Wolves - Page 1

Yesterday went to Wolf Hollow in Ipswich Mass.   www.wolfhollowipswich.com   I would recommend that anyone that lives near a Wolf sanctuary take the time to make a visit.

The thing that I remeber most is the heirarchy system within a Wolf pact is cast in iron.  The Alpha male is the undisputed leader of the pack.  But the pecking order is cast in stone.   The Alpha Beta Omega and the rest of the Wolves in the pack.

Wolf Hollow brought in an dominant female because the Alpha female was getting old and couldn't have pups that did not work out at all the new female took advantage of the older Alpha female and made her life miserable.  The new arrival almost killed the Alpha male in a fight.  The new female now lives in a separate area because she is such a self cenetered and aggresive Wolf.

Some of the things I learned was our dog's are definitly decendants from the Wolf and the cloest breed of dog to a Wolf is  Collie followwed by the German Shepherd.   They take the pups aweay from the mother at 5 days old so they will have human imprinting.           If someone is sick they don't let them in the Wolf's enclosure.       The Wolves are fed mostly road kill deer. if that is not aviable they get sides of beef.

They went over the history of the Wolf and man's inhumane treatment of the Wolf.  They said that once a Wolf is brought up and raised in captivity they can't be released back into the wild.   But I just had this feeling watching this Wolf pack that they would love to go back into the wild and participate in their own hunt for their own food.

Wolves are very interesting. We used to have a sanctuary here in PA, The Lobo Wolves of Cane, until someone threw acid into the face of the alpha female. I believe they are now in the PNW.

I also have Alaskan Malamutes and we have always been taught that this breed is the least removed from the wolf both physically and socially. Never heard that it was the collie. or the GSD. All dogs come from wolves.  Certainly a Malamute looks much more like a wolf than any other breed of dog I know and has suffered for that. Often when Mals are picked up by animal control they are automatically branded wolves or hybrids and killed. Some agencies refuse to release them to their owners saying it it not legal to own a wolf or a wolf hybrid. Even the AKC papers and expert testimony has not saved some. Recently a rescue for hybrids had the misfortune of having some of their "dogs" escape, a few were thought to be purebred Mals or Mal x wolf hybrids I believe. These dogs were shot on sight by animal control. This happened where else, the great state of California.  Looking like a wolf is of no benefit to any breed in the USA today.

It looks like the Bush administration is going to take the Wolf off the protedted list and put it on the endangered species list that means they will be able to be hunted again.  Quite a few western states are really pushing for this.    In Alaska they are hunted they actually hunt Wolves from helicopters.  I guess we won't be happy till we totally get rid of the Wolf in the lower 48 again.

We have a wolf sanctuary here in the U.K. I have visited twice, and the thing i will never forget is those eyes, amazing, full of wildness.  Also the feeling that although the wolves were happy to be watched and admired, they were merely tolerating the humans, fantastic experience. I was also saddened to see them in captivity, no matter how well meaning.

There has been some talk over the years of reintroducing wolves in the British Isles,  but one wonders what their fate would be?  They could never be allowed to be truly wild, as they should be, and if their lives were to consist of merely avoiding man, and not being allowed to hunt, i would rather not see them introduced at all.