Wolf expert lives with pack and runs education centre near Nanaimo

CHEK
WatchWhen we think of wolves, we usually think of them roaming in the deep wilderness, but there's a pack living just a few minutes from Nanaimo

From a distance, Gary Allan and Tundra, resemble just a man out walking his aging four-legged friend but up close reveals a wild bond.

Tundra, an estimated 90 per cent wolf-dog cross, and 67-year-old Allan, a world-renowned wolf educator from Nanaimo, are an inseparable pair. Allan has dedicated his life to trying to give her and wild wolves a voice, and dispel the big bad wolf from fairytales.

“It’s my life. It’s my passion,” Allan said.

Allan adopted Tundra when she was a few weeks old. That was 13 years ago. He used his love of her to create the SWELL Wolf Education Centre, just outside Nanaimo.

He’s also travelled to 200 schools, showing Tundra to students to give them a first-hand look at the animal.

“They have as much right to be here as we do and they do. They’re part of maintaining the health of any environment that they live in,” Randy Fred from the Tseshaht First Nation said.

At home, Tundra lives with Allan and his wife Sally.

“The bonding was very quick, I noticed,” Sally said.

When she’s home, Tundra will howl to the wolves who live outside in their den. The mother, Mahikan (the word wolf in Cree), gave birth to two pups this year. They are now four-months-old.

“It’s been an absolutely phenomenal experience watching Mahikan look after her pups,” Allan said.

At 13-years-old, Tundra is getting closer to the end of her life, so Allan said the new wolves will carry on her legacy.

“They’re my life. It’s been a good adventure. Oh its been an incredible journey,” Allan said.

For more information on Tundra and Gary, visit https://tundraspeaks.com/.

 

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