Wolf Conservation Center Welcomes Nikai

The Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) in South Salem, New York opened in 1999 and has been an advocate for the wolf and a center for their nourishment ever since. The goal of the center is to educate people about the importance of the animal in maintaining balance and stability in the environment.

In order to spread the message about the wolves and to keep them off the endangered species list, the conservation center uses "ambassador wolves" that will be in close contact with thousands of people through their lifetime, as they entertain and educate those who are lucky enough to seem them.

One of the newest ambassador wolves is named Nikai, and he is just seven weeks old. While he is just a 10 pound puppy now, by this time next year, he should be a full grown adult weighing about 80 pounds. Nikai is just beginning his ambassador training, by becoming  become more comfortable around people and traveling to new and interesting places.

The executive director of the WCC, Maggie Howell, sees a bright future for him as she thinks Nikai is "curious about people," "is very social" and "does better in larger groups." Nikai lives at the WCC with about 20 other wolves, three of whom will be joining him in the ambassador program. The rest of the wolves at the WCC, such as the Mexican Gray Wolf, are often in captivity in order to help them expand their population before being released back into their natural habitat.

While wolves are naturally shy creatures and do not have much interaction with humans in the wild, they still are seen as violent and vicious animals that cause nothing but trouble. Due to this, wolves had been hunted near extinction before the 1973 Endangered Species Act helped to keep their population afloat.

The wolf has since been removed from the endangered species list in states such as Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Unfortunately, the removal from the list has resulted in the legalization of hunting wolves in these states. This Catch-22 puts the wolves in the precarious situation of seeing their population increase, along with increased threats to their existence from hunters.  

By visiting Nikai and his friends, you can learn about the importance of wolves and how they can be helped.  Nikai will be on display this summer at the WCC as well as at museums in the area. If you want to see Nikai, or any of the other ambassador wolves, visit the WCC's website at nywolf.org. They may not be the Dire Wolves from Game of Thrones, but they are still worth a visit and some attention.

Photo: Ambassador Wolf Pup Nikai by Rebecca Bose