Shaun Ellis, Accepted Among The Wolves

Some think Shaun Ellis’s head isn’t working quite right. Others believe that he is eccentric and that his goal is simply to attract attention. There are also those who admire and feel that their life is inspiring and poetic, a true exaltation of that instinctive friendship that must exist between human beings and their environment.

Shaun Ellis became famous in the world after National Geographic magazine made a documentary about his life among wolves. As far as it is known, he is the only adult human who voluntarily went to live with them until he became part of their community. In fact, the wolves assumed him as the alpha male of the pack.

Many scientists, especially biologists, have severely questioned Shaun Ellis’s experience. This is because the purpose of approaching the wolves does not respond to investigative work. He simply loves these animals and wanted to enter their world to get to know them in depth.

There are some cases of children who have been raised with wolves or other species, cases of children who were abandoned and later accepted into a pack. These examples are always surprising and it is fascinating to see how the human could be accepted and become ‘one more’. But when we think of adult humans, the only name that, for now, comes to mind is Shaun Ellis. How did a grown man get into a pack of wolves?

Love for wolves

Shaun Ellis was born in England in 1964. From a very young age, he was attracted to wolves. He began to study on the subject in a self-taught way and, the more he learned, the more curious they aroused him. The first time he saw a wolf was behind bars, at a zoo. He says it was love at first sight.

Ellis continued his life, always maintaining his fondness for the subject. He became a soldier in the special forces of Great Britain. Meanwhile, whenever he could, he went into the woods at night to record videos of wolves. Just looking at them gave him great satisfaction.

Shaun Ellis married and was the father of five children; however, he spent more time with wolves than with his own family. At first, his wife did not see this hobby as a problem, but over time, she got fed up with it. For this reason, he abandoned Ellis and went with his children, leaving Shaun alone.

The revealing journey of Shaun Ellis

Shaun Ellis began working as a volunteer in captive wolf centers, but this was not enough for him, he could not satisfy his need to get close to them. Thus, he thought that the best way to get to know these animals was by approaching them in their natural environment. It was then that he decided to go to Nez Perce Park, in Idaho, United States.

There, he lived with local indigenous people and learned what they knew about wolves. He also began to gradually get closer to these animals. He wanted to be accepted as one of their own, but it was not easy, the task took 8 months. One day, the wolves gave him a little bite on his knee, he knew that it was a welcoming gesture and he felt truly moved.

Against all odds, Shaun Ellis began to live with the wolves and they ended up accepting him. He ate the same raw meat that they ate; sometimes they pissed her off before he tasted her. There was no lack of misunderstandings and that brought him some blows and bites. According to him, he learned the language of howls. This coexistence continued for 18 months.

The return and a new chapter

Shaun Ellis had a hard time going back to the human world. Seven months passed before he felt comfortable with his kind again. Later, he published a book on the language of wolves and later went to Combe Martin Park, in Devon (England), where, unexpectedly , he came across three orphaned cubs whom he adopted as a mother.

How to raise three little wolves? Shaun Ellis put into practice everything he had learned in his coexistence with wolves, he did not want to tame them, but for them to learn to function in their wild environment. He spent a year and a half caring for the cubs, taught them to howl, fed them by feeding them with his own mouth ; later, he taught them to hunt just as he had learned. He also taught them discipline and hierarchy.

This small community made him their alpha male. When he thought the little wolves were ready, Ellis released them to search for their own. Although he distanced himself from his friends, he has never completely lost track of them. National Geographic magazine learned about her story and made a documentary about her.

Various biologists around the world have expressed their annoyance at Shaun Ellis’ techniques. When they saw the documentary about his life, they called it ‘sensationalist’. Be that as it may, there is no doubt that he is a controversial character and that more than one put his hands to his head when learning his story. But what no one can deny is the enormous effort that this man has made to empathize with the animals he most admires.