Romeo came to us in 2023 from the Ventura County animal shelter. He had been purchased as a pet Wolf hybrid. For whatever reason, his people dropped him off at the pound and left. This is hard to even understand because he is such a big hearted, sweet boy. The staff fell in love with him and tried every wolf sanctuary they could find to Place him. Animal Tracks came across his picture in a roundabout way through social media and fell for him too. He now lives with our Coy Wolf hybrid Kiva, he is a mid content hybrid with the brain of a dog, and is full of kisses and snuggles for everyone he comes across.
ORDER: Carnivora
FAMILY: Canidae
GENUS: Canis
SPECIES: Lupus
The wolf is the largest species of the wild dog family. A hybrid wolf happens most of the time from human intervention. A wolf and domesticated dog are purposely bred to create a combined version of the two, mostly for the pet trade. The problem is a wolf does not “domesticate” in one breeding and this can often be very detrimental to the pups, especially once they mature. They have an acute sense of smell and hearing. They travel in packs, about 7 to 8 individuals, with one alpha male and one alpha female. They are most active at sunrise and sunset but prefer to move under the cover of darkness. They do not accept strangers into their pack easily. They are apex predators who’s job it is to keep ecosystems in order and working smoothy. If you would like further info on the wolf, you can check out, “How Wolves Change Rivers”, narrated by Dave Attenborough.
Threats
Habitat loss and fragmentation. Shot on sight for being considered livestock predators.
Conservation Status
LC - Least Concern