Home Page / Wolf Centre / Adopt-a-Wolf Membership / WWUK Wolves / Join Wolf Watch UK / Visiting The Sanctuary / Payments & Donations / Contact Us / Wolf Videos / Q&A / History / Wilderness Goods For Sale / Notice Board / Meet The Team / What People Have Said / Photography Days / Links / Wolf News / Loopy Files / Notes From Tony / Wolf Learning Course Logic suggests that as you get older there should be a significant reduction in the number of 'firsts' in your life. However, I've experienced 3 in the last few months and they were all good. It began with the arrival of our latest wolf named Callow. She arrived 12 weeks ago, a beautiful looking animal around 3 and a half years having been involved in a dominance fight with other members of her pack and as a result of injuries, placed in isolation for 4 months. Hierarchy challenges are the most common reason behind wolves being transferred here, but this is the first time I have been able to confidently enter the enclosure of such an animal within a few days of their arrival sit down on the floor and have the animal gently taking biscuits from my hand. This behaviour by a non socialised wolf from a safari park is extraordinary to say the least. To achieve a high degree of human socialisation with a wolf the animal needs to be hand reared from around 8 to 14 days old and continued for 3 months, once this period has passed the degree of attainable socialisation reduces dramatically. The simple explanation in this case may well be linked to the kindly attention given to it by park staff in the period of isolation following injury in confined circumstances. Its 'flight instinct' would have been reduced and the association of food being supplied by humans given more clarity. Being the beneficiary of such circumstances was a good start to the relationship and a definite first. The second first was more of a surprise and not without amusement. There is a good population of tawny owls around WW which can be heard in the woods and around the house especially in Autumn. So I don’t know whether the following was down to an individual or there was multiple responsibility. In the second half of October for around 2 weeks and usually in mid afternoon Madadh would give a long mournful howl which was immediately followed by the hooting of an owl. This in turn triggered off the response of a second owl in a different location which prompted more wolves to join in the chorus. Without any discernable pattern the contributors reversed the order punctuated by a short period of silence and the game repeated itself sometimes for several minutes at a time - a genuine wolf h-owl perhaps? Finally, the third first, in a way, closely related with the second and another example of the interconnectivity of nature. Sitting just inside the wood I watched a fox on the opposite south facing slope making its way down hill, threading its way through the deer who took not a bit of notice. Halfway down it stopped, listened for a while, seemed to scent the air then barked the unmistakeable cry of a dog fox attempting to connect with a mate. Having lived near or in a wood for most of my life, I've heard this call many times, but simultaneously witnessing sight and sound was a first. The connection with the second? Well this call also triggered off a wolf response which I interpreted as a straight forward 'Clear off, this territory belongs to us.' Tony, Wolf Centre Director Past Notes From Tony - July 2010 Past Notes From Tony - February 2010 Past Notes From Tony - September 2009   Email WWUK Photography by Chris Cray / Tony Haighway © Wolf Watch UK Home Page / Wolf Centre / Adopt-a-Wolf Membership / WWUK Wolves / Join Wolf Watch UK / Visiting The Sanctuary / Payments & Donations / Contact Us / Wolf Videos / Q&A / History / Wilderness Goods For Sale / Notice Board / Meet The Team / What People Have Said / Photography Days / Links / Wolf News / Loopy Files / Notes From Tony / Wolf Learning Course