European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Life with a pack of wild wolves National geographic David Mech flopped on his belly on an iceberg and whined As loud As he could trying to Al Kracl the attention of a pack of White Arctic wolves nearby with my heavily insulated wind suit face mask and sunglasses. I m not sure i really resembled n Seal he wrote in the May National geographic. But one of the inquisitive wolves approached within 150 Teel and that was thrill enough for  Mech is a Wolf biologist Lor the . Fish and wildlife service. His regular Job is studying wolves in Minnesota where he has radio tagged hundreds of them and observed them from the air since i960. But until last year neither Honor anyone else a knows of Hod an Opportunity to live with a wild pack and gel a feel for the Way it functions. It was highlight of  much and fellow minnesotan Jim Brandenburg a Veteran Wolf photographer found the wolves on Nebraska size Ellesmere Island near Greenland hundreds of Miles North of Hudson Bay. More than 1.000 Miles from a nearest City. Their contacts were made easier by the wolves relatively Small Leaf of people presumably because the wolves Haven t been harassed by Hunters. In the Barren Polar regions of 1he High Arctic game is so scarce and conditions Are so severe darkness cloaks land and sea Tor almost four months of the year that even the fruit Seldom Hunt the Inland areas. During their two visits to Ellesmere in Spring and summer. Mech and Brandenburg used every Means they could think of to win i he wolves acceptance. Whenever they seemed to gain a degree of it they tried inquisitive Little to Ebaos White Arctic Wolt put gambol Beautte toe Lytton with Ytter Long mate.  to prolong the interaction seeking to reinforce the wolves developing Trust. Alter several Days and nights the wolves began to Lake the men Lor granted. But real acceptance did t come until the second visit when the pack had grown so Indi Lerent to Mech and Brandenburg that they left their pups outside their new Den with no Attula on guard. Seizing the Opportunity of get even closer of the wolves the men moved their Lent within a Quarter mite of the Den. This posed some logistical problems wolves Are relentless raiders so we had to Cache All our food in a Rock life away from the tent Mech writes. When we were in residence at Camp we had Little trouble keeping these sociable wolves at Bay by simulating their dog like  to Ward Oft wot Vau when they were away from Camp Mech and Brandenburg built tall Rock Cairns Neui the tent and Lew plastic streamers from them. Despite these precautions Mech writes when we were away visiting the wolves at the Den their Hunting parties passing our Camp stopped Oil to Chew the Side of my Backpack and strew our toilet tissue Over the Tundra. They urinated on our Rock  once from his Lookout above the Den Mech watched four wolves attack the tent. After a Lew minutes of tugging and yanking one of them pulled out his sleeping bag. It took a loud Sharp Hoot from him to drive the marauders away. Before Long the men identified All the adult pack members individually and gave them names based on their sex and appearance such As scruffy mom shaggy and the Lone Ranger. The pack Leader was called simply the Alpha male. As time went on. Mech and Brandenburg Learned a great Deal about the lives of the wolves. They confirmed that there is a social order and it is the higher ranking animals that Breed. Offspring May stay with the pack four years or longer. The pack s routine resembles that of wolves anywhere sleep bouts of play and social interaction a daily Hunt by moot adults and feeding the pups whenever possible. In play fighting the pups test and hone Thair competitive skills. Although pack functioning seems a Model of cooperation especially during the tranquil summer period the Basic selfish aggressive spirit of every living thing lurks constantly beneath Mech writes. At no time is this More evident than when the wolves make a kill. Much and Brandenburg had the extraordinary Opportunity to witness and photograph the pack s killing of three Muskox calves. Afler the kill Mech writes frenzy fell away irom the wolves and they became intent and Businesslike. No greetings. No socializing. They reminded me of firemen springing into action to put out a  within two Days not a shred of hair or Bone was left at tha kills. The pack had devoured or cached some 300 pounds of prey and much of it was already transferred to the growing Wolf pups Mech writes. For Days the pack delivered food to the pups from the caches and the pups grew and changed  the White Arctic Wolf is one of about 17 subspecies of Gray Wolf thai remain in North America amid persecution and loss of habitat the Wolf once plentiful irom coast to coast and South into Mexic a. Has made its stand in the North Woods and Arctic Tui to. Canada has some 50,000 wolves. There Art 4.000 to 6,000 in Alaska 1,200 in Minnesota and a few elsewhere in the United Stales Erma Bombeck we always had a House Rule regarding kids during the summer months they either had to go to summer school or get a Job. Our children Are walking around today with such varied expertise As hebrew Flower arranging the history of the croissant before world War ii Disney architecture adapted to the suburbs and remedial breathing skills. Work took away their professional status As a bum and they wanted no part of it. Besides they had heard from Theu friends How you had to show up on time go to lunch when they told you put in seven hour Days and other horror stories Loo scary to repeat. One summer when one of them was vacillating Between taking a course in foundry management and  foreign policy in Monaco we talked rum into gelling a Job instead armed with Hrco years of French iwo years cd biology one year of botany. Three units of English two of math and awards in three major sports he was matched to a Job commensurate with his education dealing tables and tilling water glasses in a restaurant. Do you have any  he complained How disgusting it is to handle All those dirty plates and glasses with crumbs floating around in them and As soon As they re washed someone girlies them again it s a no win Job. It s crud the next Job was delivering pias it was nol la Hing. You Don t know what it s like to drive around in a car Foi hours dropping off pizzas to people who Don t even say thank you. I feel like a non person All they say is he s late. He wants to be paid. You Don t expect him to have change do you i could be a robot for All they care. It s  the City playground supervisor Job should Havo worked out bul the Tille sounded duller than the work kids to said they drive you null you loll pm not to do something and two a tunics Laif. They do exactly what you Lold pm not to do they went in the wading Pool with grass on their feet clogged up the toilet with paper and fought with one another like world War Iii. All i not done is picking up wet towels and All their junk. Ii s crud a Friend Gol him a Job in an Olf Ico running errands and answering the phones during lunch Houf can you believe ail i do All Day Long is take Down messages for someone else and Hustle food first i hey want Coffee and danish around 10. Just when i gel All that cleaned up. They older lunch i run and fetch and clean up. It s Rea cruddy " i fell Good about his summer he had probably taken one of the most valuable courses in his academic career Molher appreciation All the things he had done. I had been performing Lor 20 years crud maybe Lor amateurs who ddn l know what they Weie doing. But Ulicny you do ii Well i prefer to Call in a  Page 16 the stars and stripes