The Juneau Wolf

A friend of mine mine gave me this photo of "Romeo." I've been hearing about Juneau's local resident wolf ever since I moved here. The black wolf, whom locals have come to call "Romeo," has created quite the controversy here in town. This wild wolf is frequently seen by locals and heard howling around the Mendenhall glacier, lake, visitor center and campground area during the winter months. I must admitt that the chilling sound has a profound effect on me until I'm reminded that he has become very habituated to humans.

Forest Service employees and Fish and Game staff repeatedly remind folks to keep their distance and shout at the wolf to scare him off when he approaches. Unfortunately these warnings seem to fall on deaf ears. Lots of people instead trying to chase the wolf off go looking for him while hiking or skiing with their dogs off leash with the hope that he'll "play" with their dogs. This creates quite the commotion when the wolf shows up. Last winter a pug ran up to him and the wolf suddenly reminded everyone that it is in fact a wild animal. The Juneau Empire got photos of the wolf as it picked up the pug and flung the terrified dog several feet. The stunned pug then layed there for a while playing oppossum. Thankfully the dog was left in one piece. But what will happen next time?