Wolves in the Land of Salmon

This wide-ranging survey about wolves of the Pacific Northwest offers something for both the specialist and the curious layperson. Wildlife tracker Moskowitz uses the tracker mindset in his examination of wolves and their interactions with humans and nature. Like tracking, with its series of educated guesses based on available information, Moskowitz weaves his observations with existing research to understand the present state of wolf populations. In the odd-numbered chapters he describes individual packs of wolves, while more general information is covered in the even-numbered chapters, such as wolf biology or diet and hunting. Moskowitz doesn’t offer advice, but instead seeks to evenhandedly discuss human perceptions of and interactions with wolves. This is particularly well done in the chapter “Shapeshifter: The Changing Relationship between Humans and Wolves,” co-written with Darcy Ottey, which contrasts human reactions to various “symbolic wolves” to the reality of the actual animals. Maps throughout orient the reader to the location of packs while beautiful photographs enliven the tale and line drawings illustrate key points. Residents of the Pacific Northwest will appreciate the specificity of this work, but any fans of wolves or wildlife biology will find this of interest. Photos. (Feb.)