The wolf known as ‘06 Female
I realized the difference a mom makes when I became a camp counselor at a three week sleep-away camp as an older teen. There was a set of three brothers spread in age. They had very different personalities. And they didn’t look alike at all at that time. But you could somehow tell they were family. There was something about how they interacted with other people and the world that showed there was a hand in how they were raised and how they lived.
Since that time, I’ve always paid attention to moms. If you’re my friend and you think your mom is the best, there is a pretty good chance, I’ve asked you for all the details. I’m always interested in answering the question, “What makes a mom great?”
Mother's Day is a little bit like New Year’s for me. I take stock—how have I done as a mother over the past year? What can I do for my children this year? I’m always looking to great moms to see what I can learn from each of them. I think that is true for many, many moms. We’re thinking about the best ways to raise our children and we’re learning from each other on how to do that.
As a teen counselor back then, it never occurred to me that some of our role models could be wildlife moms. (But I think that is pretty normal for a teen—not to have any idea about your future as it will actually be.)
It turns out that we, human moms, can learn about how to be great from mothers in the animal world. Like us, they can also be the greatest. The wolf known as ’06 female wolf was definitely among the best moms the world has known.
She was a unique and beloved alpha female in Yellowstone. She was particularly beautiful, but the reason she earned the respect and devotion of so many people was that she did things her own way—from hunting to choosing a mate, there was no other wolf like her. She was fast and smart, independent and free. And when necessary, she took risks to provide for her family.
All of these traits ensured that she was an incredible mom. She produced litter after litter of successful pups, and she taught her children, and even her mates the skills they needed. She survived near-death experiences; she protected her pups; and she taught her family how to survive in our wild and challenging world. If you’ve never heard or read the Yellowstone biologists talking about the ’06 female, you should. You can learn the details about this mom’s powerful story here.
If you learn about wolves, their moms and dads and siblings, their highly family-oriented nature, it becomes painful to contemplate the brutal way in which our policies drove them very near to extinction in the lower forty-eight states just decades ago. These policies caused unimaginable suffering and the mindset that allowed these brutal acts still thrives in some quarters today. But we’ve made a great investment as a country to bring these animal moms and their families back. We’ve been global leaders in reintroducing this beloved keystone species back to its rightful habitat. And as a result, wolf moms and their families are beginning to spread out and fill their important roles in making the habitats they occupy more healthy.
But our work isn’t done. Under this Congress and this administration, wolves are likely to lose protections. They’re not the only impressive moms who are in danger. From orcas to grizzly bears, animal moms need our help. Take action this Mother’s Day by asking Congress to protect endangered species and reject legislation that weakens the Endangered Species Act.