We were on a night game drive in a wild desert area of southern Israel. We hoped to see a sand cat or perhaps an owl. We were totally taken aback when the headlights of our vehicle fell on a wolf. This was my first sighting of a wolf in the wild. All of my wolf paintings had been based on animals seen in game parks or zoos. I had heard them howl in Canada and I had even howled myself and got a response, but my first wild wolf in the flesh was in Israel.
It may surprise people to learn that Israel is one of the best places for nature protection in the world. Over 20% is set aside as nature reserve and many animals that were extinct in the country have been brought back and are now living wild and free, including the wolf and leopard. We visited the wolf’s habitat the next day and enjoyed the form and texture of the arid conglomerate canyons.