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Audiobook9 hours
A Wolf Called Romeo
Written by Nick Jans
Narrated by Tom Perkins
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
No stranger to wildlife, Nick Jans had lived in Alaska for nearly thirty years. But when one evening at twilight a lone black wolf ambled into view not far from his doorstep, Nick would finally come to know this mystical species-up close as never before.
A Wolf Called Romeo is the remarkable story of a wolf who returned again and again to interact with the people and dogs of Juneau, engaging in an improbable, awe-inspiring interspecies dance and bringing the wild into sharp focus. At first the people of Juneau were guarded, but as Romeo began to tag along with cross-country skiers on their daily jaunts, play fetch with local dogs, or simply lie near Nick and nap under the sun, they came to accept Romeo, and he them.
Written with a deft hand and a searching heart, A Wolf Called Romeo is an unforgettable tale of a creature who defied nature and thus gave humans a chance to understand it a little more.
A Wolf Called Romeo is the remarkable story of a wolf who returned again and again to interact with the people and dogs of Juneau, engaging in an improbable, awe-inspiring interspecies dance and bringing the wild into sharp focus. At first the people of Juneau were guarded, but as Romeo began to tag along with cross-country skiers on their daily jaunts, play fetch with local dogs, or simply lie near Nick and nap under the sun, they came to accept Romeo, and he them.
Written with a deft hand and a searching heart, A Wolf Called Romeo is an unforgettable tale of a creature who defied nature and thus gave humans a chance to understand it a little more.
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Author
Nick Jans
NICK JANS is an award-winning writer, photographer, and author of numerous books, including The Grizzly Maze. He is a contributing editor to Alaska Magazine and has written for Rolling Stone, Backpacker, and the Christian Science Monitor.
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Reviews for A Wolf Called Romeo
Rating: 3.8666666666666667 out of 5 stars
4/5
45 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nick Jans is a writer and wildlife photographer who had lived in Alaska for over 30 years before this close-up encounter with a wolf. He had heard of sightings of this black beauty from some of the people who frequented his backyard in Juneau, Alaska, in the shadow of Mendenhall Glacier. When Mendenhall Lake froze over in the winter, it became a popular winter playground for the residents of the small city. This area also attracted the attention of a single wolf who seemed lonely and sought the attention of the many dogs that accompanied their masters as they hiked and skied the many trails in the area. This well-wrriten book is a combination of outdoor memoir, a history of Canis lupus, and a cautionary tale of wild animals interacting with humans and their pets.The wolf became known as Romeo because of the way he flirted with the female dogs he befriended. He also had male friends and even accepted their humans. He returned to the Mendenhall recreation area winter after winter and enjoyed many hours of play with his canine friends while the townspeople looked on in awe. Of course, there are all kinds of people in Alaska as there are all over the world. Some are animal lovers and some are afraid of them. Author Jans respects the wolf and keeps his distance, but others aren't as cautious. As Romeo's fame grows so does Jans' fear that something bad could happen. Nick Jans loves Alaska and the natural world and has a calm and informative way of writing about what he loves. His accompanying photographs are pretty wonderful, too. I was attracted to this book by the cover picture taken by him of Romeo and his Yellow Lab, Dahkota, who is a dead ringer for my dog Lucky. I soon became enamored by the author's way with words and will be on the lookout for some of his earlier books.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Wolf Called Romeo is more than just an account of the unusual behavior of a solitary wolf. It is also a study of the range of human behavior in interaction with the wolf, all of which is highly predictable. The punishment for a wolf acting on his predatory instincts and hurting another animal is the infliction of fear, pain, and potentially death. The punishment for a human being acting on his selfish, prideful behavior is not really anything at all.A sad commentary on how little society really values wild animals and nature.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A wonderful book about a truly magnificent animal and the people who loved and respected him.But it is also about the people who view wildlife as little more than a resource to be expoited for selfish gains. Although emotionally wrung out by the end of the book, I was very glad to learn more about wolves and Alaska and the wolf who chose to share his life with the residents (both canine and human) of Juneau.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A remarkable long-term account of a lone black wild wolf and the unlikely horde of Alaskan citizens, domesticated dogs, and multiple government agencies who came to respect and love him.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Wolf Called Romeo is nature photographer and author, Nick Jans, reflections on the six years that Juneau, Alaska residents were visited by an unusually friendly male black wolf. The wolf seemed particularly interested in dogs and befriended many. Jans introduction to the wolf was when he was throwing a tennis ball out on the frozen lake and, much to his astonishment, a black wolf ran out and absconded with the ball. The wolf did return and made friends with the author’s golden retriever.Nicknamed Romeo, the wolf became a regular feature for the residents of Juneau. He located himself by the Mendenhall Glacier and was often to be seen on and around the lake. He appeared to be a solitary but healthy wolf and would tolerate audiences getting within feet of himself, especially if there were dogs. Unfortunately this fearless attitude was dangerous for him, for as much as he had admirers, there were some who thought he should be killed or removed from the area. For six years he was a regular visitor, but then in September 2009, he vanished. Slowly the facts came out, he had been shot by two poachers who were looking for an easy kill. Unable to keep the deed a secret they bragged about killing the beloved wolf. They were also known to have been involved in the illegal luring and killing of young bears as well. Although both were charged with illegal game killing, they were simply given minor fines that were not followed up on when they failed to pay.A Wolf Called Romeo tells an amazing story and the author is very careful to point out that Romeo’s visits were shared by many. It wasn’t just his life that was affected by this creature, Romeo was shared by the community and was grieved by many. The author also includes many facts about wolves, and discusses the boundaries between wilderness and civilization, and the responsibility that humans have to the untamed creatures they encounter.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5For the first time in my life, I regret skipping ahead to the end of the book – knowing what was coming (tho it wasn’t hard to guess) just made getting there all the more difficult. Didn’t make me stop reading tho. The story of a solitary wild wolf who made his territory on the outskirts of suburban Juneau, Alaska, and established friendships with several of the local dogs and, eventually, some of the humans, is an eye-opening one. I can’t remember ever reading of the complexities of interspecies relationships so well or reasonably recounted.I do think author Jans was probably the best person, of all those involved, to write this story. Now a writer and wildlife photographer, he spent years in early adulthood as a hunter and trapper, often working with native Alaskan hunters, before he exchanged gun for camera, and is familiar with all sides of the hunting debate (a particularly hot topic in the far north). He also has the ideal reporter’s fair-minded approach which, despite his unhidden bias in favor of the wolf, allowed him to present the facts without demonizing or rhetoric. I appreciated that. Jans, his wife (who gave the wolf his nickname) and their 3 dogs were among the first to meet Romeo when the young black wolf first turned up on the frozen lake where they often went to walk their dogs in winter. The picture on the book's cover is one Jans took of the first meeting between Romeo and Jans’ blond lab Dakotah, with whom the wolf established a close (but not sexual) relationship.What follows is a fascinating account of wolf, dogs and humans learning to live and interact together peacefully over the next 6 years, despite the pitfalls of the wolf’s growing popularity which led to crowds of often thoughtless humans and their not always well-controlled dogs coming out to the lake in hopes of seeing the friendly wolf, and doing stupid things that could have easily pushed the wolf’s predator buttons. Fortunately, either Jans or another of the wolf’s admirers were also usually out there running herd on nitwits. Altho Romeo lived a very long time for a wild wolf (normal lifespan – 3 yrs) it all came to an end at the hands to two particularly sadistic, and in my view sociopathic, hunters who illegally killed the wolf, mostly for bragging rights and the pleasure of causing suffering – not just to the wolf (who apparently was fortunate enough to die quickly from a single rifle shot) but to the many people in Juneau who were fond of the wolf. This is why I consider them sociopathic, their pleasure in causing suffering that marked not just this act but much of their previous behavior as well. It isn’t just me disliking them.Fortunately those hunters, who are truly bile-inducing, occupy only the very end of the book, most of it is an enchanting, heart-warming read.