Unbroken Relationships (B&W)

Unbroken relationships… we all have them. Our lives are composed of relationships and to have one remain unbroken is profound. In Wood Buffalo National Park, one of the outstanding universal values that contributes to the UNESCO World Heritage Site status, is the unbroken relationship between wolves and bison. This photograph captured the first time I witnessed the two directly interact. The bison charged down the road toward the lone wolf standing boldly in front of them. The bison came within 50 m of the wolf before the bulls moved to the front of the herd and the calves to the back. I expected the herd to run straight through the wolf; instead, they came within five meters of it, before turning abruptly into the woods. As if the wolf had been shepherding the herd, it waited until the last bison stepped off, then followed. What happened next is only known to the wolf and bison.