American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West, by Nate Blakeslee

American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West, by Nate Blakeslee (2017), examines the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park in 1995 and, as a consequence, to nearby areas.  Although wolves ranged across the American continent in the eighteenth century, over the decades hunters and farmers and the U. S. government had effectively wiped them out except for a small relic population in Wyoming. The book makes the center of this narrative a female wolf known as O4 and follows her from the moment of birth to her death by a resident who lives just outside Yellowstone.  The writer moves back and forth between discussions of wolves and how they live, the park rangers and naturalists who study and protect them, and people living outside the park whose livelihood for various reasons may be threatened by the reintroduction of wolves.  A central figure is the naturalist and ranger Rick McIntyre, who devotes his life to watching out for the wolves. A main concern is the elk population, which provides food to surrounding residents and also income for the guides who lead tourists and hunters.  These residents believe the wolves are reducing the elk population even when studies suggest other factors are responsible.  Farmers complain that wolves prey on their cattle and other livestock.  Although this is true, the government and private organization compensate them for every animal lost. Particularly disturbing are Blakeslee's accounts of legislators who target the wolves with laws meant to end the various layers of protection put in place over the past three decades.

The story is multilayered.  Miscommunication and misunderstanding seem to be prime factors for problems that are blamed on the reintroduction program.  The central interest for me in this book is its account of wolves—how they live in packs and raise their young and hunt for food.  Especially interesting is the hierarchy wolves establish in their packs, and the intense rivalries for territory and for prey.