AMERICAN RED WOLF
Three Movements of Prayer
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Humans and wolves share 84% of the same DNA.
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Red wolves are often mistaken for coyotes and shot.
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There are only between 15 and 25 red wolves left in the wild, primarily in the five-county area of North Carolina's Albemarle Peninsula.
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The survival rate for red wolf pups is low, with under 50% reaching adulthood.
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Red wolves are monogamous and mate for life, and both parents participate in caring for their pups.
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Traffic accidents are a leading cause of red wolf deaths. Recently, five died after their father was killed by a vehicle on I-64. A 2-year-old female red wolf named Chance gave birth to the pups with her breeding partner. After the death of her partner, Chance was unable to feed and care for her pups by herself as a first-time, single mother.
Reflect
Linger awhile to cast your loving gaze and curious mind on the photos above or below of our more-than-human kinfolk.
Allow yourself to become aware of and experience your mutual connectedness in the unfolding mystery of life.
Express gratitude for this other being’s existence and their vital place in Earth’s balanced biosphere.
Lament
Consider the specific challenges and threats this creature now faces. Allow yourself to feel your feelings.
Feel what some call "the great sadness." Open to the grief this creature faces, and imagine a time when this, your kinfolk, is extinct. Lament their absence and acknowledge any contribution you may have knowingly or unknowingly made.
Risk becoming emotionally engaged as you now send your prayers and your compassionate protection to the individuals and communities of this fellow-creature.
Respond
Hold up your fellow humans and the organizations that are serving these dear and vulnerable populations.
Name any further responses or actions that may be surfacing from this time of contemplation and prayer.
As you finish, take a final look at one of the photos of this dear one for whom you’ve prayed. Carry the image in your heart as you return to our shared life in our shared home.
To Learn More
I did not expect to be moved deeply by this meditation. Yet, I was. I felt a shared kinship with the Red Wolf and gratitude for their long existence, which only deepened my sadness with their near extinction. Thanks for opening me up to this compassion.
A few years ago, I visited the Endangered Wolf Center in St Louis and saw the American Red Wolf. The EWC manages breeding and reintroduction into native habitats of endangered wolves and other wild canids. The Red Wolf is a beautiful creature and needs our collective prayers and response. Dave has provided a thoughtful and informative guide to educate us and encourage us to get involved. Well done...
The plight of the American Red Wolf--of which I was totally unaware!--moves me. I have often followed the example of St. Francis and referred to the animals as sisters and brothers, so this approach to prayer resonates with me on a deep level, honestly. Understanding the connectedness of all life will likely stay with me as a result of my time here.
The images drew me in and spoke to me... the invitations to reflect, lament, and respond are convicting to me and I wonder what else I might do to more fully live into and out of what I experience as I pray about these things.
Thank you.
This contemplative experience stirred me deeply. I experienced an energetic communal “shift” when I learned that I share 84% of my DNA with the American Red Wolf. I had no idea!
As I worked through the guided prompts, I settled into a grounded space that seemed nearer the ground zero of my being than I usually experience.
This recording brought another of my senses into the experience: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCUOXfwDnx4
Sitting with my sadness doesn’t come natural to me, and yet I somehow didn’t feel alone when I leaned into it. Thank you, Dave!