California Wolf Center - Loss of a Legend!

On December 29th of 2006, the California Wolf Center lost Denali, not only the alpha male of the Denali Pack but a wolf whose character defined the California Wolf Center for more than 10 years.

Denali was born in April of 1995. From his first steps until his death, he was a true representative of wild wolves and at the same time his comfort in front of an audience enabled visitors to share the life of a wolf pack. In his early years he changed the way the incumbent wolves acted in front of visitors and opened a window to the life and dynamic behaviors of the gray wolf pack.

But perhaps most of all he attracted a team of volunteers, visitors and donors that would go on to lead the Wolf Center to a new level of contribution to environmental conservation and to help expand our mission. With his death comes the end of an era. The loss of any wolf in our community is tragic. But this loss marks the passing of an ambassador wolf that defined that very phrase for our Wolf Center.

The Early Years: Before the 1996 pups were born, Denali was virtually a one wolf show for visitors. We not only hoped he would show for the “show,” we could rely on him to spend time with our curious visitors. The other wolves were still a shy group at that time. But patience paid off and Denali would come over to the fence to greet new visitors, sniffing and yawning, standing and sometimes playing with a tree branch on the ground in front of them. We promised visitors that one large, young, kind beige wolf, would visit with the audience. He never failed to show. I knew early on we had something special in this wolf. He was not hand raised but he was comfortable being a wolf in front of people. His playful side changed the older wolves that were previously always shy.

My association with the Center started with my first visit in August of 1995. I recall that first visit. Co-founder Judy Kenis pointed to the enclosure and told me that the wolves were shy and that I should be careful not to bother them. On my walk I didn't expect to see much (based on the little I knew about wolves at that time and her warning). However I did see a young, light colored wolf sitting near the visitor area. I was told there were 13 wolves in the main enclosure (then the only enclosure). But I only saw him. I remember his distinctive gate and his size for what was only a 4 month old wolf. I couldn't wait to go back and see him again. I think it's hard to describe the feeling when you see these wolves for the first time. We forget as recurring volunteers and staff, the novelty that most visitors feel. The visit is an experience that may change how we think about the environment. It is just something new, something different. You either get it or you don't. I was tired of reading about wolves and here was my chance to make a difference. At the end of my visit, Paul Kenis asked me if I might be interested in volunteering. At the time I was interviewing for jobs in San Francisco , and very close to moving north for a city that reminded me of home ( New York ). Instead, at the end of my visit to the Wolf Center (then just called the Julian Center for Science and Education), I decided that a part of my career would involve volunteering for the Julian Center and helping the place grow. I remember telling my family that I was staying in San Diego and I was going to help this wolf center grow. This was a chance to leverage a contribution to wolf recovery by growing an organization and that it was right think to do. I couldn't wait to see that wolf again. That wolf would later be named Butch, then later Denali.

(Denali with 1996 Pups; Tundra Centered)

10 New Friends in 1996: In June of 1996 pups came along and with them, Denali 's emergence as a true alpha male. The famous 10 pup liter of 1996 became a “band of brothers” with Denali leading the show. Tundra, Minka and Mukluk followed Denali everywhere and their interactions, intense play, vocalizations were incredible to watch. I dubbed them at one point the “fun bunch.” Although that name never stuck, “fun” was the best way I could describe watching this quartet interact. And while it was clear that Tundra was becoming Denali 's beta, Denali was clearly becoming the alpha animal of the pack. I remember reading in

those years about how the true alpha never had to fight his way to the top, rather it was by group approval that the alpha won and sustained his or her status. Denali never ruled with an iron paw, rather he appeared to be elected king.

As the pups grew the entire pack became incredibly playful. Even the older wolves that never showed their face were out in force. Denali shaped the temperament of the new pups and brought out a previously unobserved level of comfort in the old guard. It was his pack, they rallied around him daily. Mob greetings were common. It was spectacular, unique and valuable for our mission. With Denali leading the “new pack” these developments marked the beginning of a new era in our education programs. We not only had an excellent ambassador wolf, with Denali 's work, we had an amazing ambassador pack.

The Tyee Challenge, February 2001: One thing we know is that in a wolf pack nothing ever stays the same. The pups grew up and of course some would challenge the hierarchy. Since it had been years since the last litter, we had no idea how this would affect pack dynamics. Several winter storms came through in 2001, but one of note was in mid February. It was a Wednesday and I drove up to the Center to help feed, as I had been doing for years. The snow was coming down pretty hard and about 10 yards down the main driveway I slid into the ditch. It was getting late so we decided to feed first and worry about the truck later. We had to slide all of the food down the driveway and hill in sleds. At that time most of the food storage was offsite. The snowfall subsided a bit, but there was a lot of snow on the ground. We did get the feeding done by actually tossing chicken over the fence into A1 (certainly not the preferred method, but our gates were older and we didn't want to risk bending metal in the icy snow). This night the pack was on edge, and it was pretty clear that there was a hierarchy battle going on. As we finished feeding the sky cleared to a full moon, and it was very easy to see. We tried to get my truck un-stuck but we had no such luck.

Little did I know getting stuck would be a blessing in disguise. Tyee had launched a full challenge that night on Denali. It was pretty viscous and visible. Tyee harassed Denali around the entire enclosure and tried to keep him from the rest of the wolves. It was clear Denali was submitting. There was evidence of this same intra-pack behavior prior to this event, and while the night's activities wouldn't itself be conclusive proof of a change, it was looking like Denali 's reign as alpha might be ending. What I was about to view taught me more about wolves, data collection and pack hierarchy then any thing I have ever read on the subject. It was an interaction amongst wolves in a pack that probably can only be viewed so clearly at night when “no one” is around. I watched the battle, the intense interactions between the wolves and the whole dynamic play out under a full moon for several hours. The reflection from the snow on the ground made it seem like daytime, and the clarity of the pack dynamics were easy to see. The battle was intense and I began to worry about Denali 's welfare. I could not do anything but monitor the interaction, and hope by morning everyone was in one piece.

The intensity would reach peaks at times where I was certain there would be blood. Each time Denali emerged from the fight with Tyee with his tail tucked. For what seemed like hours, it appeared he (Denali) was trying to get to the other wolves. I couldn't exactly tell what he was doing but it did appear that Tyee wanted to keep Denali away from the rest of the pack. At one pivotal point all the wolves had come together in the middle of the open area just down the hill from the middle center of the enclosure. This appeared to be some crescendo or the conclusion of the night's activities. The vocalizations were intense, specific and punctuated. If the pack showed support for Tyee, Denali 's reign could be over for now. Then from the distance I saw most of the wolves emerge together, surrounding one wolf, in a classic mob greeting, moving rapidly in my direction. There was no doubt the large beige wolf who changed the Wolf Center was the center of the rally. The wolves were by his side and mobbing him, licking his muzzle and showing extraordinary support. Denali once again appeared to reemerge as the clear leader from this battle. Denali 's tail was straight out with the other wolves doing the same. Two wolves, however, weren't in this mob greeting: Tyee and Tundra. Tundra's hackles were up, teeth bared, tail straight up in the air and he was standing with his head over the top of a cowering but standing Tyee, tail tucked. The beta wolf punctuated this event with a closing statement that there was one leader and it was still Denali. The wolves began to howl and it appeared the night's activities were complete.

This one night was not the final word in a battle that would rage on for a few years, but it was a night that showed a healthy honest exchange and the complexity of our Denali ambassador pack. Tyee wasn't the bad guy; he was just doing what a wolf with a strong personality does. Perhaps after that battle, had they all been living in the wild, Tyee might have left to find a new pack. Denali stayed true to his leadership style, and Tundra true to Denali. They were inseparable when Tundra was a pup and now in the intense hierarchy battle, Tundra showed incredible support for Denali.

(the “Fun Bunch” circa 1999)

Fire 2002, Fire 2003: In the end, the fires of 2002 and 2003 proved a bigger challenge to our Mexican gray wolves than the Denali pack. However there were moments where we thought no one would be spared; wolves nor humans. Specifically in 2002 as the fire over ran our facility, I remember Dan Moriarty looking back and seeing Denali against a backdrop of 250 foot flames, and saying “oh God,” fearing for a horrible loss. But unlike his human friends, Denali seemed calm and unafraid, and the rest of the pack took their cue from him. We had all become so close to Denali.

(Always the Alpha, March 2001)

So when Dan and I were trying to decide where to focus our efforts, we started with thoughts of saving him. Denali and 28 other wolves survived the fires that day. He wasn't just a wolf that we cared for, he was to his last day the face of our Center, the ambassador not just for wolves in the wild but for his pack and for all the work we do to affect how people think about the importance of gray wolves.

The Last Years: Although we do not know for sure, we believe that Denali is the father of the new pups from 2005. The new wolves are like him in many ways. In many ways perhaps he reinvented the Fun Bunch and gave us younger versions of himself, Mukluk, Tundra and Minka. Certainly the photo of pups climbing over Denali in the summer of 2005 is no different than his interactions nearly 10 years earlier. From his days as a pup until his all too sudden death, he was a trickster. He made us laugh, he made us smile, and he helped us understand wolves more so than any text book ever could.

Denali changed they way we did business. He opened up the window to the world of the gray wolf pack for our visitors and staff to see. He not only allowed us to accomplish our educational goals, his life contributed tremendously to our mission. To say we will miss him is a gross understatement. Denali truly changed to course of our Center, and our staff thanks him for helping us create a Center that we could be involved in. Everyone at the California Wolf Center feels that we all have had this special opportunity to learn from an amazing ambassador wolf.

(playing dad again almost ten years later, 2005)

Denali (aka “Butch”) - April 1995 to December 2006

I felt such a strong connection to what his value was to the Center and to wolves in the wild, that coming to the Center was more than just executing my role as execute director. Every day that I spent at the Center from August 1995 until the last day I saw him just prior to Christmas, I would look for Denali in the pack. Even though my role as director migrated to focus on outside activities and development instead of animal care, if I saw Denali, I felt everything was okay at the Center. With his passing we enter a new chapter in our history.

Certainly a time for renewal. I see a lot of Denali in the new “fun bunch.” They are wolves that appear ready to carry on his role as an ambassador wolf. We cannot replace him and like Brooks, Sitka, Rosie and Bright Eyes before him, he will be forever special for how he affected our lives, affected the other wolves and made what we do so relevant.