November 22, 2024 13:22 PM

Man Lives with Wolves: Werner Freund, 'The Wolfman' Dedicates Life to Wolves

To some, German wildlife conservationist Werner Freund may seem like a part-time human, part-time wolf.

Freund, 79, has dedicated his life to observing wolves - but in order to be accepted into their pack, he must act like a wolf himself, Animal Tracks reported. This means that he must howl, bite into animal carcasses and let wolves lick his face.

"To earn their respect, one must become a wolf, and that is what I am to them - their leader," Freund told The Telegraph in December.

Freund operates a wolf sanctuary called the Werner Freund Wolfpark in Merzig, Germany, where he interacts with 29 wolves, divided into six packs.

Whenever Freund is near, the wolves know he's there, because they can smell him, The Telegraph reported. He carries chickens and lamb chunks as he approaches, and the wolves lick him as a reward.

His first step is to assert his dominance over the pack - become the Alpha dog, The Daily Mail reported. To do this, he makes sure that he's always the first to sink his teeth into a hunk of raw meat, while the rest of the pack waits nearby for their turn. Once he has his fill, the other wolves follow and devour their meal.

Freund, formerly in the German military and once a gardener and zookeeper, adopted his first wolves in 1972 with Erika, his wife of 50 years, according to Animal Tracks. Their first wolf, from Yugoslavia, mated with a female wolf - and once their cubs were born, Freund and his wife were obsessed.

It's not possible to domesticate wolves like dogs, Freund said, but he insists there's no reason to fear the animals.

"Fairy tales, that's what gave them a bad name," he told The Telegraph. "Red Riding Hood and all that. These are beautiful animals and the person who says they shouldn't be in the wild might as well not care about what happens to the elephant on the plains of Africa. We are all enriched by their presence, by the simple fact that they are among us."

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