A Wolf Called Romeo
Nick Jans
Language: English
Pages: 288
ISBN: 054422809X
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
A Wolf Called Romeo is the true story of the exceptional black wolf who spent seven years interacting with the people and dogs of Juneau, Alaska, living on the edges of their community, engaging in an improbable, awe-inspiring interspecies dance, and bringing the wild into sharp focus.
When Romeo first appeared, author Nick Jans and the other citizens of Juneau were wary, but as Romeo began to tag along with cross-country skiers on their daily jaunts, play fetch alongside local dogs, or simply lie near Nick and nap under the sun on a quiet afternoon, Nick and the rest of Juneau came to accept Romeo, and he them. Part memoir, part moving animal narrative, part foray into the mystique, lore, science, and history of the wolf, A Wolf Called Romeo is a book no animal lover should miss.
“Beautifully written, A Wolf Called Romeo is a thoughtful and moving story about one of nature’s most evocative animals.” —Patricia McConnell, author of The Other End of the Leash
“Jans is a perfect narrator for this story. He’s deeply knowledgeable about the Alaskan wilderness and he evokes its harsh beauties in powerful and poetic prose . . . A tingling reminder of the basic bond that occasionally spans the space between two species.” —Christian Science Monitor
NICK JANS is an award-winning writer, photographer, and author of numerous books, including The Grizzly Maze. He is a contributing editor to Alaska magazine and has written for a variety of publications, including Rolling Stone and the Christian Science Monitor.
herself was 99.98 percent wolf, including, you might suppose, the part of her that loved pursuing and catching things over and over at breakneck speed and delivering them back to her pack, in a faint echo of the chase. I’ve wondered if some dogs may feel a higher level of drive for such games, since it’s their only outlet for genetically programmed catch-and-kill hunting behavior. A wolf in the same situation seems more relaxed, more purely at play—certainly the case with the black wolf just
less formidable than adults, could easily fall within the abilities of a wolf like Romeo now and then. But in such a limited area, the number of young bears was too small to provide a dependable food source. All told, that was the sum of Romeo’s prospective menu; all of the abundant, easily accessible items more coyote fare than lupine, it seemed, and standard fare scarce or problematic. What, then, was he eating? Following the black wolf’s trails, I came across kill remains and teased apart
add their own crushing charges to the legal dog pile. But the weeks passed, and the second wave of indictments never came. Behind doors, the decision passed to pursue the cases only at the state level—supposedly, we were later told, because that was the stronger legal route. That rationale seemed questionable at best, given that Lacey Act violations (the illegally taken wolf hide and skull, like the two bear hides, had crossed state lines) and the firearm charges could pin on a felony or two
feet away. We gathered there, speaking in low tones, taking turns to stand near, brush a hand along his back, peer into sightless eyes, and whisper farewell. Though we’d known the wolf was gone, now we felt the ache of forever. Jeff Peacock’s legal reckoning would provide even less satisfaction. Though Judge Levy had originally insisted that Peacock would return to Juneau to face the court in person, he ended up appearing via telephone from Pennsylvania, due to health issues we guessed had been
portrait of Romeo, which is said to hang in the White House. Search YouTube for “man and crocodile best friends” to locate a series of videos on these two, including Pocho’s funeral in 2011. Equally interesting are the sneering, nay-saying comments that follow some of the clips. Also search YouTube for “Christian the lion” and “JoJo the dolphin” for videos on those interspecies friendship stories. Kim Turley’s wife, Barbara, died suddenly just a few weeks later, in a delayed reaction to a