A different pack
<p>Christopher McBride, left, Olivia Wilson, Kate Jacobsen, Sarah Smith, Jordan White and Braden Daly pet a curious 6-month-old Arctic Wolf during a class presentation Monday at Dalton Elementary by the Wolf People.</p>
<p>Garrett Ashby gets up close and personal with one of two juvenile Arctic wolves during a class presentation.</p>
DALTON GARDENS - Fifth grade students at Dalton Elementary had some special visitors Monday - a pair of 6-month-old wolf pups.
The furry guests' appearance was part of an ongoing lesson that started with teacher Justin Taylor's students' reading of Jack London's "White Fang."
"We were exploring facts and creating opinions about the wolf hunting debate in Idaho," Taylor said. "We also looked at propaganda and bias to determine the reliability of resources. We held a debate and argued for or against the hunting of gray wolves in Idaho."
The wolf pups were brought in by Nancy Taylor of Wolf People, an educational facility and retail store in Cocolalla.
Teacher Taylor, no relation to Nancy, said he set up the wolf presentation "so the kids could see how magnificent these creatures are."
"I wanted to wait until after the debate because I didn't want it to influence their opinions for the debate," he said.
Grace Moehring, 10, said the debate, with facts and rebuttals, was interesting.
"People really think different things about wolves," she said.
Taylor said he had the students spend two weeks researching and exploring many resources that covered both sides of the issue.
"Idaho Fish and Game has a lot of info on the topic and is clearly in favor of hunting wolves," Taylor said. "I also found some video put out from New York Times that objectively examined and reported on the situation."
Nancy Taylor and Mike Marzio, one of the wolf handlers from Wolf People, spent some time talking to the students about wolves.
Taylor opened by asking how many of the kids were in favor of the wolf hunt. Several students raised their hands. Slightly more raised their hands to show their opposition to the hunt.
The "real truth," Taylor said, is that there are about 700 wolves in the state. Idaho Fish and Game's recent estimates exceed 1,000.
Taylor said wolves are necessary to maintain a healthy eco-system by keeping the deer and elk populations down.
Marzio encouraged the students to gather facts before deciding whether to support or oppose the hunt.
"Don't trust the rumors," Marzio said. "Some day you will have a vote to decide what we do with animals in the wild."
Taylor and Marzio told the students about their 23-wolf pack they maintain on a ranch in Bonner County, all raised by Taylor. Marzio has been with Wolf People for five years.
The wolf pups came into the classroom on leashes held by Marzio and Taylor.
The students took turns sitting by them and petting them. The pups returned the affection with an occasional lick.
"A lot of you are going to be able to go home and say you were kissed by a wolf," Taylor said.