Remembering the legacy of Teanaway wolf 32M
Conservation Northwest / Aug 19, 2020 / Range Riding, Wolves
Wolf 32M started the repopulation of wolves in the Central Cascades and lived 12 long years as a “patriarch” of wolves in Washington.
BY MITCH FRIEDMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
This beautiful video by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is bittersweet for us at Conservation Northwest. It’s sad to lose 32M, but we can’t help but celebrate his long life. The Teanaway Pack he founded almost 12 years ago and led most of his life corresponds to much of our engagement in the wolf issue. The BBC documentary about the return of wolves to Washington included a feature on this pack. Conservation Northwest has partnered with a rancher in the Teanaway for a decade to successfully keep conflict between the pack and livestock to a minimum.
“I think I was lucky to have that wolf. We just don’t have an overpopulation (of wolves) for the ungulates that we have,” said Sam Kayser, a Teanaway rancher and partner in Conservation Northwest’s Range Rider Pilot Project. “On the wolf subject, I feel CNW management theories are more reasonable than other groups, and I feel lucky they are involved. They are reasonable and realistic.”
Our Range Rider Pilot Project is now in its 10th year of operation, with range riders working daily to reduce conflicts between livestock, wolves and other wildlife. We also work in the policy arena through collaboration with other stakeholders on the state’s Wolf Advisory Group and in the state legislature to secure continued funding for proactive deterrence work. We’re committed to the goal of long-term recovery and public acceptance of wolves alongside thriving local communities.
Cheers to 32M on his trip to Wolf Valhalla. He represented nature well at a time when we really needed that.