Wildwood Trust: New Wolf Cubs at Wildwood

New Wolf Cubs at Wildwood

Visitors to Wildwood were thrilled to be greeted by four adorable wolf cubs as they ventured out for the first time today.

Keepers have been keeping a watchful eye on first time mum, Nuna, as she nursed her cubs over the last three weeks – with state of the art video surveillance, their every move has been monitored and the expert keepers at Wildwood are pleased to say all four cubs are in excellent health.

Our wolf pair were released into their new woodland enclosure at Easter and love has blossomed in the new wolf woodland which was rebuilt and extended this year at the popular Canterbury based rewilding visitor centre.

The two wolves, female Nuna and male Odin are beginning the creation of a new wolf pack and will continue the Wildwood Trust’s mission to educate and champion research into the long-term benefits of rewilding Britain, to bring back flourishing ecological diversity. Wolves are well known as an apex predator and can help shape the ecology of land to help it restore a vast range of wildlife by keeping wild herbivorous numbers in check.

With a dedicated and experienced wolf keeper team behind the scenes, it is hoped that the huge wolf facility will provide the perfect environment for the cubs to blossom and learn the ways of the wolf pack.

Click here to see video of the wolf cubs

Wildwood’s co-founder and Strategic Director Peter Smith said:

"For many centuries, the European grey wolf, Canis lupus, has been a much-maligned animal, persecuted due to fear, hate and misunderstanding. Today, with a new understanding of the wolf, many myths depicting the wolf as a villain have been dispelled and it is coming to be respected as the awe-inspiring animal it truly is."

"It is the Wildwood Trust’s mission to continue to educate and inspire visitors on the facts about this animal, and their arrival to Wildwood cites the beginning of what will be an exciting campaign and research project. Wolves played an incredibly important role in our history, shaping our own evolution, culture and our landscape. It's a great privilege to have these magnificent animals at our Canterbury site to continue to help us tell their story.”

Wildwood’s Director General Paul Whitfield said,

“We’re delighted the wolf cubs are doing well and now visitors to Wildwood can share in their journey as they grow and develop. Our vision is to allow people to immerse themselves inside the new wolf woodland just like our wolf pack. The wolves, Nuna and Odin are a pair from Sweden and Switzerland which match the wolves that once lived in Britain and one day can roam our wild lands again."

High quality images and video footage available on request.

CONTACT

Wildwood Trust: +44(0)1227 712 111

Peter Smith: peter@wildwoodtrust.org or 07986 828229

Dan Farrow: dan.farrow@wildwoodtrust.org or 01227 209617

Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Nr Canterbury, Kent CT6 7LQ

Registered Charity No. 1093702

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ABOUT WILDWOOD

Wildwood Trust opened in 1999 as a centre of excellence for the conservation of British wildlife, and was established as a registered charity in 2002. Wildwood is Kent's best British wildlife park. Home to over 200 native animals, past and present and set in 40 acres of beautiful ancient woodland where visitors can see bears, wolves, bison, deer, owls, foxes, red squirrels, wild boar, lynx, wild horses, badgers and beavers plus many more. As one of the leading British animal conservation charities in the UK, Wildwood Trust is dedicated to saving Britain's most threatened wildlife. Wildwood Trust have taken part in many ground-breaking conservation programmes to date, which include, saving the water vole, using wild horses to help restore Kent's most precious nature reserves, bringing the extinct European beaver back to Britain and returning the hazel dormouse & red squirrel to areas where they have been made extinct.