Hidden Life of Wolves, The [Hardcover]

For conservationists and lovers of animals, nature, and especially dogs, this National Geographic book shares the surprising understanding of wild wolves gained over six years the authors spent living intimately with them. Delve into Jim and Jamie Dutcher’s amazing wolf photography documenting a pack of wolves at the edge of Idaho's Sawtooth Wilderness, illuminating their complex social hierarchy. Here is the alpha pair, leaders of the pack, often the only couple that mate. Here are the pups, born with eyes shut in the spring, tousled by their mother through the first six weeks of life. Here is the omega wolf, lowest ranking wolf in the pack, whose subservience, often playful, alleviates pack tension. Here are moments of cooperation and moments of snarling dominance, moments of communication and affection. Here, too, are heartwarming moments of connection between the Dutchers and the wolves, caught in pictures that remind us how close the links are between wolves in the wild and the beloved family dog. 

Short chapters introduce the wolves as individuals, describe the Dutchers' years of coming to know them, and address the complex conservation issues surrounding the near-extinction and now replenishment of the species in the wild. Sidebars explore myths about wolves, including Native American spirit stories, European fairy tales, and modern ranching hearsay.“Ever since, as a child, I read about Romulus and Remus and Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, I have been in love with wolves. This exciting book will help their cause—they deserve our concern and our protection.”—Jane Goodall

“An inspired account. The return of the gray wolf is a proud moment in the history of our American lands.”—Bruce Babbitt, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior

The Dutchers are known for their world-class photography, and this volume does not disappoint…the mystery and awe that wolves have alwalƒ˝