This slow-motion video of Earthfire Institute, Wildlife Sanctuary, and Retreat Center’s resident wolves Wamaka, Midnight, and Echo may be short, but it has a lot to say about the beauty, character, and value of these iconic animals.

 Though they share much of their appearance and loyalty with our beloved dogs, wolves are wild carnivores who hunt their prey, and farmers see them as a threat to their livestock. Though we once invited wolves from Canada to build our country’s populations, they are now viewed as pests and we’ve seen many of their protections stripped away over the past few years.

It’s true that wolves will sometimes kill livestock, but they’re far more likely to feed on wild ruminants, their natural prey. The last time wolves were hunted to near extinction, grazing animals grew into huge herds, decimating plant populations which small mammals, birds, and insects rely on.


The effects of killing wolves ripple down through the food chain, ultimately destroying our ecosystem. We need apex predators, and viewing them as pests ignores the history of wolves in our country.