Brӓga the wolf licking Ellie’s face. (Photo: Ellie Ross)
He’s
looking into my eyes, searching my soul. Inches apart, I’m sure he can
sense my heart pounding and my trembling legs. We’ve only known each
other seconds, but the connection is instant. It’s the most terrifying
first kiss of my life.
But
that’s the thing about an Arctic encounter with a wolf — it’s just as
thrilling as it is unnerving. Brӓga, the alpha male, sniffed me warily
before licking my face with his warm, soft tongue. It was his way of
saying hello to anyone who dared enter the vast enclosure where he lives
with his brothers and sisters.
This remarkable rendezvous took place at Polar Park, the world’s most northerly wildlife park, in Norwegian Lapland.
Winter is the best time to visit, when the wolves are most active. Time
it right, and you could also be rewarded with a swirling Northern
Lights display overhead. As well as wolves, Polar Park is also home to
lynx, brown bears, arctic foxes, moose and reindeer.
Polar Park is also home to beautiful Lynx. (Photo: Ellie Ross)
The sun was shining as I left my base in Narvik, a city known for its alpine skiing, and
as the place the Allies won their first battle against the Nazis in
1940. Despite the spectacular views of fjords and snowy mountains during
the one-hour drive north, my nerves were already on edge.
Then
full-blown fear hit as I entered the park’s reception and came face to
face with a snarling wolf, charging right at me. OK, it was stuffed —
taxidermy eagles, bears and foxes were also dotted around the pine walls
— but its fierce expression was a reminder that this was a very wild
creature, with very sharp teeth. And I was about to attempt to lock lips
with it.
The
sound of “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” crept into my mind,
taunting me about what lay ahead. Then the head animal keeper, Stig
Sletten, walked in and told me to remove my jewelry. “We need to discuss
how to behave inside the enclosure,” he said, handing me overalls and
boots.
Stig
explained that you have to be physically fit to meet the wolves — no
joint injuries, under-18s or pregnant women are allowed. The wolves can
sense if you are pregnant — which, he added, once proved embarrassing
for a 16-year-old who was with her mother.
Another guest getting a kiss at Polar Park. (Photo: Ellie Ross)
Next
he showed me how to enter the enclosure, with hands flat at chest
level, and how to kneel down, leaning forward slightly, to greet the
wolves and receive a kiss. “These wolves are 10 months old so, just like
excited teenagers, they have lots of energy,” he says.
“Make
sure they can always see your hands. If they jump up at you, don’t push
them back. If they make you fall, lie still on the ground. The most
important thing is to stay calm,” he added, as my naturally high stress
levels shot into the stratosphere.
We
crunched through the snow, past lynx being fed horse meat, to the
wolves’ enclosure. And there they were — five of them trotting up
towards us, all wiry fur, piercingly bright eyes and pointed teeth.
“We
have all sorts of visitors, and you never know how they will react
inside,” Sletten said, unlatching the gate. “A group of soldiers who
fought in Iraq were so scared, they only lasted two minutes, but an
85-year-old lady said it was the best thing she’s ever done.”
I
took a deep breath and stepped inside. For a moment, they seemed just
like dogs, scampering about and rolling in the snow. But then they
started snapping and growling at each other, right next to my feet.
“Notice that none of that aggression is directed at us,” Stig assured
me. “They aren’t even looking at you when they fight. Relax.”
Bucket list moment — taking a wolf selfie! (Photo: Ellie Ross)
Stig
explained the reason for running these hourlong wolf encounters,
telling me that it is primarily to enrich the lives of the animals in
captivity, not ours. “Wolves are inherently afraid of humans, so being
in captivity can be stressful,” he said.
“But
these wolves have been reared to socialize with humans. They experience
different smells on different people, which keeps their minds active
and relieves boredom and stress. Being this close also means we can
check them for injuries and monitor their condition.”
Heart
in mouth, I knelt down and received my surprisingly soft and stink-free
kiss from Brӓga. Then Stig asked if I wanted to see something truly
special. I gulped and nodded. We crept the length of around four
football pitches, past trees heavy with snow, with the wolves weaving
between our feet, until we were on a hill overlooking mountains with not
a fence in sight.
A wolf howling (Photo: Ellie Ross)
Cupping
his hands over his mouth, Stig inhaled deeply, then let out a long, low
howl. Within seconds, the wolves responded, until I was standing in the
middle of the pack, as they threw their heads back and sang their
rallying cry together.
Wolves
from the surrounding enclosures joined in, communicating with their
pack mates over slopes of snow. Being so close as they performed such a
natural instinct, I couldn’t help but feel that I had been accepted by
the pack. Hey, I’d even got a kiss.
The canine chorus grew louder and louder until, like my fear, it began to fade, and finally dissolved into the Arctic sky.
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