Striking a pose… there’s nothing to it for the wolves at Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York.
The non-profit organization doesn’t need to pay for fancy professional photographers.
Their wolves pose for photos all on their own. That’s why a photo of a Mexican gray wolf family has gone viral.
The photo op was captured on the Wolf Conservation Center’s trail cam.
These wolves perfectly lined up next to one another on some logs with rainbow-colored foliage in the background.
It was as if a professional posed them. The photo could literally be a print right off one of those cool wolf t-shirts with psychedelic backgrounds.
People who take professional photos of animals know how hard it is to get them to all look at the camera in the same direction at the same time.
Yet, somehow, all six of these gorgeous beasts were staring forward.
Well, except for the one in the middle, which magically still makes the photo work and look just a little bit more badass.
But it’s only part of the family in this photo.
This wolf pack has 11 members, including parents Rosa and Alléno.
Their nine pups were born in the spring of 2018. The viral photo shows Rosa and five of her children.
“The strength of the wolf if family. Wolves are highly social animals that live in well-organized family units called packs (often referred to as “family groups”). Cooperative living gives wolf families a number of benefits – it facilitates successful hunting, pup-rearing, defending pack territory, and more,” the Wolf Conservation Center wrote on Facebook.
Unfortunately, this Mexican gray wolf family is one of only a few in the U.S.
It’s estimated that there are only about 196 Mexican gray wolves in the country.
“The Mexican gray wolf or ‘lobo’ is the most genetically distinct lineage of wolves in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the most endangered mammals in North America,” Wolf Conservation Center Executive Director Maggie Howell told My Modern Met. “By the mid-1980s, hunting, trapping, and poisoning caused the extinction of lobos in the wild, with only a handful remaining in captivity.”
The Wolf Conservation Center is a part of the effort to save reestablish the Mexican gray wolf.
“[We] are one of a network of facilities participating in the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan—a bi-national initiative whose primary purpose is to support the reestablishment of Mexican gray wolves in the wild through captive breeding, public education, and research,” Howell said.
The viral family wolf photo was liked more than 24,000 times on Facebook and shared more than 4,000 times.
“Oh my God! I love them. Such gorgeous animals. They scream love! What a beautiful photograph. They all look ageless! Is the matriarch 2nd from the right! I love them all!” said one Facebook commenter.
“That would be a dream to see the pack of wolves. They are amazing animals. Protect our wildlife!” said another.
Check out this amazing footage of 50 wolves in the conservation center howling along together!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Source: YouTube – Wolf Conservation Center, Wolf Conservation Center, My Modern Met
