If you’re ever in Ipswich, Massachusetts, you might hear wolves howling, but it's nothing to fret about.
They are the North American grey wolves at Wolf Hollow, and according to the sanctuary's operations manager Kevin Kenny, sometimes the animals change the tone of their voice to hide their numbers.
“Five wolves like this, if they were to do a territorial howl, are going to end up sounding maybe more like 10 or 12," Kenny told NBC10 Boston Monday.
The local nonprofit has been looking after wolves for over 30 years, working to preserve the endangered species and expose people to the apex predator that roamed New England until the 1870s.
“Following European colonization, they were extirpated. It took a while, but they were basically treated as a pest," MassWildlife Biologist Dave Wattles said.
Now, there are just eight wolves currently living on about five acres of land in Ipswich: a family of five, one pack of two and one lone wolf.
“A pack very much functions like a family unit," Kenny explained. "And just like I don't want to live with my brother for my entire life, not every wolf wants to live with their family for their entire life.”
A group of humans who love North American grey wolves are now fighting to keep them alive since federal officials removed the grey wolf from the endangered species list in 2020, which opened them up to hunters. The courts reversed that move two years later, with the exception of the Northern Rocky Mountains, where 80% of the U.S. population currently lives.
“This is creating some pretty devastating impacts," Kenny said. "It's actually estimated that just last year, 20% of the wolves lost in Yellowstone National Park were killed in the state of Montana through their legal hunting and trapping seasons.”
Wolf Hollow is holding a virtual 5K to raise funds during Wolf Awareness Week. Anyone can register to walk or run between Oct. 15 through Oct. 21.
