SANJAY R SINGHAL, RA ENCOUNTER REPORT AUTUMN 1990 THE WOLF AT THE DOOR ADDENDUM There are several possible explanations to describe what I saw; all are feasible; all are…fantastic. It has been suggested that I encountered, in fact, a DM; 1 I cannot now confirm this. I have no corresponding evidence; I did not take any photographs, nor did I attempt to look for footprints, hairs or other physicals. In 1990, I had never heard of such a creature (nor would I, until the early months of 2012); 2 if anything, I would have thought it a loup-garou, or werewolf. 3 There are numerous accounts of the loup-garou, or werewolf, in Indiana, beginning with reports from the 19th century in Vincennes (Knox County), in the southwest portion of the state. 4 Additional encounters with a strange, wolf or dog-like creature, walking upright on its hind legs, were reported in 2006 in Vernon 5 (Jennings County) and in 2013, in New Salisbury 6 (Harrison County). It is not possible, based upon these reports, to determine what, if anything, these creatures were; nonetheless, their appearance and behaviour are quite similar to my own experience. If I were to base my summation upon these reports alone, I should suggest either a DM or a loup-garou…and still, it seems almost too improbable…and too fantastic. Another suggestion, somewhat based on historical legends, is the Waheela,7 a large, wolf-like cryptid with snow-white fur, reported in Alaska and Canada; a similar creature has been reported in northern Michigan.8 It is reasonable to suggest that I was visited by a white-furred Great Plains Wolf (Canis lupus nubilus);9 this subspecies of Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the most numerous in North America, and their colouring is typically lighter than other wolves.10 However, the US Fish & Wildlife Service does not list any wolf populations in Indiana; the nearest documented populations are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and in Wisconsin as of August 2013. 11 1 I prefer to address this creature by its initials, rather than its full name. 2 For the purposes of this Report, it should be noted that I did, in fact, encounter similar creatures before 2012. However, I did not know what they were; I could not identify them. 3 Folklore, Legends & Tall Tales Authors. Loup-Garou Legends of Old Vincennes. Folklore, Legends & Tall Tales. https://sites.google.com/site/folklorelegendstalltales/loup-garou-legends. Date Unknown. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. 4 Linda S Watts. Loup-Garou. Encyclopaedia of American Folklore. http://www.fofweb.com/History/MainPrintPage.asp?iPin=EAFolk438&DataType=AmericanHistory&WinType=Free. 2006. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. 5 Chris McDaniel. Indiana Werewolves. Strange Indiana. http://strangeindiana.com/indiana-werewolves.php. Date Unknown. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. 6 Charlie Raymond & Karen Moreno Lawyer. New Salisbury, Indiana. Kentucky Bigfoot Research Organisation. http://www.kybigfoot.com/counties/neighboring_states.htm. 9 October 2013. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. 7 Dr Karl Shuker. Witchie Wolves, Medicine Wolves and the Waheela. Shuker Nature. http://karlshuker.blogspot.com/2011/02/witchie-wolves-medicine-wolves-and.html. 16 February 2011. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. 8 Loren Coleman. Dire Wolves, Shunka Warak’ins, and Waheelas. Cryptomundo.com. http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/dire- waheela/. 11 October 2010. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. 9 Barry Holstun Lopez. Of Wolves and Men. New York: Scribner & Sons; 1979. 10 L David Mech. The Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press; 1981. 11 US Fish & Wildlife Service Authors. Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) Current Population in the United States. US Fish & Wildlife Service. http://www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf/aboutwolves/WolfPopUS.htm. 20 August 2013. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. Copyright © 2017 Sanjay R Singhal, RA. All rights reserved. SANJAY R SINGHAL, RA Curiously, in 2003, a Grey Wolf was killed in Randolph County, Indiana; 12 via its ear tag, it was estimated that it had travelled over four hundred miles (400mi, or 644km). 13 The possibility that I encountered an Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus arctos), which presents all-white fur throughout its population, is not considered feasible for this Report, as its habitat is very far to the north (Canada, the Arctic Circle, et al). However, the remoteness of its habitat is also reported to have made it unafraid of humans, as evidenced by historical encounters. 14 Regardless of the species, the behaviour of this creature was truly…remarkable. Wolves typically stalk their prey, and conceal themselves as they approach. 15 They certainly do not stand on their hind legs to look through a window, night after night. These are the…normal…suggestions. They are rational; they are reasonable. While bizarre, the possibility of a wolf returning to my house, night after night, to look in the front door, is not necessarily outlandish; truth, after all, is stranger than fiction. However, would a wolf, regardless of colour, stand on its hind legs, repeatedly, to do so? Moreover, if it was not a wolf…then what was it? 12 Donald Fields. Wisconsin Wolf Turns Up in Indiana. HuntingNet.Com: The Ultimate Hunting Community. http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/midwest/34527-wisconsin-wolf-turns-up-indiana.html. 4 August 2003. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. 13 Citizens Review Online Authors. 400 Mile Journey Not Unusual for Wolves. Liberty Matters News Service. http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/sept_2003/400.htm. 25 September 2003. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. 14 L David Mech. Arctic Wolves and Their Prey. Arctic Theme Page. http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_mech.html. 30 May 2007. Web. Accessed 31 July 2014. 15 Will N Graves. Wolves in Russia: Anxiety through the Ages. Calgary, Alberta: Detselig Enterprises; 2007. Copyright © 2017 Sanjay R Singhal, RA. All rights reserved. .