The Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) in South Salem, New York, is an environmental educational center. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit teaches about wolves, including their environmental relationships and how humans can protect their future. The sanctuary houses several wolves in a natural environment. They are serious about safeguarding the animals, but it doesn’t stop them from laughing when a gray wolf lets out a silly, operatic howl.
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Nikai and Silas are “Ambassador Wolves” for the WCC. The operatic duo, with Nikai on lead and Silas adding backup vocals, howl for various reasons. Although most people are convinced that wolves howl at the moon, that is a myth. Howls are a gray wolf’s main form of communication with other wolves within its pack.
Although wolves frequently howl at night, these typically signal a rally to gather for a hunt or social reasons. Howls are also a marker for territorial marking. Each wolf has a unique howl. These Canadian/Rocky Mountain Gray Wolves are animal ambassadors for the species. The WCC raises them from pups to help children and adults understand wild wolves. The staff and volunteers work with the wolves daily using a variety of enrichment activities and challenges.
The ambassadors will never live “free” in the wild, but the WCC strives to provide them with a natural environment. This allows the wolves to participate as a pack and live normally. They enable visitors to see wolves in a natural habitat being wolves, even if that means howling to hear the chorus of their voices.
As Nikai howls, it almost sounds operatic. “O sole mio-o-o-o-o…” It’s not quite Maestro Luciano Pavarotti, but it’s close. Communication is the main reason wolves howl, but sometimes they howl to sing.
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