Mowat addressed the controversy in a 2012 interview with the Toronto Star. As for the authenticity of his wolf story, he virtually abandoned his wolf-den observations after less than four weeks.” He did not once set foot in an Inuit camp. He did not once - contrary to the impression he leaves - see a starving Inuit person. He did not casually drop in alone but traveled on both occasions as a junior member of well-planned scientific expeditions. He spent two summer field seasons in the district - totaling less than six months - and mostly in a more southern part of the district than he describes. Among them: “Documents recently made public at the National Archives of Canada, and papers that the author himself sold years ago to McMaster University, show that Mowat did not spend two years in the Keewatin District in 19 as the books say. Goddard studied Mowat’s own notes for the story and came to several significant conclusions. “By selling fiction as nonfiction, (Mowat) has broken a trust with his readers,” Goddard wrote. Later, in 1996, Saturday Night magazine published a story called “A Real Whopper” that further called into question the facts of Never Cry Wolf. I hope that the readers of Never Cry Wolf will realize that both stories have about the same factual content.” (The entire review can be found by clicking here.) It is certain that not since Little Red Riding Hood has a story been written that will influence the attitude of so many towards these animals. The review concludes with this strongly worded paragraph: “Much of the book consists of a fascinating embellishment of Mowat’s observations on the home life of a wolf pack. In a review of Never Cry Wolf, published by The Canadian Field Naturalist in 1964, countless details are called into question by Mowat’s supervisor, A.W.F. For example, after a talk, I have often been asked by audience members about wolves eating mainly mice.” “It is clear that his book ended up adding to the trove of wolf misinformation that is prevalent across the world. “The mistakes Mowat made are still being spread as fact by members of the public,” Mech said.

To this day, Mech hears from people who think this is fact. Mowat claimed, for example, that wolves lived mainly off small rodents, such as mice, and not hoofed animals. “There’s far too much evidence, including Mowat’s own journals, to suggest otherwise.” David Mech, a longtime wolf biologist and founder of the International Wolf Center. “I firmly believe the book should be considered a work of fiction,” said Dr. His real-life account of wolf behavior in Canada seemed to shed new light on their prey, their behavior and their role in an ecosystem.īut was it actually a true story as he proclaimed? When Farley Mowat published his 1963 book, Never Cry Wolf, it was heralded by environmentalists from his native Canada all the way to the Soviet Union. WolfLink Virtual Learning for adults & groups.

Never cry wolf farley