We have a winner for the June design!
First and foremost, I want to thank all of those who voted. I'm very excited that the wolf is the winner. Not that long ago I read the narrative non-fiction book The American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee and learned a bit more about wild wolves in Yellowstone, their reintroduction to the park and all that they've had to go through over the years.
I find wolves are a bit like sharks, although perhaps they have it a bit more difficult. They are demonized and have been so in fictional literature, in the press, and well, they are perceived as dangerous and as pests. When they actually have such an important role in the ecosystem, which is one reason they were reintroduced to Yellowstone after they had been completely eradicated in early 1900. The park suffered in their absence, greatly.
If you haven't already, I highly recommend that you read it. It's really well written, it's informative from all perspectives and it paints a clear picture of what wildlife suffers due to bureaucracy. I'm also warning you, you might shed a tear or two.
If you didn't get a chance to vote this time, don't worry, I will be running these twice a year (I already did the first one for 2021 for June). The second voting time will be at the end of October/early November for the animal design for December, right in time for Christmas! :-)
There's also a contest to win something from the store with the new design for those who participated. It'll be fun!
I can't wait to portray these beautiful creatures as they deserve and put it on a ton of different merch.
If you aren't already, I encourage you to follow me on IG to check out the process and any other giveaways, updates or anything to do with the store and my work.
Thank you for reading!