WOLVES?

YES!!! I FUCKING LOVE WOLVES!!!! Unfortunately, this is gonna be pretty sad to read.

Less Sad Facts:
Wolves have an average lifespan of up to 10 years in the wild, but live a bit longer in captivity. Across subspecies, they get anywhere from ~20kg to ~80kg in weight, and even within subspecies boast a broad diversity in coats.
Packs largely consist of a main breeding pair, their pups, and sometimes other family members. When wolves reach 1-2 years old, they'll venture out to find a mate and start their own pack.

I consider wolves the one animal I can actually relate to, and I've always held a deep resentment for the near extiction of wolves in my country.
I currently live smack dab in the middle of a wolf territory that has been completely eradicated by poaching in the past year.
I'm very upset about this.

Wolves are an essential part of the ecosystem, proving to be formidable hunters of larger prey animals, that otherwise require hunters to keep numbers under control. They're essential parts of their native ecosystems, no matter what people might say.
They pose very little danger to humans, because of their inherently reclusive nature. If you ever see a wolf in the wild, the likelihood that it'll attack you is extremely low. They're easy to scare away with loud noises or big movements.

When it comes to livestock, properly utilizing guard animals is essential to minimize wolf attacks. Here (in my country), farmers are compensated whenever a wolf attacks or kills livestock, but government-authorized hunting remains the leading cause of death for wolves. I personally find it inhumane to kill wolves purely because they pose a threat to livestock farming, when that can be minimized with redirected funds.
It's important to remember wolves will never go out of their way to target livestock, and mainly do so because other prey is too scarce.

Because of their shy nature, wolves can only be socialized by humans within an extremely short period of time after birth (only a few months), only ever properly bonding with the people who raised them during that time. This is why it's plain impossible to keep them as pets. The closest you're getting is a wild animal that just kinda tolerates you, and will take any chance to maul the rest of your family.
Even wolfdogs shouldn't be kept as pets, and if you've been to reputable wolfdog sanctuaries, you'll notice they're kept like wolves, not dogs, unless they've got very low wolf percentages.

My personal attachement to wolves started in childhood, but only really took off within the past few years, as I've had to adapt to adult society in a way I wasn't really prepared for. Wolves are complex animals, and largely misunderstood. Not to sound too emo, but I do relate to them a lot because of that fact alone. Maybe having a more primitive approach to socialization sparked this in me, but feeling like a wolf in a society full of dogs really is a good metaphor.

TRIVIA

SUBSPECIES: 38

LARGEST: Grey

SMALLEST: Arabian Wolf

MY FAV: Eurasian

DIET: Various meat, sometimes fruit

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