Some animals are commonly kept as pets, like cats, dogs, and hamsters. Then there are more exotic ones, like parrots, snakes, and hedgehogs. And then there are these rare occasions when people keep pets like Kira. Kira is a wolf. She was abandoned by her mother when she was 3 days old and couldn't survive in the wild because of that.
Thankfully, a Russian woman named Alida decided to take her in, raise her, and train her so she could have another chance in life. Alida had to work hard to domesticate Kira. Wolves are scared of new things, so a lot of socialization was needed. Kira met with grownups, kids, and other animals. She went to all sorts of places and now she's a fully domesticated wolf that wouldn't hurt anyone.
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Kira was born in a shelter after her domesticated mom was abandoned by her family
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Sadly, Kira and her siblings were not accepted by their mother and the shelter had to figure out what to do
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"Kira's mom used to live with a family, but they didn't manage to take care of her and she ended up in a nursery. She no longer trusts people. Kira was born in the same nursery. If released into the wild, there's a high probability she will die since no one taught her to hunt. Kira's mother abandoned her babies when they were 3 days old and in the nursery, so they were fed by hand. And I took her away as soon as Kira got stronger and also first fed her with milk."
The staff hand-fed the little fellas so they could get all the nutrition they need, while searching for a permanent home to give them to
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Thankfully, Alida, a Russian citizen, decided to take Kira in because there was no way the little wolf could survive in the wild
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"I took her from the nursery when she was 28 days old. She is smart but very stubborn. When making decisions, she focuses on herself, not me. From the very beginning, I began the process of her socialization. She saw a huge number of dogs, people, and children. We walked in different places so that she could study different smells, hear new sounds. Wolves have an innate neophobia, a fear of everything new. This is a very difficult process, long and tedious, but it is necessary so that Kira can live with me in an urban environment and feel comfortable."
Alida took Kira in when she was 28 weeks old. Continued to care, feed and teach her to be as domesticated as possible
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"Upbringing, too, had its problems, but with age, it all goes away and the work bears fruit—Kira has a stable and mild psyche, does not react to aggression from other dogs, and does not provoke conflicts herself. She treats children very carefully and if the child is afraid of her, she doesn't approach him."
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Alida socialized her. Kira met lots of people, dogs and went on all sorts of adventures, so she would be used to the modern world and wouldn't be scared of her surroundings
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Image credits: she.s.a.wolf
Image credits: she.s.a.wolf
"On the street, people generally react with curiosity, ask to be photographed, ask if it is dangerous to live with a wolf, and especially when there's a child at home (I have a 7-year-old son, Bogdan.)"
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Kira is now 1 years old and is an amazing domesticated wolf
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Kira lives with the family in their home with a 7-year-old boy which she loves dearly and treats with lots of love and care
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Alida mentioned that they always get approached by curious passerby's and asked many questions about what's it like living with a wolf
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"In real life, people react quite normally, because Kira is very friendly and doesn't instill fear in people. But on the internet, people are both angry and stupid, they write different things. Especially after a series of reports about us, there were a lot of reports that I was acting very stupidly since I kept a predatory animal at home."
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Kira is fully domesticated after lots and lots of hard work and training
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She is always very careful and gentle around children. If someone is afraid of her, she doesn't approach them
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Image credits: she.s.a.wolf
Image credits: she.s.a.wolf
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Kira doesn't react if other dogs provoke her and is always calm and collected
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Image credits: she.s.a.wolf
Image credits: she.s.a.wolf
Kira is loved and taken care of by her amazing family. If they hadn't taken her in, she probably wouldn't be alive right now
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"We live with her, breaking people's stereotypes about wolves. Is it difficult to educate such a beast competently? Highly. But I knew what I was going for: before taking her, I studied a lot of articles and information, communicated with wolf owners and kennels."
Image credits: she.s.a.wolf