I’ve always found it interesting to observe how some people will react so differently to the same situation, based solely on that person’s upbringing, life experiences and background.

A good example happened a few years ago when a passer-by on the highway pulled into my driveway, came up to the house and asked me if I owned the cattle by the road. When I responded that I did, he commenced to tell me that he thought the cow closest to the highway was in severe distress and might be dying.

I rushed to the location, with the young man right behind me, to discover it was just a cow giving birth to a calf. I explained what was going on and that I would keep an eye on her. I told the man her behavior was normal (other than not seeking the privacy of the timbered area) and that it usually takes an hour or so for the process to complete. I thanked him for his concern, and we both went our separate ways.

A few years before that, I was visiting a friend in a large city when he warned me to not wear certain colored clothing when I was walking through the downtown area, because certain colors could incite some urban gangs to attack me. Since the only "gang" colors I was familiar with were 4-H green and FFA blue, I was flabbergasted, but I heeded his experienced advice.

This brings me to the news of last week: the mystery unfolding in northern California.

An entire pack of seven gray wolves are missing, and the California Fish and Wildlife Department has no idea where they have gone. The department relocated a pair to a rural ranching county in the state three years ago to become the first gray wolves to roam the Golden State since the last one was killed in 1924. But now, they are nowhere to be found.

There is no evidence to suggest the wolves have moved to a different geographic location, and officials have been unable to find any remains of the animals to suggest that their demise might have been caused by disease or poisoning. As one of the officials from the department put it, “Quite frankly, we are baffled.”

The last line of the news article stated that the wolves have not been seen for more than one year. In fact, the last time they were observed was when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife investigated a local rancher’s complaint that the wolves had attacked, killed and eaten one of his half-grown steers. Their investigation confirmed, through DNA testing, that the wolves had, indeed, been the culprits, and the rancher was reimbursed for the value of the steer.

When I read this news article to my wife, out loud and over supper, she looked at me and grinned. “Oh, my," she said, "that is baffling.”

Crownover writes from Missouri.