Imagine again that you are a mighty gray wolf. You are trotting through the snow with your pack when you sense that a human is nearby. Fear washes over you.
You race across the snow, but you aren’t fast enough—and now a man has something aimed at you.
Click.
You collapse. Everything goes dark. But you are not dead. This human came to help you, not to kill you. It was not a bullet that hit you; it was a dart full of a drug that has put you into a deep sleep.
The man, an expert who studies and cares for wolves, rushes to your side. He and his team weigh you and measure your paws, recording notes that will help them better understand you and your species.
Of course, you don’t know any of this: You are still fast asleep.
When you wake up, the man and his team are gone. You stand, raise your head, and let out a long howl. In the distance, your pack howls back to you.
They are waiting for you to come home.