A Wild Connection

Namaste' to all fellow earth aliens! leaving off from the last post I wanted to post here a few pics taken during easter long of Mandy and the wolves. Enjoy

Arctic wolf puppy Eco Soul Journey kisses Mandy, Eco will be a year old may 1st. This is the first time Eco had met Mandy as she had not been out for a year prior to this 4 day stay. Mandy with Eco and Legend
If wolves can look GOOFY, this takes the cake, Legend was trying to scent roll on HER HAND! and as you can see in ecstacy. One thing wolves LOVE to do is (play/test/challenge) Some wolf experts (Klinghammer, Wolf Park) believe that wolves do not play, that what "looks like" play is really testing, that is preparing them for adulthood, and all the hardships that will entail. I tend to concur, I have not witnessed wolves PLAY the way dogs do. There is a lot more seriousness to what they do, and there's typically always a REASON as to WHY they are doing it too. Oh the stories I can tell as to what leads me to concur with that belief.

Eco is consistently testing/putting up challenges towards Legend, and this pic below is one of them. She TRIES to set me up to take the bait too, but I know what the sneaky devil is doing, and don't fall for it. She will seem like she is actually playing fetch with you but when she brings it back she wants you to try and take it from her, (I'll trade her for it only) or she will drop it, and almost dare you to go and get it. She can move FAST so if I know there is no way I can get to that stick, to throw it for her before she does. I don't bother, it's a set up to lose her test, as she will immediately run for it before I can get it. Only if she is far enough away, and she THINKS I have no interest in that stick, (that's the key) can I then grab it up and continue our game.

Tests continuously occur between wolves, and just because your a human, and they know your not one of them, does not mean they won't test you as well. It is important to stay a step ahead of wolves in captive environments, as any little tests not perceived as such when the pups are young, (considered merely PLAY to caretakers, when it may not be) could eventually turn into more serious challenges, when that pup grows up. It is good to meet everything they do including the tests, with careful and respectful consideration, head on.

Throwing in a picture of the owner of a photography studio that came out here in March with his daughter

Legend getting dozy above Mandy tired him out!

Sweet dreams legend, you can barely see his tongue but he fell asleep while licking the ice and it is still sticking out