By Jeremy Leete
When I can spare a moment at work, I will often go to the CBC website to check out the news feed. On this particular day, my heart sank as I read the headline, “Conservationist Mourns Victoria’s Famed Lone Wolf, Takaya.” I had been planning to watch the documentary featuring Takaya, but after reading the article about his death, I just couldn’t bring myself to view it. I am keenly aware of the plight of wolves in British Columbia (BC) being hunted and terrorized in an ongoing government sponsored wolf cull program. But somehow I thought Takaya might be insulated from that persecution because of his notoriety. I was wrong. In a split second, the time it took for the bullet to travel from the rifle to Takaya, he was gone forever. The lone wolf who captured the hearts of so many, was reduced to a trophy. A hunter’s fleeting adrenaline rush abruptly ended a beautiful life.
But Takaya will not be forgotten. The outrage over his death has ignited an outpouring of tributes from around the world. As inspiring as Takaya was in life, he may be even more so in death. For Cheryl Alexander, who had been documenting Takaya’s life and knew him as the lone wolf living in solitude on Discovery Island near Victoria, it is bittersweet. “Had he just vanished, it wouldn’t have had the same impact, so he’s a martyr in a way. I hope it inspires change,” she says.
This change appears to be manifesting itself in the creative talents of numerous people who have been touched by Takaya’s story. From third grader Ripley’s rendition of Takaya to Cathy Hammond’s beautiful painting, artistic tributes abound to keep his memory alive. Scottish musician, Mike Reynolds, was inspired to write a song about Takaya while others have written poems to remember him.
Up until Takaya’s killing, the ongoing slaughter of countless wolves may have seemed like an abstract concept in the minds of many. Not knowing their stories, their deaths may not have resonated in a way that they might have had people gotten to know them like they came to know Takaya. Now that there is a face and a name, Takaya may well be the martyr that Alexander describes, albeit a reluctant one.
The hunting lobby in BC is organized and powerful and often holds sway over government policy. Their collective voice continues to influence policy makers as they demonize those who stand against them. Tree huggers, snowflakes, professional protesters, and environmental terrorists are just some of the labels being used to describe those who dare take a stand against environmental tyranny. And this smear campaign has often proven effective at swaying public opinion.
Takaya could well be the be the one who changes that. As tragic as his death may be, perhaps some good can come of it. Through the various works of art being created in his memory, Takaya’s voice is being heard. Quite literally, it may be a voice from the wilderness that speaks the loudest and it may be the world’s greatest isolationist who reaches the most.
As I write this piece, I am reminded that it is Earth Week. It fills me with hope seeing the collective action being taken to effect change. “Artists for the Earth” is one way in which people expressed themselves in creative ways to shine a light on the countless environmental issues plaguing the earth. The Earth Day website reads, “Art has the power to reach people personally, establishing a deeper understanding and personal connection with what’s happening to our planet.” Through his story, both in life and death, Takaya has created deep personal connections and has had a profound effect on many. The art work he has inspired in its various forms has put the spotlight back on the cruel and antiquated, but yet legal, hunting practices in B.C.
Takaya has come to symbolize the struggle that all wolves face in BC. The relentless pressure from hunters and trappers has caused untold suffering for hundreds of these apex predators in just the last five years alone. Science has debunked the theory that wolves are the cause of the precipitous decline in woodland caribou, yet the BC government continues to implement its annual wolf cull despite overwhelming evidence that points to human causes. In fact, the real culprits are industrial and recreational practices that continue to cause de-forestation and environmental degradation. Studies have shown that wolves are actually integral to the ecosystems they inhabit and without them, these ecosystems become unbalanced and remain in a state of flux.
In the end, Takaya didn’t sign up to be a martyr, but when a trophy hunter made a split-second, heartless decision, he became one. I have since learned that the hunter who killed Takaya, had him stuffed and sold to the highest bidder. It appears it was all about profit for him. When I first contacted Alexander by e-mail, she began her reply with this, “I am awake watching the dawn and feeling the loss of Takaya’s spirit in the islands. I spent so many mornings with him as the light came. . .”
Takaya’s Song
You walk all alone, this is your island home
Safe and sound, no one to track you down
But something has been calling and you know you cannot stay
This island life is lonely and it’s time to get away
so Lone wolf I can hear you cry
You are all alone out there
Lone wolf I can hear you cry
This life that you were meant to share
Your calls go unanswered as your search goes on and on
The drive to find your soul mate, she hasn’t heard your song
You could not have known the danger, how could you have known
The blood lust from the hunter, he wants to put you down
so Lone wolf I can hear you cry
You are all alone out there
Lone wolf I can hear you cry
This life that you were meant to share
You stepped into his sights and your fate was sealed that day
When he fired his gun that hit the mark and stole your life away
The sadness that I feel for the life that won’t be lived
The man who took your life, I don’t see how I can forgive
So Lone wolf I can hear you cry
You are all alone out there
Lone wolf I can hear you cry
This life that you were meant to share
I can still see you running, running through the trees
Your voice has been silenced and I no longer hear your pleas
The ghost in the forest, your soul still lingers there
Your life taken from you, it just seems so unfair
Lone wolf, I can’t hear you cry
You’re no longer out there
Lone wolf, why’d you have to die
The life that you will never share
Lone wolf can you hear me cry