I read with interest and amusement “A
Wolf’s Life” by Erin Halcomb. While the age and
tenacity of wolf B7 is remarkable and surely notable, there were a
few inaccuracies in the story.
B7’s mate, B11, was
not named “Blackfire” by the schoolchildren in Salmon.
The name came from a grade school in Meridian, Idaho, as part of a
wolf reintroduction propaganda campaign waged by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service at taxpayer expense.
Introduction of
Canadian wolves in Lemhi County, Idaho, did not receive a favorable
reception. While the state stood by saying its hands were tied by
the feds, the Lemhi County commissioners passed a moratorium
demanding that no wolves be released in their county. Due to bad
weather, the first wolves were driven over 40 miles down to the
Salmon River and released in Idaho County.
And while B11
did frequent the Salmon Valley and was reported swimming the Salmon
River, I did not recall, and could find no reference to her being
spotted near the grade school or Subway shop in downtown Salmon.
Katie Slavin
Carmen,
Idaho
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline She didn’t order a sandwich, either.
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