Review
Wolf Print, Autumn Winter 2011/2012
The UK Wolf Conservation Trust
by Julia Bohanna
In 2001 and at 45 years of age, Alan Sparks had what some people might superficially call a mid-life crisis. But this was not a man in search of gratification from a red sports car or having his ear pierced. He was a thoughtful and compassionate person tired of being 'defined by his career.' Like so many of us,he needed to find some kind of connectedness, a purpose. But he also wanted to unwind, to unknot himself from routine.
After frustrating attempts to relax into the banalities of retail or to join the Peace Corps, Sparks looked inward. What were the defining passions of his life? His trilogy of wants would lead him to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, a place that offered him the joy of mountains, cold weather and wolves.
This is a multi-layered book. Written in part as a diary, it mixes past and present tense so that the reader gets a sense of immediacy but also is allowed to look into the heart of the
writer and understand a journey that is as much an emotional and intellectual one as it is physical.
There is clearly a level of research, intellect and careful note-taking in Dreaming of Wolves, encompassing biology, history, politics, economics, animal conservation, philosophy and human relationships. There are also some beautifully glossy photographs which complement the book well and give the reader a vivid sense of the area.
Yes, it really is that rich.
Sparks initially wrote to Christoph and Barbara Promberger, the facilitators of the now-defunct Carpathian Large Carnivore Project (CLCP), offering his services as a volunteer. He wrote with sincerity, promising that he was fit and useful. He was accepted but immediately expected to leap in and muck in without much of a fuss. Rabies shots? Don't
bother. Visa? If you need one, we will get one. Truly in at the deep end. Much later
in his journey, he realised that the very fact he was 'working for nothing' made many poor struggling Romanians suspicious and resentful. It is a complex country, as he discovers continually.
There is the visceral and often brutal reality of living in large open spaces with large carnivores such as bears and wolves. There is folklore, long ingrained, which can work against any conservationist trying to dispel myths and fears. The country has over half a million Roma (gypsies) who fiercely defend their right to roam and graze their animals, in a
wildlife-rich wilderness where life is relatively simple, but hard. The wolf in particular can be seen not only as an enemy but as a supernatural presence; amber eyes in the darkness.
Sparks' adventures include border wars with fiery locals, language problems and the ever-present spectre of human greed that pushes the desperate farmer into cruel and cunning behaviour. One incident in particular is not for the squeamish, or the sensitive. It is a difficult job, trying to communicate the larger picture, the longterm aim: large carnivores will attract tourists and ultimately generate money and work for local people. Sparks, although he avoids sentimentality and romanticised cliches, can still write with elegiac passion about his incredible surroundings and the people who populate it:
'women in flowery dark dresses and wide-brimmed hats 'little girls trailing at the end in purple and white dresses'
Romania is a place of peculiar contrast, at once thick with religious devotion but also ruled by much dark superstition. The shadow of Dracula and all things Gothic, cannot be
shaken from the region. Sparks sees a cart carrying a dead man and cannot help but give himself a moment of pure whimsical reflection about the man being a vampire. He sees:
'a man's large nose sticking up from a thick bed of flowers.'
Death is not hidden away and whispered about in Romania. It is everywhere. A large part of volunteer work is to track wolf kills in daylight, to read and record what they find after the lupines have completed their nocturnal activities and their bellies are full enough to let them sleep.
Decapitated bears, foxes and deer are common finds. 'Find the head' becomes something of an ominous mantra, but that is not the extent of the gruesome duties expected of him. There is wolf scat to analyse. There is also meat to hack - mainly dead horses - then to store until it grows so putrid it has to be burned. Scavengers of all descriptions have to be driven away.
At CLCP, there are two socialised wolves to feed who, like the wolves at the Trust, are ambassadors for canis lupus. But Crai and Poiana are not the only animals around the wolf cabin. Coexistence with animals is compulsory and that includes leeches, mice, snakes and flies.
I was actually most impressed and moved by Sparks' deep and respectful bond with animals; first with his own beloved dogs and then later with the shepherd dogs that are around him, in particular a dog called Guardian, who disappears. His fate is only discovered near the end. Sparks always keeps emotions in check and never resorts to anthromorphism in his writing - so that sense of quiet love is all the more powerful.
When the scientists are observing wolf behaviour and to some extent other animals, there are interesting observations that come to the fore, such as wolves seemingly using a slide repeatedly. For fun? It certainly appears that way. Or one wolf removing an irritating
parasite from the other, in a way that is generally more common in apes and monkeys. Logic and rational science does not always explain away such behaviours. It is a reminder that information we analyse from observing wolf behaviour in particular is still evolving, challenging us and our previously held beliefs. Sparks always gives us a calm and measured account, quoting from experts like David Mech. There is a lot of pertinent information in the book, such as how and why wolves vocalise.
Sparks could have very easily remained in Romania. He was certainly sad to leave. But he makes it very clear 'I didn't come here as a tourist.'
His final exit from the country made me cry. Mainly because he appeared so changed and moved by his experiences. It was clearly something that would stay with him forever.
This is indeed the book written by an incredible observer of character and landscape, a sensitive listener and ultimately a passionate conservationist. 25% of the author's royalties goes toward various wildlife conservation projects. To quote more from the book, although tempting, would seem like giving away treasures. Buy it, read it carefully. It's a book I will not be letting anyone borrow. It has a heart and a very powerful one.
Alan E Sparks makes an incredible statement of future intent that we should all, as conservationists, as human beings, take as our own:
'I seek to be aware. I seek to notice.'
Exquisitely said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boulder Daily Camera - Boulder Bookshelf
Sparks travels to the land of Dracula to bring us a book that is part adventure story, part memoir and part meditation on nature and culture.
He provides a wealth of tales, both factual and mythical, and facts about the wolves of Transylvania (in Romania). The author's own adventures take center stage as he moves through rural villages and the wilds where wolf researchers prowl. Dozens of gorgeous color photographs help bring the land to life and Sparks doesn't shy away from advocating for conservation of both culture and wilderness. Lots of people, lots of wilderness, lots of wildlife. While many Romanians aspire to live the American lifestyle, as I watch the townsfolk -- very few of them obese -- bustling about the streets of Zarnesti, walking to the magazines, the schools, the churches, to the post office or bus stop or to visit their neighbors, I wonder which is the wiser and more sustainable way of life.
-------
Kirkus Discoveries Review
October 29, 2010
An engaging diary of a wolf-finding expedition in Transylvania.
When Sparks, a 45-year-old high-tech professional, takes an early retirement package and re-invents his life, he decides to pursue wolf research in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania, Romania. Why?
'For me,' writes the author, 'could anything surpass tracking wolves in the thick forests and deep snow of the northlands, in the wilderness somewhere away from all the high-tech drudgery, the congested traffic and sprawling suburbs, the bustling rush to nowhere? Working to comprehend a different world, a wild world, and maybe helping to protect it as well.'
Sparks pursues this adventure after finding a website for the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project, firing off an e-mail and ultimately convincing the project director that he should be allowed to extend his eco-volunteer experience well beyond the traditional few weeks.
The remainder of the book is essentially comprised of diary entries that provide rare insight into the behavior of wolves, as well as a close-up look at life in the backcountry and small towns of the Carpathian Mountains.
The author's experiences tracking wolves, combined with the people he meets and his descriptions of the locale, make for a compelling and invigorating story. Sparks writes well, even eloquently at times, generously sharing his observations as he learns of the similarities and differences between wolves and dogs. The reader intimately witnesses the relationships the author builds with some of the wolves he studies. And Sparks' bits of philosophical contemplation brought on by his solitude add depth to the tale. The text is supplemented by excellent color photos that bring all of these elements to life and offer visual validation of the adventure.
As wolves have made a resurgence in parts of the United States in recent years, their proximity to humans has lead to some controversy. Sparks' tale becomes all the more interesting as a documentary of how wolves are viewed in another part of the world.
A thoroughly enjoyable read for animal lovers and explorers alike.
----------------------------------------------------
August 22, 2010
Review by Cornelia Hutt
Board of Directors, International Wolf Center, www.wolf.org
Chair, Red Wolf Coalition, www.redwolves.com
Want to hear about my trip and see my photos? Anyone who has ever been held hostage by a long-winded friend with 500 pictures snapped from a car window knows the momentary panic of having to make a choice between politely declining and caving in with a reluctant assent.
But Alan Sparks is no amateur storyteller, and the first page of the book guarantees the reader will never be bored. Sparks knows how to spin true-life adventures that invite readers to share his experiences. As for photos, the collection of color pictures that enhance the timeless narrative is beautiful and vivid.
This book is many things, all of them wonderful. It's an armchair traveler's delight, a lively, honest and often hilarious memoir, an odyssey of the spirit, a reflection about time and consciousness, and a treasure trove of meticulously-researched wolf information. Recounted in first-person, often in the present tense, Sparks shares his experiences in the mountain forests of Romania with a page-turning narrative that sweeps the reader along as companion and fellow traveler. The 'listener' goes with Sparks for the ride. And what a ride it is!
This is a story brimming with humor (Sparks has that rare capacity for poking fun at himself), introspection, pathos, keen observation and solid information. Thus, for lovers of wildlife and wild places, the book is a delightful discovery. And for people interested in wolves, it's a must.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Life flashes past many eyes: resident, tourist, voyageur, even those of wolves.
Dreaming of Wolves provides introspection through the eyes of a wolf. Alan's journey
explores an inward look at mid-life crises, personal feeling, community economics,
ethnic survival, cultural bias, and national politics while trying to [understand the life] of
a pack of Romanian wolves. To know life, his life, the author travels to a remote,
foreign setting seeking knowledge about wolves, and learns about himself. Yes, it is a
travelogue, a personal adventure, but it is also a narrative explaining wolf ecology and
behavior versus rural cultural integrity and history. Read it to understand wolves and
to understand people at the delicate interface were a few wolves exist almost
secretively next to rural people still attached to their lands and agricultural practices. I
recommend Alan's work not only as a natural history reference but for showing that we
can exist with wild animals even as planet earth approaches an overflowing human
population.
- Dr. James C. Halfpenny, President, A Naturalist's World and author of
Yellowstone Wolves in the Wild, Field Guide to Mammal Tracking in North
America, Winter: An Ecological Handbook
An entertaining and truly inspirational story describing one's decision to leave
corporate America behind and pursue new dreams and goals. Alan Sparks teaches us
to not settle for the status quo and to live life as an adventure!
- Don Strankowski, nationally recognized motivational speaker, President
of Ascend Career and Life Strategies, and author of Get Hired! 10 Simple Steps
for Winning the Job You Desire in Any Economy
The howl of a wolf breaks the mountain stillness and sends chills down his spine.
Thus begins the adventure of Alan Sparks and his human 'pack', tracking and relating
to the wild wolves of Eastern Europe. Woven into this great tale of adventure are the
personal stories, sights, sounds and insights of a multi-layered experience which
proved to be much deeper than Alan had ever imagined. The legacy of the wolf and
the honoring of nature and life itself has been enriched by the author's compassionate
and thought-provoking story, and we are all privileged to share in the journey.
- Philip Rubinov Jacobson, artist, educator, traveler, and writer. Author of
Drinking Lightning: Art, Creativity, and Transformation.
As purposeful as a wolf's gait through a Draconian night, the literary potency of this
book strikes direct registry into our human cellular connection with the way of wolves.
Over 200 thoroughly researched pages offer a humbling, humorous, and fascinating
penetration into a rare Transylvanian world exquisitely unveiled through intricately
woven themes of wolves, humans, and the dance of consciousness which unites all
beings...
- Steve Ilg, author of Total Body Transformation and founder of WholisticFitness.com |
