In Search of the Real Wolf: A Free Illustrated Talk

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Tuesday, April 9th, 2019
7:29 PM to 9:00 PM

Join award-winning author Paula Wild as she presents remarkable images, fascinating facts and incredible stories about wolves. This is a free event, hosted by the Victoria Natural History Society, and is open to the public.

Wild’s talk is based on her seventh book and BC Bestseller, Return of the Wolf: Conflict & Coexistence (Douglas & McIntyre, 2018). Her previous book, The Cougar: Beautiful, Wild and Dangerous, was shortlisted for the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award in BC and was the Gold winner for Foreword Review’s Nature Book of the Year in the USA.

Wolves were once common throughout North America and Eurasia but by the early twentieth century, eradication programs had drastically reduced their numbers. Now wolves are returning to their ancestral territories and encounters with humans are becoming more frequent.

In her presentation, Wild explores the wolf’s complex – and at times dangerous – relationship with humans. As highly social, intelligent animals wolves are proving adept at navigating the challenges of an ever-changing landscape and sharing habitat with people. But are humans adapting to wolves?

She also discusses the unique relationships wolves have with ravens, bears and coyotes, noting that wolf/coyote hybrids are now common in eastern suburban areas such as Toronto and New York City. Wild also reveals physical and social aspects of wolves including howls, sense of smell and pack dynamics, as well as the carnivore’s diet, which can consist of anything from a mouse to a moose, as well as fish, seals and shellfish.

Combining ancient myths, natural history, science and personal stories, Wild gets to the heart of what makes wolves so intensely compelling, yet so eternally controversial.

Ian McAllister, award-winning author and executive director of Pacific Wild, praised Return of the Wolf as “…an in-depth journey through the dualities of hatred and devotion, fear and fascination that for so long have shaped out haunted relationship with wolves.”

Wild has written more than 1,000 articles on topics as diverse as lady bugs, con artists and teen suicide. Copies of Return of the Wolf and The Cougar will be available at the event for purchase.