There is a new pack leader at Longleat

Sunday, 27 August 2023 01:00

Longleat keepers are hoping the arrival of a male wolf will create a new wolf dynasty at the Wiltshire Safari Park.

Terry, a six-year-old European wolf, is settling in well to his new home in Longleat’s Wolf Wood and has already established a close relationship with his potential mate, Meg.

The pair have been gradually introduced to each other over a period of weeks and have now been released into their own territory.

“We are so excited to have Terry join Meg in Wolf Wood. He has a funny little character, and immediately bonded with her when they were first introduced,” said Lead Keeper Kayleigh Smith.

“He has a lovely relationship with his keepers and has settled into his new routine perfectly. He’s doing all the right things for him and Meg to hopefully have a family in the near future. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the pair,” she added.

Wolves live in a highly complex social structure, and each individual has particular personality traits which lend well to working together as a pack.

In the wild the pack depends on this close cooperation for survival, both in hunting and in raising offspring.

Wild wolves were eradicated from most of Western Europe in the 19th century and they have been extinct throughout the UK for more than 250 years.

Following a number of reintroduction programmes the wild wolf population in Europe is now thought to be around 12,000 ranging over 28 countries.

There are established packs in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain and Italy with numbers also on the rise in parts of France and Germany. In 2011 wolves were also reported in Belgium and the Netherlands.

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