Listen to the wolves

Page 4

Two wolves were killed on Vargas Island located off the west coast of Vancouver Island by BC Parks officials after a camper was injured on July 1. The camper reported waking to an animal tugging at his bedroll spread out on the beach. He yelled to scare the animal away but it jumped on him. He landed a solid kick, and the wolf bit him on the head and hand. The BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks responded by killing two wolves, based on their concern for public safety. They neglected to consult the Ahousat Nation, whose traditional lands include Vargas Island.

Traditional Ahousat families have a strong spiritual connection to the wolf. Hereditary chiefs (some of whom are buried in this island) have their most significant and sacred traditional ceremonies based on that connection. Traditional people view the killing of the Vargas Island wolves as yet as another example of human resistance to listen to what our animal relatives are trying to teach us. The Ahousat do not normally kill wolves. Some years ago, wolves were shot as they swam between the islands. Elders requested the bodies be retrieved and the wolves were buried with a ceremony.

Traditional ecological knowledge is recognized at national and international levels of government as a powerful and unique base of environmental knowledge relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of the biological diversity. But the events surrounding the killing of the Vargas Island wolves clearly highlight the cultural differences that exist between traditional Aboriginal peoples and some government officials. Traditional teachings tell us to talk softly and respect wolves when we meet them.

"If you don't harm them, they won't harm you." Conversely, the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks posted signs on Vargas Island beaches requesting campers to "yell and throw rocks, sand and sticks" when they encounter wolves. The bodies of the two wolves were disposed of in a dump, according to BC Ministry of Environment representative Lance Sandquist despite a written First Nations request for the return of the wolves' remains.

Numerous encounters between the wolves and humans on Vargas Island prior to July 1 did not result in injury to either groups. Some biologists suggested that wolves get progressively bolder with successive human encounters, but evidence, based on interviews, suggest that aggressive attempts to chase off the wolves contributed to the attack on the camper and that it may not have been an unprovoked incident. Two other groups encountered wolves while camping on Vargas on July 1. They heard loud noises like pellet gunshots or firecrackers coming from the area where the campers were injured.

Traditional Aboriginal people recognize wolves as the teachers, pathfinders and innovators that can open doorways to knowledge. Ahousat Elders tell us that the wolves are showing themselves because they have no where else to go. That is both symbolic and literal as they cling to the rocks of the sparsely populated small islands of the most westerly areas of Canada. The teachings are similar in other Nations across the land.

Cree Elders in Manitoba teach that "what happens to the wolves will happen to us" and Haudenosaunee philosophy tells us that "animals send us messages about the current health of the planet and warnings of what our future will hold. We rely on our animal relatives for more than food, shelter, clothing and medicine. They give us spiritual and emotional strength."

After the man was injured some Ahousat Elders wanted Vargas Island temporarily closed to campers to provide time to monitor the wolves and learn how the two species can share the area. However, aware of the potential economic impact on local outfitters, they suggested that kayakers should have to agree to camp "at their own risk." Is that such a radical idea? Why do people seek wilderness experiences and crave wolf song? Why are we so resistant to finding ways to live together? Sould economic interests always take precedence when they result in the destruction of our natural world?