Not many people can walk freely with wolves
and the rare few who are able to share such a close and special bond with the
majestic animals are incredibly fortunate. Danielle, a wildlife worker at the
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, is one of those lucky souls.
She has earned the trust and respect of
several timber wolves at the center and as you can see in this awesome video,
they truly seem to love and appreciate her like one of their own!
The large grey wolf seen walking alongside
Danielle in the beginning is named Kekoa, which in Hawaiian means “brave one.”
He's a nine year old Timber wolf who was transferred in from the Seacrest Wolf
Preserve in Florida along with his sister Sakara who is also featured in the
clip. According to the Wildlife Center, Kekoa enjoys giving visitors sweet
kisses and he's exceptionally gentle around them!
It's clear to see that the handsome boy
definitely loves the ladies and watching him interact with Danielle says it
all. He walks with her happily wagging his tail and when she sits down in the
snow he nuzzles her affectionately and bows his head in submission. Then he
starts licking her face enthusiastically, which make seem kind of gross, but
it's actually a further sign of his affection and subordination towards her.
As brave and noble as he looks, he's also a
big baby and I mean real big! He weighs in at 115 pounds and when he places his
front paws up on a persons shoulders he comes in at about 7 feet tall! Check
out the size comparison between Danielle, who happens to be an average sized
adult, and his sister Sakara, who is slightly smaller than her brother and
weighs 85 pounds. Kekoa is huge, yet so sweet and soft!
The best part is when he rolls over on his
back and fully exposes his tummy to Danielle. Not only does this signal that he
wants her to give him belly rubs, it also shows just how much he truly trusts
her.
While he's willing to be completely
vulnerable around Danielle, he's also not a fully wild wolf. In an interview with
The Dodo wildlife center staffer Michelle Smith explained that “Since he was
raised by people and bottle fed from the time he was born, he is very well
socialized, meaning he enjoys the company of people. This is not the same as
domesticated or tame. He is still a ‘wild’ animal, and he does tend to show it
when he is around his sister. A wolf in the wild would not act this way.” To
drive home her point, a healthy and normal wild wolf would never allow a person
to pet them, let alone approach them in the first place. Wolves actively avoid
human contact and prefer to stay well away from us.
This clip just shows how well people and
wolves can get along if given the chance to. They are highly personable and are
a far cry from the wicked, evil animals that they have been portrayed as in
fairy tales and stories over the centuries. In fact, wolves are easily among
the most intelligent, socially complex, and misunderstood animals on Earth.
They have been given a wholly undeserved reputation by people, hunted and
persecuted to near extinction, and yet through it all they've managed to
survive and endure.
Please be sure to check out the Colorado Wolf
and Wildlife Center's beautiful video and see for yourself how sweet natured
and loving they can be!
