As dusk falls once again over Tierpark Berlin, so the howls return – two Eurasian wolves, Rinda and Wotan, have been living in Friedrichsfelde for two weeks now. Rinda was born on 30 May 2011 in Wrocław, Poland. Wotan comes from Pilsen in the Czech Republic and is three years younger than his new sweetheart. The two were allowed to finally meet each other today – up until now, only the smells from the neighboring stall were known to each other. The new outdoor enclosure in the Tierpark was also thoroughly investigated. Each tree and every bush had to be sniffed at and marked first of all. The more dominant Rinda clearly shows a better ability to lead, determined to repeatedly pinch Wotan on the leg – but it's all playful. This is how the hierarchy is maintained!
After the last two wolves remaining in the Tierpark Cosmo and Mädchengesicht were put to sleep in February 2015 due to their advanced age, Rinda and Wotan will hopefully soon get down to making some cute offspring: Wolves are pack animals and are very social, living in family units – therefore we hope that Rinda and Wotan will get down to action as soon as possible.
The wolf was completely wiped out in Germany by the beginning of the 20th Century due to human intervention. It took nearly a century until the first animals migrated into Saxony from Poland in 1998 and took up the task of resettling their species there. The wolf population has increased steadily since then – over 30 packs now live in the states of Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
This is an enormous success for the conservation of the species. Keeping livestock in these regions, however, has been met with some challenges: Wolves are predators, mainly hunting roe, wild boar and deer. It isn't unusual for wolves to go for livestock such as sheep and goats from time to time. In addition, small mammals such as hares, rabbits as well as foxes, birds, fruit and carrion occasionally find their way onto the menu. A varied mix that provides this enduring runner with an abundant amount of energy to romp through the woods and forests at electric speed.
European wolves grow up to 160 centimeters in length and have a weight of approx. 40 kilograms. Like all canine creatures, the animals have five toes on the front and four on the rear paws. Their "call" is their defining characteristic: This is to differentiate from animal to animal, strengthen the cohesion of the pack, mark the territory and aid the search for a partner. We will see in the next few weeks whether Wotan's call also makes any impression on Rinda…
"We are pleased that Rinda and Wotan have got along so well and so quickly and that wolves are back living in the Tierpark. If the acclimatization continues to show such promise, then we can hopefully count on some offspring in May 2017", comments Tierpark Director Dr. Andreas Knieriem.
