Some Bonds Don't Fade

Gray wolves are highly social animals that live in close-knit packs, communicating constantly through body language, scent and vocalizations like howls, whimpers and growls. Pack members groom each other, play together, cooperate on hunts and help raise pups. Wolves that are raised and socialized by people from a very young age, often at sanctuaries, research centers or wildlife parks, can form strong, lasting bonds with their caretakers and greet them with the same enthusiasm they'd show a returning pack member. Many viral clips of people hugging "wolves" actually show sanctuary animals or wolfdogs, which are wolf and dog mixes. Wild wolves, on the other hand, are naturally wary of humans and usually avoid people entirely. Keeping wolves or wolfdogs is restricted or banned in many places, since they need huge amounts of space, specialized care and experienced handling throughout their lives.