Out & About January 2017

“They came to see what it was and found the film set. That made people take a bit more notice and the village has now really taken to them.” More than a decade later and a conversation with Dr Erich Klinghammer, the founding director of Wolf Park in the US, planted a seed for Roger and Tsa to create something more with their pet wolves. So, in 1995 the couple formed the UK Wolf Conservation Trust from their Beenham farm. It is a not-for-profit organisation that relies heavily on its more than 70 volunteers and aims to enhance conservation, aid research and promote public awareness of wolves. Sadly, Roger died 12 years ago but Tsa, along with her three children, an army of volunteers and her full-time wolf keeper, Mike Collins, has kept his vision alive and has so far ploughed around £300,000 into conservation projects around the world. “It was just a hobby and it was going to stay that way,” she adds. “But the interest in wolves has increased and the European countries have become a lot more joined-up in their conservation, so wolves are now more wide- spread than they used to be. “The Wolf Trust is the shop window for raising money and giving it to conservation projects around the world.” The trust also runs education programmes for schools and supports research by offering work experience for university students, sponsoring a PhD student and funding the purchase of equipment, such as camera traps. They have even hosted the wedding reception of two students who met during a work experience placement there. There are currently 10 wolves at the trust, including three that were born there in 2011. The Beenham Pack, as the siblings are known, were the second set of cubs to be born at UKWCT. The first arrived in 1999 and were the first European wolves to be born in the UK since they became extinct in the mid-18th-century, after years of generous rewards being offered for the killing of these predatory animals. It is with the Beenham Pack that visitors can now enjoy a walk with wolves. “We couldn’t do our walking with the wolves without our volunteers,” says Tsa. “On a typical weekend walk we will have around 20 members of the public joining us. People can get very close and take a lot of photos. “The wolves behave as they would normally, interacting with each other, pouncing if they

see a frog or rolling in a scent.” Other events hosted by the trust include photography days, wolf discovery days and children’s activities. The children’s days allow youngsters to create an enrichment toy for the wolves. This involves hiding food inside a Christmas cracker for example and then placing it in the enclosure for the wolves to discover. Around 10,000 people visit the trust each year, attending one of these specialist days or going along on a Wednesday, when the doors are now flung open to the public to come and see the wolves. On these days there are volunteers on hand to speak to visitors. “I hope that visitors gain a lot of knowledge during these days,” says Tsa, who admits that the ‘very beautiful’ Torak is her favourite wolf. “At zoos you don’t get that personal insight that our volunteers can offer. “What is unique here is that, because we only have wolves, we can spend time talking to people who will hopefully go away with knowing more about these animals.” Tsa and her wolves have come a long way from that first date when she met the three- month-old My Lady. And, as if genetically engineered into them, her children also share her passion for animals, with one daughter now working at London Zoo. Two of her children visited Ethiopia last year, to see for themselves where the money the trust sends is being spent and she says that one of her daughters is aiming to visit all of the projects the UKWCT supports. “I never thought it would end up like this,” Tsa adds. “It gives me real enjoyment to see people’s reactions. During the open Wednesdays it’s lovely to see a child who is very taken with the wolves. “Recently I met a family who had come from Holland and their whole summer holiday had been completely focused on coming here. “I can take the wolves for granted, but I feel quite humble when people come so far and they seem very moved and happy to be here. “I am very proud of it all.” in 1995 the couple formed the UK Wolf Conservation Trust from their Beenham farm

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