Marauder Protector Companion

Conservation photographers share their best images depicting the behaviours of grey wolves, pack predator, keystone species and potent symbol of our North

- Mark Raycroft And Pili Palm-Leis

THE RISING, MOURNFUL HOWL of a wolf echoing under a starry sky can give us chills of wonder or worry. If you’re hiking in the backcountry, the discovery of fresh wolf tracks in the snow, each as big as a fist, can send you charging forward in anticipation or shrinking back to the comfort of the wood stove. Marauder, protector, companion, mythic monster — Canis lupus, the grey wolf, resides in many parts of our cultural psyche.

These powerful, intelligent animals have long been symbols of wilderness and freedom, and their destiny has been held in the balance by humans for centuries, often tipping into mass extermination. Today, ecologists recognize the critical role wolves play in their eco­ systems — culling weak, injured or genetically inferior animals from ecosystems and thereby keeping prey populations genetically robust and healthy; leaving carcasses that support hosts of scavengers and mid­range carnivores such as bears, foxes, ermine, rodents and ravens — but the fate of the grey wolf may now be determined by those ecosystems unravelling from the dramatic effects of climate change. The images that follow have been collected by photogra­ phers who are passionate about conservation and the preservation of habitat. Their photos capture what we know about the behaviours of this keystone species and reveal the many faces of Canis lupus, a powerful and timeless symbol of the North.

THE PACK

Far from their common depiction as lonely hunt­ers, wolves have evolved a complex, inflexible and interdependent hierarchy that has enabled them to succeed in the harshest environments.