Breathtaking Experience

First in-person experience with Gray Wolves.

Event:

       My spring break vacation: a trip to Savannah, Georgia. I wasn’t very enthusiastic to be there. That is, until I figured out there was a wildlife refuge nearby. Begging my parents to go one day, they finally agreed to go visit on a Tuesday. I loved animals, and the fact that there was a pack of wolves in the refuge was almost too good to be true. Sending me into the sky with excitement when they said yes, the two days I had to wait to finally visit was almost unbearable.

      When we arrived we spotted the five Gray Wolves curled up under the shady trees scattered around the enclosure of which they inhabited. As the pack was napping, my dad pulled out his camera so he’d be ready when they woke up.

      It wasn’t long before the largest wolf got up and began to survey his territory. Within minutes, one by one, the rest of the pack stirred and followed his lead in territory observation. After they got a good look around, they all scattered. Trotting around importantly, the alpha male began marking the trees in his environment by urinating on them.  While the wolves roamed their enclosure, my dad was busy snapping picture after picture of the wolves in action. At one point we even witnessed the alpha male and female standing next to one another drinking out of a small pond. We were lucky to get a few incredible shots of this. We spent almost an hour watching the pack.

Response:

     I was in a state of euphoria the entire time we visited the wolves. Witnessing my favorite wild animal this closely was almost a fantasy. As I observed them in their habitat, all I wanted was to get closer; and maybe even pet one. A glass barrier separated me from the pack unfortunately. All I could say was “Dad, did you get a shot of that?” or “Are you recording this?!” because I didn’t want a single moment missed during the encounter.

     I felt complete in a mysterious way as I watched the wolves. My eyes were locked on the pack’s every movement for the entire hour we were there. My passion at this moment in time was so strong that I’d even begun to neglect the familiar growling pain in my stomach reminding me that it was time to eat lunch. Not even the natural urge to eat and survive could interrupt this fascinating and spiritual-like moment. After a few minutes, my mom interrupted and said she was hungry and that it was time to leave and go eat lunch. I groaned in despair upon hearing this because I could have watched the wolves forever. 

Reflection:

    After we left, all I could think about was the wolves I’d witnessed. I replayed the entire experience in my mind over and over again. I thought about all the behavior we’d been lucky enough to observe while visiting the wildlife refuge. Internalizing everything I’d noticed, I found it safe to assume that these wolves were in captivity however, they were still wild. My passion and fascination for them that made me want to get as close as possible must be kept under control. I must remember that all wild animals have the ability to kill a human being without giving any warning.