JACKSON, Wyo. — There is an inconsistency when it comes to what people call wildlife, ranging from more familiar human names to a scientific set of numbers. However, both promote an engagement with wildlife for the sake of their survival.
Ronan Donovan, National Geographic photographer whose exhibition “Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan” is featured at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, struggled with naming the high Canadian Arctic wolves he photographed that didn’t belong to anyone. However, he understood that names were an important way to introduce the pack members to his audience. Donovan decided on descriptive names that felt more respectful to the wolf individuals.
“The root misconception that people have related to how they see wildlife is thinking that modern humans are separate, that we are different, that our bonds, behavior, culture and language is completely unique to us and separate from the animal world,” Donovan says. “There’s a great intelligence, intimacy and bond that’s possible.”
“There’s a great intelligence, intimacy and bond that’s possible.”
Ronan Donovan
Giving an animal a descriptive name that feels more personal and human has the potential to strengthen people’s bonds with wildlife in a more empathetic way, as naming something is an intrinsic part of our social understanding.
Giving an animal a numbered name is what enables scientists to collect long-term data on individuals and their packs or communities. This helps to better understand and ensure wildlife survival within the modern landscape.
According to Mark Gocke, public information specialist at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the way numbered names are given varies per species; for example, grizzly bears are given a number in the order that they’re captured and tagged. The numbered names indicate that an animal is providing information to wildlife biologists about behavior, migration and survival.
It’s important to note that individual animals are distinct and recognizable in addition to their names. The nuances of their personalities are highly reflective of humans so that humans are able to develop a familiarity with wildlife just like we do with family and friends.
“I think much more important than the name is for people to have an actual experience with that species,” Kevin Krasnow, conservation director of Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, says. “To see a gray wolf or grizzly bear while standing on the same ground is a really powerful experience.”
But animal names do have the potential to have different impacts on tourists who are getting an introduction to wildlife. Bobby Pfeiffer, lead guide at Wildlife Expeditions, says that more descriptive, human names can make people feel too comfortable around an animal and make someone feel safe getting out of their vehicle when they shouldn’t.
“It’s a lot easier to think of an animal as a wild animal if it has a number and not a name,” Pfeiffer says. “People can forget or don’t understand that just by watching these animal we have an impact on their behavior. The numbers help to put it through a scientific and research lens right off the bat.”
Emphasizing the science behind the numbers in tandem with developing an affinity for wildlife that compels humans to care about conservation through more familiar names is what Donovan sees as the key to establishing a meaningful connection with an animal and shifting a sense of “other” to a sense of attachment and understanding.
“I think that having empirical scientific process driven data at the core of storytelling enables for a really powerful mix of impact and understanding,” Donovan says. “The storytelling allows you to bring the scientific conversation to a wider audience.”
Stay tuned for an article on how numbered names and collars relate to wildlife photography.
