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Wolves in Peril

I thought Linda's post about folks contacting her concerning story ideas was a pretty neat blog, so I wanted to share that I've had several emails from fans who wanted me to know about the fact wolves are being delisted--hunters can now shoot them because they're no longer on the endangered list in areas such as the Rocky Mountains, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.

Of course this impacts on my stories, because before this, wolves were protected in some areas, so my werewolves had immunity also, as long as hunters just didn't shoot them anyway for sport. But now in some areas, during hunting season, or not, werewolves can be targeted in their wolf suits. Oregon still hasn't delisted them, though hunters have shot and killed wolves there.

When I lived in Oklahoma, hunters had exterminated the black bear. Then hunting of bear wasn't permitted. Arkansas didn't permit the hunting of bear so when their numbers increased, the bears got smart and moved to Oklahoma. We began seeing them in trees, on the highways, getting into friends' beehives, and in our own yard!
So the same has happened to the wolves in the Idaho reserve, they're crossing the state line and moving into Oregon. One was a female wolf that observers said was looking for a mate. Some day, I'm certain, the hunting of wolves will be permitted there too.

I love to research my stories, to make them as accurate as they can for an urban fantasy, so I really appreciate it when fans email me to let me know what's going on with wolves--anywhere they exist. My mother was mentioning to me the other day about a program she watched about a group of real "phantom-like" wolves, that I'd like to incorporate into a future werewolf story also. It's a sad story, so not sure how I'll handle it, but truth can certainly be stranger than fiction.

Right now I'm learning about the Canadian Arctic, the Inuit, and the Cree to write Allure of the Wolf. I only use a fraction of what I learn because I don't want to overwhelm readers with facts, but adding reality to an otherwise unreal world makes it a lot more--real.




Of course, my wolves wouldn't be half as fun without their other halves--the hunky humans.


I was just reading about the find in Texas where scientists believe they've found the missing link between frogs and salamanders. Fascinating! If I mention it to my family, they'll shake their heads. :) But to me, stuff like this is interesting and can be the beginning of a new fictionalized story, based on fact.

Have you read something recently that you didn't know about either in a fictionalized novel or in the news and thought, why, how neat? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Terry Spear
Heart of the Wolf, Don't Cry Wolf
www.terryspear.com
Note: Starting June 1st, everyone here will be posting to a story called "The Bachelor Auction." I'll start it off, and can't wait to read what all the other ladies do with it...so please join us to check out our newest venture....







Comments

  1. Hi Terry

    Great post. I lived in Idaho for ten years and before we had our children, DH and I used to backpack quite often. We spent a lot of time in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Hells Canyon, and the North Fork of the Boise River. We were somewhere around The Queens River when I saw my first wolf.

    I was standing barefoot in crystal clear frigid water on the most beautiful and smooth river rock when I looked up and across the river I saw a wolf. He was dark gray and black and looked nothing like any dog I'd ever seen. He had the most amazing eyes and we stared at each other until I could no longer feel my feet.

    I went back to camp and told my DH and, of course, he didn't believe me. Maybe because I said it looked just like the wolves in Disney's The Jungle Book.

    What did he expect? I'm a Brooklyn girl. It's not like we have wolves walking around Prospect Park.

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  2. Great Post Terry!

    Whenever I watch shows like Daedliest Catch or Dirty Jobs on The Discovery Channel, I always think "People actually do this for a living?"

    :)

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  3. Terry,
    Your picture of the white wolf was breath-taking! I've never seen a wolf in the wild :-( only in zoos.

    I was thrilled to hear how well they are doing since being reintroduced into Yellowstone, and hate the thought that they might be hunted again.

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  4. Interesting info, Terry. Thanks for sharing it with us! I so admire the world-building you paranormal girls bring to your work. I have enough trouble figuring out the regular world :--)
    Marie

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  5. Hi, Terry! Sorry I'm late in getting a comment to your blog post. I love animals and think your research must be fascinating. Yes, I learned something interesting this week that I had not known before: black dogs have more trouble being adopted from pounds than other-colored dogs. I guess because they look threatening? I adopted a black dog without a second thought, and had no idea there was a prejudice against them. Thanks for this thought-provoking entry into our blogs!
    Christina

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  6. Um, for the auction,I think I'd like to bid on the guy in your blog. I could be the tequila talking, but he just might be worth emptying my checking account for....

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  7. LOL, Robin, that's so cool!!! I wish I'd been there with you! Typical man. He'd probably say the same if you saw a ghost and he hadn't! I know just what you mean about standing in the water in those areas and how cold it is. We did that in Oregon, and we really got warm hiking, but when we stepped in a crystal clear creek running over rounded stone, our feet ached from the cold...but for a few minutes it felt great!

    Oh, Danielle, I loved watching survivalist shows. How people could survive a bear attack, being stuck in a blizzard in the middle of no where, man against nature. :)

    I agree, Cindy! And I was saddened to hear that over zealous hunters were already in there killing away before the "season" even begin.

    LOL, Marie, well believe me if I were writing about sports, I'd have to do some MAJOR research!!!

    Ah, Christina, that's so interesting! Have fun with yours!!Yes, black dogs look much more threatening. Even though standard poodles are good natured for the most part, mine was black and people were more wary of her. I'd had a yellow Lab too, and when I went to visit a house where they had a black lab lying out in the dark, it made me hesitate, even though I know Labs are good natured slobs. And yep, once it got its lazy bones up, he greeted me with zeal! :)

    LOL, Cheryl. Okay, visualize him up on the auction block for our story...I will! :)

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