Never Cry Wolf Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 20 Summary

Chapter 20 Summary

Ootek tells Mowat that the strange behavior of the wolves towards the caribou is not out of the ordinary and that both the caribou and the wolves are aware that a caribou can outrun a wolf. Therefore, the wolves are forced to take test runs at the caribou in order to weed out the weaker members, who, because of their age, are generally fawns. Ootek says, "the caribou feeds the wolf, but it the wolf who keeps the caribou strong. We know that if it were not for the wolf there would soon be no caribou at all, for they would die as weakness spread among them." This theory is proven to Mowat after he observes numerous wolf hunts where, knowing the percentage of weak individuals to be higher, the wolves go after herds of does and fawns. Mowat learns a good deal about the hunting habits of wolves. They...
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