Member-only story
The Challenges and Barriers to Rewilding
As illuminated by Charlotte McConaghy’s Once There Were Wolves
Set in Scotland, McConaghy’s fictional novel Once There Were Wolves depicts two problems plaguing today’s society. Violence and environmental degradation. The story is dark, shocking, and gritty, and what should be an uplifting event is flipped upside down and made deeply depressing.
The main character, Inti Flynn, leads a team tasked with reintroducing wolves to the Highlands. Early on, you meet Inti’s twin sister, Aggie, who, after experiencing trauma, is a shell of her former self and dependent on Inti more days than not to complete basic tasks, like getting out of bed, moving around the house, and getting dressed. She lives in fear and refuses to leave the house.
There are also fourteen wolves counting on Inti and her team to release them successfully. One of many challenges to the project is the locals, who don’t want the wolves threatening the safety of their community or livestock. No matter how Inti presents the benefits of reintroducing the wolves and how extensively she explains the limited risks, few people support the conservation initiative. Many tell Inti and her team that their ancestors worked hard to rid the Highlands of wolves, intentionally hunting the predators to extinction.
