Welcome to Realm of the White Wolf!!!!!



As we walk through life most are unaware of what we cannot see
but mind you they see you and pay attention to all you do.
Dare you to follow them into their world???

Step carefully, if you dare, but follow and learn their ways.
Maybe then you will come to understand them, instead of being afraid.

If we stop and listen, then we will learn
maybe we will learn not to be afraid
This film is about how two people lived with wolves
And how the Sawtooth Wolf Pack was started
And the wolves within the pack
So learn and listen to their voices






Jim and Jamie Dutcher later gave a presentation about their experience
and how much is needed in order to understand wolves
And Not to repeat the mistakes of the past.



Motomo's Page

 


Motomo is the alpha male of the Sawtooth Wolf Pack,
called the Wolves of the Nez Perce Indians.
He was not always the alpha, but became the alpha when
Lakota passed away in 2002.
Motomo was born May 24, 1992.
The Sawtooth Wolf Pack is part of the Wolf Education and Research Center.
They were moved to be with the Nez Perce in 1998 and
have been there ever since running over many
acres set aside for them back to being themselves.
They have been the center of two documentary films;
"Wolf: Return of a Legend" and most recent "Wolves at Our Door"
These wolves touched the hearts and conscience of the public.

Lakota had been the alpha male since they were all old enough to do so.
Almost all of the wolves were given Blackfoot names.

Motomo's name means "he who goes first".
As a pup he was burning with curiosity about his surroundings and caretakers.
He was always the first of his litter to bravely investigate something new.
He is a lovely, even-tempered black wolf with big feet and a big heart.
His enthusiastic greeting of his packmates clearly demonstrates
the love these animals have for one another.
Affectionate and playful, Motomo is the errant son of the pack,
refusing to submit to the older wolves.

Update 2002

Lakota died 5/9/02 from heart failure and liver problems,
but said it not uncommon for an 11 year old wolf.

Motomo completed the breeding season and
transitioned into spring without difficulty.
He continues to lack some stereotypical alpha behaviors,
but maintains consistent control over the pack through
both displays and physical action when necessary.
He has returned to his traditional very social tendencies
toward humans since spring has arrived.
He has begun to intiate chorus howls among the pack.


Update 2005

Amani "To Speak the Truth" has died 11/7/05.
He had been suffering from an inoperable terminal illness and
it was in his best interest to put Amani to rest.
He was 13 1/2 years old and was one of the original members of the
Sawtooth Pack-the Elder Eight.

Motomo continues to hold the uncontested alpha male position,
now 13 years old he is past his physical prime,
yet obviously still strong enough to convince Piyip and the females
he is the king of their territory.
His slow trasition to a salt and pepper coloration from his original
pure black coat progressed through the summer months,
however this trend has temporarily subsides as he builds his plush winter coat.
It is common for wolves to appear darker
in the fall due to increased new hair growth.
Plus the lack of intense summer sun prevents the new hair from fading.

At this point in time I am waiting to find out if he is still alive,
the last I heard in March 2006 he was still alive at 14 years of age.

I use to sponsor Motomo for years but now they have memberships
which help with the education and research for the wolves.
Good News!!!!

Motomo is still alive and prospering as the alpha male of the pack still
Hurray, for the stamina and courage of this wolf, this gorgeous black male wolf




Sawtooth Pack Alpha Male Passes Away Motomo - "He Who Goes First"
October 6, 2007
The Wolf Education and Research Center is sad to announce the passing of Motomo,
the long-time alpha-male of the Sawtooth Pack. Motomo was found deceased on the
morning of Saturday, October 6 near one of his favorite resting places.
He was apparently walking toward one of his favorite daybeds when he collapsed.
His passing appeared peaceful, and there was no indication the other wolves
were involved. Although the details of his death are currently being determined
by a necropsy at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, it is clear
that some acute, yet severe medical condition, likely linked to his old age,
caused his passing.

Motomo had been gaining weight and winter undercoat fur lately as the entire
pack prepared for the onset of winter. His behavior was also completely normal
all the way up to his death. Motomo held the alpha-male rank among the pack
for nearly the past six years, and will be the last "true" alpha in the Sawtooth
Pack's history. Contrary to his name's sake, "he who goes first", Motomo was the
last of the elder eight of the Sawtooth Pack. Now, the pair of Piyip and Motoki
are the only members to survive Motomo among the pack. Motomo was 15 years old,
and will be missed greatly by us all.

J Heft

My wonderful handsome black wolf is gone, like the wind, but I will always
hear his howl in the wind across the sky and remember his beautiful eyes.




A Tribute to Ayet
Our "Little Sister"

April 22, 1996 - December 24, 2006

The longtime alpha-female, Ayet, suddenly passed away on a cold
Christmas Eve morning, being the eighth member of the Sawtooth Pack:
Wolves of the Nez Perce to complete their journey on Earth. Ayet was
always known as the anti-social and consistently dominant alpha-female
for the later years of the pack. She shared many of the same qualities
that allowed her mother, Chemukh, to hold the alpha-female rank for
several years prior to Ayet's rise. Ironically, it was Ayet who removed
Chemukh from power (with help from Motoki), then assumed the lead female
in the pack until one week before her death. As with all of the Sawtooth
Pack members, Ayet's story paints a picture of a wolf with distinct
characteristics who sacrificed her freedom to teach the world the realities
of her species.
This is Ayet's story.

Ayet was born on April 22, 1996 with her sister Motoki and brother Piyip
in the Sawtooth Pack's original enclosure near Stanley, Idaho. The pack's
founder, Jim Dutcher, filmed her birth, as her litter was the first, and only,
litter to be born into the pack. The all black-colored pups quickly became the
pride and joy of their parents, Kamots and Chemukh, and the remainder of the pack.

Ayet and her siblings were removed from the pack shortly after birth and began
their human socialization process isolated from the pack. Then at four months old,
the three pups made the long drive with the pack from Stanley to their permanent
home outside Winchester. Not long after this big transition were they introduced
back to their native pack, and also all females were tubally-ligated, preventing
any further puppies among the pack.

Ayet, Motoki, and Piyip were now sub-adults and they began to slowly transition
into the adult hierarchy. As with all puppies or sub-adults, the youngsters were
provided a special status within the pack and played often with all members.
Weyekin and Matsi took special interest in watching over the pups and provided
guidance for them through their youth. As each of the pups began to grow into
the hierarchy, Kamots continued to provide special consideration toward them,
thus they all moved immediately into mid-ranking members of the pack. Ayet and
Motoki shared close mid-ranking positions among the female hierarchy while helping
their mother, Chemukh, discipline and suppress Weyekin. Ayet held this mid-rank
until Weyekin's death in 1999 which disrupted the female hierarchy and allowed
the two sisters to depose their own mother from the alpha-female rank.

Ayet assumed control of the female hierarchy at 3 years old and would hold the
alpha-female role for the majority of her life thereafter. Two months into her new
reign, the largest disruption in the Sawtooth Pack's hierarchy occurred, Kamots
suddenly was ousted from alpha-male. Amani immediately assumed breeding
rights with Ayet since the deposition occurred in the peak of breeding season.
Ayet moved through her first breeding season as alpha with Amani as her suitor.
Amani later claimed the alpha-male rank and Ayet continued
to be his mate until Amani was deposed in January of 2002.

The very next day after Amani's deposition, Motoki suddenly challenged
Ayet and a serious fight between the two ends with Motoki the champion.
A dejected Ayet exiled herself from the pack temporarily, and then assumed
the submissive female under Motoki's rule. However, Ayet did not remain in
this position for long. At the completion of the breeding season, Motoki
loosened her control over Ayet, who quickly convinced Motomo to mate with
her too. For the first time in WERC history, two females were mated by the
same alpha-male within the same breeding season. Once Motomo guarded Ayet
(a normal behavior where the alpha-male will not allow any wolf near his mate),
Motoki is prevented from discipling Ayet and reinforcing her new alpha status.
Furthermore, Motomo disciplined Motoki continuously for approaching Ayet,
which led to Motoki becoming compromised.

Ayet took advantage of the situation and overthrew her sister after a short 2-month role reversal.
Ayet would then hold the alpha-female position for the next 5 years without interruption.
She increased her regular dominance displays toward Motoki, which successfully suppressed
her sister through these years. The frequent dominance displays and isolated fights between
the sisters through the years caused numerous scars on Ayet's muzzle, including a "tear-drop" scar
under each eye and a deformed nose pad. Ayet resembled a seasoned boxer for the second
half of her life, no doubt.

The next five years were relatively uneventful for Ayet. The pack slowly decreased in number, which also
decreased the aggressive tendencies of the pack. Motoki appeared content with her submissive role,
yet Ayet would consistently remind her sister to remain submissive through frequent dominance displays.
Ironically, it would be an elevated dominance display caused by an aberrant
event that would cause Ayet's demise.

On December 15, 2006, the territory of the Sawtooth Pack experienced the worst wind storm in WERC
history, with gusts around 70 mph ripping through the trees. By first light of the morning after
the storm, three trees had collapsed over the double-fenced enclosure perimeter. One large
Ponderosa Pine had caused severe damage to the inside fence to the point where the pack could
easily escape the inner perimeter. The pack was found between the two fences,
frightened and trapped between the fences.

Motomo, Piyip, and Motoki were all moved back into the enclosure through an access gate; however,
Ayet ran from the scene and successfully breached several locked gates meant to contain escaped wolves.
Ayet was then separated from her pack, an event that always causes a tremendous amount of stress
among the entire pack. After about 25 minutes, Ayet was contained and ran back into the enclosure on
her own accord. Later that day, Ayet exerted severe dominance over Motoki in several aggressive
episodes that caused significant injuries to Motoki. Such an escalation in dominance is normal when the
pack is placed under heavy stress, where the dominant ranks typically exert high discipline to
reassert their rank. As usual, Ayet took this interaction to the extreme and battered Motoki.

In the following two days, Ayet attempted regular dominance toward Motoki, however Motoki
did not submit and then began to make dominant advances toward Ayet, who avoided these
advances by walking away. Two days after the windstorm, Motoki successfully deposed Ayet
in a quick battle. Ayet submitted fully to her sister, then exiled herself away from the pack.
Ayet was not social with the pack for the next week, however Motoki and Piyip would
seek her out and reinforce the rank change through brief, yet severe, dominance interactions.

Ayet sustained typical injuries due to these encounters, and otherwise remained healthy.
Then, suddenly Ayet passed away in the early morning of December 24th.
A necropsy performed a few days later at Washington State University's Washington
Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory concluded that Ayet succumbed to a pulmonary embolism,
a blood clot that traveled from some injured muscle of her hind legs to her lungs and caused
an instant death. Such an event is common in both canines and humans after muscular
trauma, and could not be prevented or treated in Ayet's situation.

Ayet was deemed the most "wild" of the pack by many due to her behaviors and appearance.
She was always the most petite and lightest member of the pack, a body form that contrasted
the majority of the pack members'. This thin, sleek body condition resembled a wild wolf stature,
but her typical behaviors were nearly as wild. Always aloof towards humans, and physically
dominant toward her pack mates, Ayet sometimes appeared to have missed some of the
human socialization teachings as a pup. Only select handlers, mostly female, ever had
success in greeting and scratching Ayet. To most, she remained at least 10 feet away.

However, Ayet did have a social side on occasion, and was known for being one of the
most playful among the pack. She initiated play toward a few trusted handlers and towards her
siblings on occasion. Yet most of her time was spent enforcing her hierarchy. It was evident that Ayet
lived by her sword, unfortunately the euphemism came true for her, and her demise came indirectly
from the sword of her long-time submissive sister and brother.

Ayet held an important position within the pack and thus the pack dynamics will never be the
same without her. Her wild, dominant, and playful nature will be missed by the pack and those of
us who cared for her through the years. Life around the pack will not be the same without
our "Ayet", our "little sister" who lived big her whole life.

J Heft






Piyip Has Now Passed over, "Little Brother", Ayet's Brother Has died.
He was the LAST REMAINING SAWTOOTH WOLF left
Farewell: 'Piyip Sawtooth', who Passed Over to Rainbow Bridge R.I.P. (Run In Peace).
This is Sadly the Last of the Sawtooth Pack.
Piyip, was one of three black pups born to Kamots and Chemukh.
He was 17 years old, as of April 2013.
He was a very gentle soul, but playful in his youth
Playful with his sisters, Ayet and Motoki, he was the only boy
But much loved by the pack, as were all pups
The last few years of his life were spent alone
Being the last of the Sawtooth Wolf Pack
He was still being cared for by WERC
And there was also another wolf pack there
Being care for with their elderly wolves
So Piyip had some company across the compound
It seems he rested quietly & 'passed over' of natural causes,
on July 5th 2013, along a trail leading to one of his favorite sleeping areas
at the Nez Perce wolf center. There was no sign of struggle or trauma.
Over the past 22 years there were 15 members of the Sawtooth Pack.
This marks the end of their Legend.
A legend that should never stop being told of how much they gave to us & wolves.
Please Share their legend around the world, so we all can remember them all.
Many Wolf Blessings to his precious Wolf Spirit & may every print he left,
remain for another wolf to learn from, & us.


Wolf Education and Research Center



THE ETERNAL

Can you look
Into my eyes
And see
Eternity
As I look
At all you are
And all
You've yet to be






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