Narumi Nambu presented with Who Speaks for Wolf Award at International Wolf Symposium
Tireless advocate for wolves in Japan accepts award before her peers and heroes
Contact:
Chad Richardson, communications director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-560-7374, ext. 225
chad@wolf.org
For Immediate Release – January 17, 2019
It was clear to the entire audience that Narumi Nambu had just received the surprise of her life.
In a packed hotel ballroom in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA during the International Wolf Symposium, Nambu had just been named the recipient of the Who Speaks for Wolf Award presented by the International Wolf Center.
As she walked toward the stage to accept the award, Nambu’s hands covered her mouth in excitement. “I thought it was a mistake when I heard my name, especially since Japan has not approached the world level of wolf conservation,” she said. “Because my country no longer has any wolves, it can only take from the world but cannot reciprocate”
Nambu earned the award for her work with the Japan Wolf Association. She’s an active member of the association, which aims to have wolves reintroduced in Japan. Nambu has translated multiple wolf books into Japanese, researches Japanese attitudes about wolves and their possible reintroduction there, speaks at conferences and publishes in a variety of forums.
“There were many researchers and educators from all over the world at the symposium,” Nambu said. “I was walking on air when I could speak and talk directly with these people. There were many experiences and ways to learn at the conference other than from formal papers about human and wolf society. At the banquet many of my heroes were gathered.”
Dr. L. David Mech, the founder of the International Wolf Center, had this to say about Nambu’s efforts: “I have known Narumi since the Center’s 2013 International Wolf Symposium, and she is one of the most passionate and enthusiastic supporters of wolf reintroduction into Japan.”
This is the first time in International Wolf Center history that the Who Speaks for Wolf Award has been given to a recipient from Asia. The Center’s Executive Director, Rob Schultz, was thrilled to see Nambu earn the award.
“Narumi’s efforts in Japan illustrate that wolves across the world play a vital role in our ecosystems,” he said. “The work she’s doing there is all too familiar to those who have done similar work in North America. We’re honored to present her with this award and thrilled to celebrate her success in front of her peers.”
The Japan Wolf Association (JWA) was formed in 1993. The JWA estimates that animals with no natural predators left in Japan, mostly sika deer and wild boar, have caused the equivalent of $1.8 billion in agricultural and forestry damage to date.
Preserving the environment for future generations in Japan motivates Nambu to continue her efforts for wolf reintroduction.
“I love my own country, Japan,” she said. “I want to leave the nature of Japan in a beautiful condition for the next generation. In biology I learned that wolves are important in nature. But Japanese society must learn how to relate with wild animals. I believe that connects with the happiness of people in the future.”
Nambu was quick to point out that she’s one small part of a big organization working hard at reintroducing wolves in Japan.
“More than me, there are other people in Japan who have worked longer and harder for wolf reintroduction—for example, Dr. Naoki Maruyama, leader of the Japan Wolf Association, along with my husband, Hiroshi Asakura, and local wolf educators,” she said. “This award is not only for me but for all of them, as well. I hope to be only the representative. This award is not like the goal tape at the end of a race, but instead it is the starter gun.”
The annual “Who Speaks for Wolf” award is given by the International Wolf Center to an individual, who has made exceptional contributions to wolf education, by teaching people how the wolf lives and by placing the wolf in the broader context of humankind’s relationship to nature.
# # #
THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER, founded in 1985, is known worldwide as the premier source for wolf information and education. The mission of the Center is to advance the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.
The Center educates through its website, its ambassador wolves, museumexhibits, educational outreach programs, International Wolf magazine, and a beautiful interpretive center in Ely, Minnesota.
The Newfoundland wolf is back
From Whale House Guest House:
People have been saying wolves in Newfoundland have been extinct for around 100 years, claiming the last known sighting to have been anywhere between 1911 and 1930, but is that really true? A quick wiki search will tell you the Newfoundland wolf (a subspecies of the grey wolf) is long gone and that the only canine on the island is the coyote, which was recently introduced. But things are not always as they seem, and just like it was thought the black bear had long left Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula (there were three sightings in the summer of 2018 of black nears on the Avalon) the wolf may not have gone anywhere.
Click here for the full story.
Wolves still a hot-button issue at meeting in Kalispell, Montana
From the Daily Inter Lake in Montana:
Emotions were strong as hundreds of hunters and trappers from Northwest Montana made their feelings known about wolves in the region at a gathering Wednesday at the Red Lion in Kalispell.
The meeting, one of a handful that have been held in Region 1 this winter, was organized by the Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Game, and Idaho-based Foundation for Wildlife Management.
Click here for the full story.
Mount Hood wolf found dead near Washington state highway
From OPB.org:
One of the wolves recently spotted on Mount Hood has died.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed to OPB that a 1.5-year-old male wolf from the White River pack died near Highway 26 in November.
Click here for the full story.
Montana hunters and Trappers Call for Fewer Wolves
From the Flathead Beacon in Montana:
On the eve of debate among Montana lawmakers in Helena over the future of wolf management, a spirited exchange was unfolding in this corner of the state, which harbors a robust wolf population and is home to a recent movement by hunters and trappers to publicly call for reducing the canids’ numbers.
Click here for the full story.
Washington state researcher says wolf population likely larger than estimates
From SFGate.com and the Associated Press:
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The number of wolves in Washington state is likely much higher than previously thought, according to a University of Washington researcher who spent two years studying the animals using scat-sniffing dogs.
Click here for the full story.
Croatia: Young Hunter Films Three Wolves in Split-Dalmatia County
From Total Croatia News:
There are three types of large animals living in the Republic of Croatia, the Eurasian lynx, the bear, and the wolf. While these animals do their best to stay well away from human interaction of any kind, there are rare occasions when they make an appearance a little too close to comfort, and even a little too close too home. One young hunter spotted three wolves drinking water in Lovreć, Split-Dalmatia County, causing a panic among locals.
Click here for the full story.
Gray Wolves in California Secure Protection Under the Endangered Species Act
From Time.com and the Associated Press:
(LOS ANGELES) — A California judge on Monday upheld protection for gray wolves under the state’s Endangered Species Act, rejecting a legal challenge from ranchers and farmers who fear the predators will threaten their livestock.
Click here for the full story.
Did someone kill the Shasta Pack, California’s mysterious wolf family?
From the Sacramento Bee:
Nearly four years ago in the forests of California’s rugged northeast corner, two black and brown wolves had a litter of five pups in the shadow of Mount Shasta.
They became known as the Shasta Pack – the first known gray wolves to have offspring on California soil in nearly a century. The pups, shown frolicking in camera footage released by state wildlife officials, became a statewide sensation, even as local ranchers bristled at the new threat to their cattle.
Click here for the full story.
Narumi Nambu presented with Who Speaks for Wolf Award at International Wolf Symposium
Narumi Nambu presented with Who Speaks for Wolf Award at International Wolf Symposium
Tireless advocate for wolves in Japan accepts award before her peers and heroes
Contact:
Chad Richardson, communications director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-560-7374, ext. 225
chad@wolf.org
For Immediate Release – January 17, 2019
It was clear to the entire audience that Narumi Nambu had just received the surprise of her life.
In a packed hotel ballroom in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA during the International Wolf Symposium, Nambu had just been named the recipient of the Who Speaks for Wolf Award presented by the International Wolf Center.
As she walked toward the stage to accept the award, Nambu’s hands covered her mouth in excitement. “I thought it was a mistake when I heard my name, especially since Japan has not approached the world level of wolf conservation,” she said. “Because my country no longer has any wolves, it can only take from the world but cannot reciprocate”
Nambu earned the award for her work with the Japan Wolf Association. She’s an active member of the association, which aims to have wolves reintroduced in Japan. Nambu has translated multiple wolf books into Japanese, researches Japanese attitudes about wolves and their possible reintroduction there, speaks at conferences and publishes in a variety of forums.
“There were many researchers and educators from all over the world at the symposium,” Nambu said. “I was walking on air when I could speak and talk directly with these people. There were many experiences and ways to learn at the conference other than from formal papers about human and wolf society. At the banquet many of my heroes were gathered.”
Dr. L. David Mech, the founder of the International Wolf Center, had this to say about Nambu’s efforts: “I have known Narumi since the Center’s 2013 International Wolf Symposium, and she is one of the most passionate and enthusiastic supporters of wolf reintroduction into Japan.”
This is the first time in International Wolf Center history that the Who Speaks for Wolf Award has been given to a recipient from Asia. The Center’s Executive Director, Rob Schultz, was thrilled to see Nambu earn the award.
“Narumi’s efforts in Japan illustrate that wolves across the world play a vital role in our ecosystems,” he said. “The work she’s doing there is all too familiar to those who have done similar work in North America. We’re honored to present her with this award and thrilled to celebrate her success in front of her peers.”
The Japan Wolf Association (JWA) was formed in 1993. The JWA estimates that animals with no natural predators left in Japan, mostly sika deer and wild boar, have caused the equivalent of $1.8 billion in agricultural and forestry damage to date.
Preserving the environment for future generations in Japan motivates Nambu to continue her efforts for wolf reintroduction.
“I love my own country, Japan,” she said. “I want to leave the nature of Japan in a beautiful condition for the next generation. In biology I learned that wolves are important in nature. But Japanese society must learn how to relate with wild animals. I believe that connects with the happiness of people in the future.”
Nambu was quick to point out that she’s one small part of a big organization working hard at reintroducing wolves in Japan.
“More than me, there are other people in Japan who have worked longer and harder for wolf reintroduction—for example, Dr. Naoki Maruyama, leader of the Japan Wolf Association, along with my husband, Hiroshi Asakura, and local wolf educators,” she said. “This award is not only for me but for all of them, as well. I hope to be only the representative. This award is not like the goal tape at the end of a race, but instead it is the starter gun.”
The annual “Who Speaks for Wolf” award is given by the International Wolf Center to an individual, who has made exceptional contributions to wolf education, by teaching people how the wolf lives and by placing the wolf in the broader context of humankind’s relationship to nature.
# # #
THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER, founded in 1985, is known worldwide as the premier source for wolf information and education. The mission of the Center is to advance the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.
The Center educates through its website, its ambassador wolves, museumexhibits, educational outreach programs, International Wolf magazine, and a beautiful interpretive center in Ely, Minnesota.
Wolves and Wild Lands Traveling Exhibit