MUZZLE TO MUZZLE III

April 4th 1999, and a very special day for me had come. Not only was it my 25th birthday, but it was also my first chance to see the cubs since last June. It would also be, supposedly, the first agricultural show that I had been to with the wolves. This involved getting up rather early in the morning, a task made worse by the fact I'd been playing Paintball the day before and my muscles were stiff and tired. Still, the excitement helped divert attention away from the discomfort I headed over to Butlers Farm to help pick up the wolves.

I arrived to find the wolves being taken across to their trailer in which they were to be transported to the show, which would be best described as a wolf sized horsebox. We were to take the three timberwolf females Kenai, (the eldest) Duma, and Dakota (the two "cubs"). Because it was the breeding season the male timberwolf Kodiak was to be left behind, since he was currently isolated from the rest of the pack to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. This of course was making him rather grumpy and so unsuitable for public interaction.

After a token protest from the wolves, they were taken inside the trailer. Once inside we all headed out to Highclere Castle for the show. We were to be followed by the rest of the volunteers in an assortment of vehicles, including a Discovery with the travel enclosure on a trailer behind it.

The wolves were the first to arrive much to the consternation of the Highclere Castle's Groundsman, this was because there was no show that weekend. There had been a mistake with the show's agent and the dates were confused, so we were forced to turn around and head back to the farm.

The wolves were returned to their enclosure and after unloading all the merchandise and the travel enclosure, we went over to visit them. My first impression was of how big the two "cubs" Duma and Dakota had become in the past ten months, they were now the same size as Kenai who was a year older. Wolves are not as large as some people would think, they appear bigger simply because they have longer legs in proportion to their bodies than most domesticated dog breeds. Their very impressive thick fur coats further exaggerated this.

I was also given the chance to observe the various different personalities of the wolves when one of the volunteers hooked a hose pipe over the pool inside the enclosure. The running water fascinated Duma and Dakota, and they started to wade though the pool to snap at the running water. They also kept looking under that water, to see if anything underneath was causing all the splashing water on the surface. Kenai was more aloof however, and only once came to the pool edge to see what the fuss was about. Although the three females get on together, Duma and Dakota spend most of their time together while Kenai will go off to do her own thing from time to time.

In the next enclosure were the three European wolves Apollo, Athena and Luna, who were distant as always since they were less accustomed to human company. However they were less weary this time and I was able to get a better look at them. With their winter coats, they looked less fox like and their coloration seemed less red than last time as well. They looked more like their timberwolf counterparts, but retained their more rusty coloured fur around the head.

Finally came Kodiak who was in the smaller enclosure for the duration of the breeding season. Frustrated as he was, it came as no surprise that he took an immediate dislike to my presence. While a couple of the handlers could scritch Kodiak though the fencing, Kodiak would glance sideways at me whenever I attempted to scritch his back. It was not long before Kodiak attempted to intimidate me by going for my hand. Quick reactions saved my hand, but it was a strong reminder that although wolves are not the savage killers that humanity fears they are neither a large dog that can be tamed either. Wolves are powerful animals who deserve the respect and admiration that their skill and prowess deserve. Kodiak continued to attempt to intimidate me by pouncing at the fencing or forcing his muzzle between the wire meshes, however he was not overly aggressive and never growled or raised his tail.

The visit ended for me with a trip to the local pub, for a meal with the rest of the volunteers. They were to walk to wolves afterwards but alas I had to catch the train home, and so I had to make my goodbyes. My only regret is that I never managed to get any of the visit on film, hence the reason for there being no photos on this page. But my thanks go to everyone on that day for allowing me to spend time with the wolves.