Gray Wolves and Restless Mayhem

All wolves, especially gray wolves, get a bad rap for killing livestock. But wolves will only target livestock if their usual prey is unavailable. And when they do, they go after the elderly, sick, or weakest livestock—some riddled by disease—which improves the herd. Though ranchers (and farmers) are the first to call foul where wolves are concerned, most governmental agencies estimate less than 1% of cattle are killed by wolves. Yet too many ranchers and farmers shoot these incredible animals on sight. Heartbreaking.

The gray wolf’s regular diet consists of deer, elk, moose, bison, beaver, mice, snakes, occasionally fish, grass, and even blueberries. In fact, blueberries supplement a wolf’s diet in the summer. Grass helps purge their digestive track of parasites.

Wolf Pack

A wolf pack is a bonded family unit. Much like our fingerprints ID us, each wolf has a distinct howl through which they communicate. Their crystal-clear pitch can summon the entire pack at a moment’s notice. Reaching up to ten miles in an open prairie and six miles in the forest, howls also serve as a GPS system that shows the location of each pack member. Wolves develop close relationships and strong social bonds. They exhibit deep attachment and love for their families and have even given their lives to protect their pack.

Because humans fear the wolf, they’ve been persecuted more than almost any other animal. Yet it’s their intelligence and adaptability that has protected them from extinction thus far. Still, these beautiful animals can only take so much. The loss of habitat, trapping, shooting, and poisoning are all driving wolves to the brink of extinction.

Can’t we please let them live in peace?

Wolves Benefit Ecosystems

I don’t mean to get all tree hugger on ya (even though I wear the title proudly—have you hugged a tree today?), but I can’t discuss wolves without mentioning how wolves benefit ecosystems.

Recent studies have found that the coyote population in Yellowstone National Park dropped 39% since the reintroduction of wolves in 1995. Grand Teton National Park reported a 33% reduction in coyotes. Why do these statistics benefit the landscapes? Coyotes are susceptible to Lyme, chronic wasting disease, rabies, parvo, and canine distemper. And coyotes are one of the main predators of livestock. When a wolf pack manages coyotes, they decrease the diseases passed from wildlife to domestic animals and livestock, resulting in cleaner meat for humans.

Wolves Benefit Other Animals

While wolves are highly protective of their kill, many other carnivores and scavengers benefit from the carcasses they leave behind. These carcasses help to sustain large carnivores, wolverines, foxes, fishers, martens, raccoons, eagles, CROWS, ravens, and magpies, especially during winter.

By changing the dynamics of other wildlife species, wolves also affect the vegetation and other characteristics of natural landscapes. Land once overgrazed by deer, elk, and other herbivores recovered once wolves returned to the area.

After hunters extirpated (polite word for murdered) wolves from Yellowstone in the early part of the last century, the problem of overgrazing became so acute that they then culled (polite word for slaughtered) herds of elk, pronghorn, and bison to protect the remaining vegetation. Since 1995, after they reintroduced wolves to the park, Yellowstone had a resurgence of woody browse species, such as willow and aspen.

Some scientists suggest that a similar situation may exist in Olympic National Park in Washington State, where extensive browsing by elk caused substantial changes in riparian plant communities. This, in turn, caused riverbank erosion and channel widening, which reduced rearing habitat for salmon, steelhead, and resident fish.

See how everything connects? We are all links in the same chain of life.

As you’ve probably surmised, I’m passionate about saving wolves. And so, I focused on these majestic animals in my new release, Restless Mayhem. Now on preorder for 99c! Releases on April 26, 2023 in paperback and digital formats.

Amidst a rising tide of poachers, three unlikely eco–warriors take a stand to save endangered Eastern Gray Wolves—even if it means the slow slaughter of their captors.

Deep in the woods of Jackson, New Hampshire, an ancient evil lurks. Armed poachers patrol a secret enclosure, holding captive a pack of majestic Eastern Gray Wolves. But three unlikely eco–warriors are determined to free the wolves, embarking on a dangerous mission to end their torture. With courage and conviction, Shawnee, Mayhem, and Jacy Lee march onward, even if it means risking their own lives to take down the poachers and restore freedom to the wolves. It‘s a battle between justice and injustice, and the eco–warriors are determined to win—no matter the cost.

But what if something even more evil lurks in those woods? What if Shawnee’s not ready to answer the cry for help?

Want a sneak peek?

@suecoletta #bookexcerpt of Restless Mayhem #bookteasers #bookishtiktok #suecoletta @suecoletta ♬ original sound – Sue Coletta

Video excerpts are my jam, but if you’re short on time, here’s the transcript:

Monday, 3:20 a.m.

As I faded into a peaceful slumber in the back bedroom of Mr. Mayhem’s log cabin in Jackson, New Hampshire, a hair-raising shriek startled me awake. I jolted upright. In the window, burning red eyes peered through a deluge of blackness, the background silenced by an eerie stillness, the stench of death seeping through the screen.

Oh. My. God. An icy tongue licked up my spine. Shicheii’s right. We woke the beast.

I leaped out of bed. Sprinted down the hall, my bare feet slapping the wide-pine floor. Up the stairs, I clamored. Braked at the top. Who should I wake? For days, my grandfather, a Diné Medicine Man with unlimited spiritual power, warned me and Mr. Mayhem that our so-called “mistakes” could reanimate an ancient beast from its dormancy. So, waking Shicheii probably wasn’t the best idea. But the last time I woke Mr. Mayhem, a cunning warrior steeped in mystery and mystique… Well, let’s just say it didn’t go well.

If he and I hadn’t left two dead poachers in the forest surrounding the property, I wouldn’t have to make this decision. But those burning red eyes weren’t going away on their own. I had to do something, tell someone about the creature lurking outside my window. Those eyes didn’t belong to a normal animal.

With no other alternative, I padded into Mr. Mayhem’s dark and quiet bedroom. Even though this felt wrong on so many levels, I crept closer.

Steps away from the bed, Poe—his freakishly human crow companion—cracked open one eye, and I swear that bird chuckled under his breath, no doubt thinking, Good luck, asshole. Spirit Crow slept next to him, her brilliant white plumage glistening in the moonlight, delicate feet tucked under her body on the tribal blanket. Almost scentless, a slight hint of citrus surfed the air.

Moonbeams cascaded over Mr. Mayhem’s face and bare chest. Out cold, a deep sleep like last time. Uh-oh. From several feet away, I cleared my throat.

He didn’t budge.

A little louder—not too loud or I might wake Shicheii in the bedroom next door—I cleared my throat a second time, my insides screaming for me to leave.

Nothing. Not even a twitch of the eyelids.

Shit. I couldn’t call out without alerting my grandfather, but approaching Mr. Mayhem without fair warning could turn deadly fast. If touched, his first reaction was to attack, so nudging him was out of the question. Learned that little tidbit the hard way, and I certainly wasn’t in a hurry to do it again.

Amazon (for 99c sale price)

B&N, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, Indigo Match, Angus & Robertson, etc.