Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan

Created by the National Geographic Society and the National Museum of Wildlife Art, this exhibition will present stunning photography and videos of wild wolves living in two very different environments: the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in the American West and Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic.

Highlights From the Exhibition

1.2.P.2 Photograph by Ronan Donovan, National Geographic
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming This drowned bison fed a grizzly bear for several days before a wolf, photographed using a camera trap, moved in to take advantage of an easy meal. Known as Mr. Blue for his steely blue-gray coat, this wolf outlived five mates over the course of his life.

3.3.P.1 Photograph by Ronan Donovan, National Geographic
Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada A wolf’s howl can travel as far as 10 miles (16 kilometers) in a vast, open landscape like Ellesmere Island. Here, sisters One Eye and Bright Eyes howl to family members who were moving south to survey their territory. Eventually the pack split, leaving the tired pups behind at a previous year’s den while the adults continued to travel south.

3.5.P.2 Photograph by Ronan Donovan, National Geographic
Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada Members of the Polygon pack greet one another. One pup nuzzles the pack’s aging matriarch, White Scarf (far right). Nuzzling is a common method of greeting. A second pup is playfully biting a feather while nuzzling Slender Foot.

2.1.P.1 Photograph by Ronan Donovan, National Geographic
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming The Mollie’s pack investigates grizzly bear tracks in Yellowstone’s Pelican Valley. The only pack that remains from the wolf reintroduction in 1995, the Mollie’s pack was originally called the Crystal Creek pack. It was renamed in memory of Mollie Beattie (1947-1996), former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and an instrumental figure in the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone.

1.1.P.1 Photograph by Ronan Donovan, National Geographic
“As a field biologist-turned-photographer, I strive to combine storytelling with scientific foundations as a way to draw people in and to tell stories about our rapidly changing world. I hope viewers can look into the wild nature portrayed in these images and be compelled to stand and protect it.” -Ronan Donovan

The two locations highlight the contrasting behaviors between wolves living in perceived competition with humans (Yellowstone) and wolves living without human intervention (Ellesmere). Since 2014, National Geographic Explorer and photographer Ronan Donovan has examined the relationship between wild wolves and humans in order to better understand the animals, our shared history, and what drives the persistent human-wolf conflict.

“The way that a culture views wolves can reveal a lot about how a society interacts with their environment—is there a belief of power over animals, or is there a collective shared landscape? As a visual storyteller, my goal is to portray my subjects in their most authentic way by showing the challenges they face as well as the tender moments between family members.”
Ronan Donovan, Photographer

As wolves in North America are increasingly under threat due to recent extreme wolf-control laws, and humans continue to impinge on the land and food sources that these animals need to survive, Donovan hopes that his photos will provide people with a better understanding of these often misunderstood animals. He also hopes they will see wolves as they are: powerful, intelligent, social mammals that have evolved to live in family structures similar to humans.

Exhibition Programming

A series of informative and engaging programs offer visitors deeper insight into the exhibition. Space is limited; advance registration recommended.

SPECIAL EVENT

Exclusive Member Opening Reception

Friday, May 8
6–8 PM

_{“Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan” is a traveling photography exhibit curated by The National Museum of Wildlife Art and the National Geographic Society.}