“Can you use my Hebrew name?” I timidly asked. “It is Zev, which means wolf.”
“Yes. We can call you Lobo.”
Over time, Lobo became the more familiar Lobes, which some people still call me to this day. Oh, in case you were wondering my full Hebrew name is Zev (Wolf) Baruch (Blessed).
Why do I bring this up now?
This past weekend, we celebrated my birthday. The one activity planned would be an appropriate CDC compliant, socially distanced, masked event. Debbie and the girls planned a trip to the Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbus, NJ, located near the Delaware Water Gap. This was a place that we had talked about going to a number of years ago, but never made it. Finally, after many years, we were going. We woke up Sunday morning, I put on a black tee shirt with a wolf’s face on the front and was ready for the adventure ahead. Rain or no rain, we were going!
As we drove towards the Preserve, we took note that this area of New Jersey has some hills and lots of tree growth, so much so that that we commented how we no longer felt like we were still in the same state. When we got there, we waited patiently for the shuttle to brings us through the woods to the site. Bouncing up the “hill”, we rounded the last corner to see the large fenced in area. With excitement, the four of us walked up towards the fence, waiting to see if we could spot a wolf. We were extremely excited when we saw a wolf laying down in the distance! Images of a large wolf danced in my head, like the wolves of folk legend, most of us have come to know wolves from the stories we read or the movies we saw. Finally, one wolf came up to the fence – the small group we were part of were all pointing their fingers, oohing and ah-ing at seeing this wild creature in front of us…and then it lifted its hind leg, as if to say “Back up, you’re close enough.” OK, some of the mystic faded as this male wolf did what was natural to him.
Finally, the time came where we went into the fenced area, led by the owner, who provided some great information about the wolves on his preserve, maintaining the population, legal requirements (permits, inspections) and his clear love for his “children.” We had the chance to see wolves in their natural habitat. And then came the awesome moment, where off in the distance, his wife called out to the wolves and they all began to howl. Then the owner was off to feed the wolves and maintain the area. Our next stop was to a side area where his wife (who also was our shuttle driver) taught us about Bobcats and Lynx (I did not know they were from the area) and a little about foxes from inside their enclosed areas.
This was truly a great experience. We often take for granted the larger world we live in and the creature that we live alongside. While we are currently at the top of the food chain, we should take the time to appreciate all that inhabit the earth, learn about them to debunk falsehoods and understand what their roles in our global ecosystem means. Bec has been pressing me for my favorite animal. My answer has been, “My favorite pet is a dog,” to which she immediately counters, “that does not answer the question.” I guess the answer might be wolves…after all, I was given the name Zev Baruch…
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