Imagine that your job was spending each and every day surrounded by animals deemed by most of the world as terrifying beasts.
No imagine interacting, feeding, and even playing with these same animals. This description is the reality of Danielle and other employees at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in Divide, Colorado.
Danielle and her coworkers interact and work with wolves, coyotes, and foxes daily. The center’s aim is to “educate the public through tours and programs about the importance of wolves, coyotes, and foxes to our eco-system.” They also provide extensive attention and a natural habitat for the animals in their care since they are unable to live in the wild for various reasons.
The Colorado Wild and Wildlife Center has recently received a lot of positive media attention after this surprising, but heartwarming video was posted online.
The famous video depicts Danielle playing and cuddling with one terrifying looking but in reality, very sweet wolf, Kekoa. Kekoa smothers Danielle with kisses, wagging her tail in happiness. Later on in the video, another wolf, Sakura, comes into the scene. She too shows just as much love and attention to Danielle as Kekoa. The person filming the video aptly points at that Danielle is “an average sized person” highlighting how massive the wolves really are.
Although both wolves are quite large and look like they could be fierce creatures, they are prime examples of how we should never judge a book by its cover. Despite their size and might, these wolves have nothing but love to give. The relationship between Danielle, Kekoa, and Sakura is a beautiful depiction of what a true friendship between humans and wildlife can look like.
This viral video has become great publicity for the Wildlife Center because it emphasizes their goal of informing the public about the animals they seek to care for and protect. After watching the contagious joy of Kekoa and Sakura, even someone terrified of wolves can’t help but feel at least an ounce of love for these misunderstood creatures.
If you are going to take one thing away from this story, it’s that not everything is as it seems. Some seemingly scary and intimidating creatures turned out to be beautiful and kind best friends. Let the story of Kekoa and Sakura remind you to be loving to every human and animal alike.