing since they were delisted.
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