Arctic Wolves and the Rebirth of the Tenderloin

by G.B. Metz

On Tuesday, a team of wildlife biologists released ten arctic wolves into the neighborhood as part of Phase II of the San Francisco Urban Reforestation Plan. Initially, five wolves were introduced in January of 2008, but the number has grown as the plan has met with growing local support. "It's been an amazing time," says Joel Messier, scientist and co-author of the plan. "I've got people from as far away as Cheyenne and Baltimore calling to see if this will work in their towns."

The proposal was brought to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in August 2006, shuttled from subcommittee to board and back to main committee, but was finally signed into law on July 14, 2007, when it was tacked on to a bill petitioning the city of Oakland for greater height restrictions on downtown building construction.

"When we first introduced [arctic wolves] to the neighborhood, we didn't think they'd take to the urban environment well. There'd been studies, of course, but nothing on this scale. You understand their natural habitat is the Arctic, the frozen tundra around Greenland and parts thereabout. We didn't know how they'd react to the climate or the asphalt, but they're really beautiful creatures. We've actually had to remind the community that they're still wild and not to pet them. [...] Overall, I think the neighborhood has really taken to them and adopted them as fledgling members."

In their native habitat, the wolves subsist on a diet of hares, lemmings, and slow-moving or stuck moose. In the city, however, Messier is uncertain exactly how they have been surviving. "They do seem to be thriving. Maybe they like the California sun?"

Unfortunately, the plan hasn't seen complete approval from the community. "We've been bewildered by the move since we heard about it in the planning stages," says Michael Guber, a homeless advocate and leader of the petition drive White Wolves is White Power. "The real situation is these wolves displace the people on the streets who represent a vital component to the city's fragile eco-system. I mean, these beasts were brought in to reduce the pigeon population, right? It didn't work with the hawks; it didn't work with the sterilization plan. Did you see any pigeons when you came in? Of course you did!"

"The only thing these creatures have done is detract from the important sleeping spaces of our own San Francisco-style fauna [the homeless]. Do you see those closed storefronts there? It used to be they could house a family of four with all their belongings, their backpacks. Now, it's a den house to a pack of wolves. [The homeless] even fear for the safety of their companion dogs, their loyal presa canarios and pitbulls. And let's not even talk about the murders."

On January 26, 2008, Courtney Maligano, originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, an Ellis Street fixture of 15-years, was retiring to her usual resting space alongside her husband in front of a former halal meat shop on Jones Street. Around 4:30 a.m., she got up to urinate next to a parked Lexus. By eyewitness accounts, as she was standing up, her heel got lodged in a rut in the sidewalk. Within a few seconds, she was tackled, bit several times then dragged into a nearby alleyway. The police were able to find her by following the trail of chewed and ripped clothing. Results from the investigation were deemed inconclusive, but the police report indicated teeth marks and saliva consistent with an animal attack.

Retorts Messier: "I know about the incident, but unfortunately these are the growing pains we have to endure. This is about reintroducing some of the wild, some element of nature, back into our urban environment. We've got plans to level a section of residency hotels and bring in some fir trees, and soon we'll be introducing foxes and Siberian tigers and possibly the brown bear. Just look around and people are smiling again. Crime is down, and the streets are no longer riddled with human feces."

Resident sentiment is mixed. One local parking garage operator speaking on conditions of anonymity grew frightened when he heard a rumor that a wolf ate a small child at the corner of Finley and Pacific. "But then I thought, how would a wolf even get to that intersection? Where the hell is Finley and Pacific? There's no bus that goes there that's for sure. Then someone told me it wasn't even a baby but a Chihuahua, so who knows... Either way I'm not convinced."

Why do we need wolves? "We've already got the 49ers," said resident Barbara Chipley. "What's the point? Fuck wolves."

"Yeah, man," added Chipley's husband, Robert. "Wolves are trippy as hell. I heard the wolf was Hitler's favorite animal, and I don't know about you, but screw Hitler. That's just my opinion."

"Anyway, at least wolves are better than seals", continued Chipley. "Can you believe someone thought we should get seals? My God, these people are idiots."

"Wolves?" asked street vendor, Martha Johnson. "Hey, I'm all for them. The fur trade alone will stimulate the local economy. Plus, we could get rid of these Academy of Art students."

"I don't know," remarked community member, Randi Pucak. "Wolves makes me uneasy... But then someone told me they're the totem animal of the Brown Jug, and I just think it's so important to honor our Native American ancestry. Plus, they predict earthquakes. I'm all for it."

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