Book Review of Lone Wolf and Exclusive Interview with Author
Wolves are elusive creatures that I’ve been lucky enough to encounter in remote regions of Canada on several occasions on my travels… but wolves are not something I thought of as still existing in western Europe. I’d always heard they’d been long eradicated from that continent but was surprised to learn they’re coming back with a vengeance—thanks, in part, to a single male wolf (named Slavc by Slovenian scientists who tracked it). This individual travelled from Slovenia through several countries and ended up in Italy, then randomly met an equally rare female wolf whereupon they repopulated an area of the world that hadn’t seen wolves for a century.
In his riveting new book Lone Wolf, author Adam Weymouth decided to follow the GPS track of Slavc, who had been collared with a tracking device, to find out how the reemergence of the wolf in Europe is being received by the local populace. As much an entertaining travelogue as an investigation, the reader is given an immersive insight into present-day rural Europe as Weymouth walks in the paw prints of Slavcs and meets the people whose lands the Canis lupus passed through. Through interviews and encounters with locals en route, he constructs a fascinating profile of the effect the sudden thrust of this species back into the ecosystem is having. Farmers, scientists, politicians and hunters share their concerns and experiences with adapting to this new influx, as livestock in particular have become a key food source for the newly introduced predator.
Weymouth’s writing is sharp and descriptive, bringing the myriads of characters he meets along his trek into three-dimensional life, with the wolf underpinning the narrative throughout. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in wolves and the amazing way they adapt, survive and thrive in our modern world.
I had a chance to catch up with Adam and chat with him about his experience writing Lone Wolf and the insight he gained in the process of his journey following Slavc through the Old Continent.
Interview with Author Adam Weymouth about Lone Wolf
Did you have any expectations of how the trip would go when you set off following the GPS track of Slavc the wolf? What surprised you the most?
Weymouth: Back at home, transferring each of 635 waypoints onto my maps, he would make all sorts of decisions that I couldn’t understand—suddenly shooting off in a different direction or loitering in one area for days. Lots of people had already studied Slavc, but no one had studied him like this, walking his journey, and it was only when I was following his trail that I started to get a better sense of why he might have made the choices that he made. That a place where he changed direction was when he got within hearing distance of a highway—or he rested in a wooded area that would have felt safe. Walking the journey gave me these insights—however imperfect—into how Slavc was looking at the landscape, and that was an amazing thing to feel. I have never felt closer to a wild animal.
Your other book Kings of the Yukon also has you, self-propelled, following the journey of a wild creature and telling its story through your experience. What is it about immersing yourself into the landscape of your subject that inspires your writing?
These long, slow overland journeys allow me [to] find stories in a completely different way to working as [a] traditional journalist. I don’t plan who I’m going to meet, but I see where the journey takes me. That means I get to hear from all sorts of people whose voices normally get overlooked. People appreciate that I’m taking the time to engage with where they live in this way. Although the subjects of my books are animals, they’re really about the people who I meet along the way and who let me into their lives.
Of the people you met on your journey, who had the most lasting impression on you? Why?
There are so many, but I keep thinking about Modesto Gugole, a cattle farmer in his 80s. He is the last remaining farmer in his part of Italy who still walks down with his cows from the mountains every autumn and follows them back up in the spring. His family [has] been working on the same land for generations, making beautiful cheeses. He hates how the wolf has upended these traditions. He was so hospitable, so friendly and gave me such an amazing insight into the mentality of the people who call these mountains home.
What was your attitude towards wolves before your journey? Did this change by the time the journey ended?
These journeys always challenge your preconceptions, and all the walking gives you lots of time to think! I think I began much more romantic, convinced that the return of the wolf must be [a] good thing for the continent. Listening to those who are living alongside it, I came to see it’s far from simple.
What was the most difficult part of your journey following Slavc?
To be honest, being away from home. It’s the first long journey I’ve done since becoming a dad, and it’s really changed how I think about being away. It’s one of the reasons that I wanted to call the book Lone Wolf—we think of a Lone Wolf as a Clint Eastwood figure, riding off into the sunset, no need for anyone or anything. In reality, a Lone Wolf is looking for the same things we all are—community, connection. I had a tendency to think of myself as a bit of a Lone Wolf in my 20s, but it’s very different having kids.
What was the most rewarding part of your journey following Slavc?
The privilege of my job is getting welcomed into other peoples’ lives. Whether or not we agree politically, whether or not we speak the same language, I am always amazed how generous people are in opening up their homes to me and telling me their stories. It makes the world seem so much richer, getting to see it through so many different eyes. And the scenery of course. From the vast forests of Slovenia to the high Alps of Austria to the stunningly beautiful Dolomites in Italy—Slavc chose a gorgeous route.
The farmers whose livelihood is threatened by the return of the wolf are obviously not happy as their livestock is being taken. Scientists and urbanites on the other hand seem quite delighted. The farmers are directly affected by the wolf, while the scientists and urbanites seem more enamoured with the mysticism of its return, though it doesn’t affect them directly. Did you support one side or the other by the end?
It was important for me to be open minded on this journey, to not take sides and to try and understand the different sides of this very complex debate. More than anything, what I hope to achieve with my work is to give space to these often-overlooked voices.
Alpine farmers live hard lives in hard places. I followed Slavc during Europe’s hottest summer on record. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the prices of energy and feed have rocketed. Young people no longer want to farm and are leaving for the cities. Now they’re being asked to live alongside the wolf as well. I could understand their anger. The wolf has become a convenient scapegoat for a range of complex problems, and one that can be addressed with a shotgun. I do think it’s possible for farmers and wolves to co-exists, but only if the concerns of those living in the countryside are taken into account.
Do you think the return of the wolf to Europe is overall a good or bad thing? Why?
We’re in the middle of a biodiversity crisis, and so, to see a species which is bucking that trend, which is thriving in a way which no one would have thought possible 50 years ago, is obviously heartening. If the wolf can do it, once the most reviled of creatures, then it begs the question: what else might not be inevitable? If we’ve pushed something almost to extinction, I do believe we have a moral obligation to try and bring it back. Personally, I find it very exciting that Europe is a continent full of wolves again.
But when we speak about the wolf, I came to realize we are never only speaking about the wolf. The wolf is one of the world’s oldest cultur[al] wars, and politicians on the far right are capitalizing on the anger in the countryside, using the changes it has brought about to capture to the rural vote. The wolf has always been about what we are scared of, what we can’t control and in a world that feels increasingly out of control, it is a potent symbol. As the wolf returns, it’s essential that we try and address those fears. Otherwise, wolves and people are only going to suffer.
