Wild About James Bay

Wild about James Bay

He was walking along the streets of Victoria and into beautiful James Bay. A first time visitor, he felt his weary soul invigorated by the sea wind and gulls, the lovely gardens of fresh water,  peacocks and ducks.  He was looking to relocate to James Bay, a big move for him.

For the past 7 years he lived alone on his small island located across from Oak Bay.  He didn’t play but liked going to the Victoria Golf Course at sunset to take in the fresh sea air and catch the sunset. He had kept his distance from people, though secretly he longed for social interaction.  Is this why he left his home? 

He cherished his solitary life the rugged island he calls home, a fantastic place of nature.   Hiking, fishing and  hunting were his passion. A life lived in harmony with birds, fish and seals.  Occasionally, sail boats would arrive and he would run to the beach and observe them from afar. Lately when they left, sailing back to the Oak Bay Marina, a loneliness would imbue him. He was getting older.  He needed a change. He needed to meet someone.  After so many years of living alone, one day he left his home and headed to  James Bay determined to find the one, maybe near Fisherman’s Wharf, or in Beacon Hill park.  He was wild about James Bay looking and looking for his soulmate.

***

When Cindy answered the knock at her door, she was surprised to see two officers. They had come to warn her not to go outside. Normally James Bay is a very safe neighbourhood. But danger lurked nearby they said.  Cindy heard a commotion and looked out the window into her backyard. Astonished she saw a massive wolf there. The poor wolf looked exhausted.   The officers surrounded him and effectively tranquilized him.  He was carried away.  Later we all learned that it was the lone wolf that lived on Discovery Island for many years, on the traditional territory of the Salish people. The wolf lived alone on Discovery Island, often spotted by people from their sail boats. A golfer saw him once from afar, everyone insisted that it was a dog, a Husky.  But over the years, the wolf who was allowed to live on the Island and posed no danger to human’s was an exceptional creature who taught himself to fish and hunt seals.  Many species of birds and eagles became attracted to this island because of the wolf’s catch.  In Victoria, people reported seeing a very big wolf walking in the urban streets.  He trekked nine kilometres from the Urban Star Gazing Beach to James Bay, unnoticed practically. Until exhausted, the wolf found refuge in Cindy’s yard in James Bay.  The officers found him behind Cindy’s husband’s man cave and the fence.  Cindy and many people in James Bay and around Victoria,  are happy to know that the lone wolf  was released somewhere in the wild on Vancouver Island.  Watch him as he walks away into freedom and the place that we hope he will meet his soulmate.

Great story on Check News about Kanai the wolf on Discovery Island, British Columbia  January 2020

Watch: A solitary wolf living against the odds off Vancouver Island | The Nature of Things