Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Cute alert: Meet Westchester's newest wolf



South Salem's Wolf Conservation Center is grooming a new pup to teach others about wolves.


Nikai, a 7-week-old gray wolf pup at the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, doesn't have much to say right now, except for a few whimpers.

But the young canine, whose saucer-sized feet indicate his future size, will soon be a spokesman for his kind.

The pup is comfortable around adults and children, can ride in a car and walk at the end of a leash, said Maggie Howell, the center's executive director. That makes him a prime candidate to become a traveling wolf ambassador. Along with teaching those who visit the center, he could head to classrooms, festivals and other events to spread his message. "He's going to be helping us teach people about the importance and plight of his wild kin," she said on Monday as Nikai made a public debut of sorts on the center's lawn.

Nikai was born at a private breeder in Nevada and will be one of four current ambassador wolves at the center. His role will be an important one, Howell said, as lawmakers, conservationists, hunters and ranchers, especially out West, continue to clash over the animals' future.

Gray wolves in the Northern Rockies were removed from the endangered species list in 2012 and the federal government has proposed delisting the species across the contiguous U.S., a move opposed by wolf advocates

For more information, visit www.nywolf.org.

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