Merlin

Born on April 18, 1995 at Mission: Wolf
Passed away on July 22, 2009

Sex: Male
Lived with Jazmine, Sila, Amulet

Did you know? It takes $3,000 a year just to feed and care for one of our wolves. By giving $5 or more a month, you can take a wolf to dinner by becoming a Wolf Caretaker

Merlin’s Story

Merlin was a male black-phase gray wolf born in an unplanned litter from Whisper and Crazy Horse. He was the bravest of his litter and when his siblings would run in the den to hide from a loud sound, Merlin ran out to investigate. As he grew, Merlin became one of the refuge’s best athletes and would jump up to eight feet in the air from a standstill. Because of Merlin’s outgoing personality, he joined the Ambassador Wolf program with a female wolf, Sila, who he had known and adored since he was a puppy. The two traveled around the nation educating the public about wolves. Merlin was so outgoing that at some programs his handlers couldn’t get him to leave!

After many years of touring, Merlin and Sila retired from the Ambassador program and lived happily together for a few more years. When Sila passed away in 2000, Merlin was devastated and howled in mourning, telling the refuge of his loneliness. Around the same time, Jazmine, a silver and black female, had just lost her mate and the two were introduced to one another. Initially, Merlin and Jazmine were not sure what to think of one another and tussled at their shared fence line. Thankfully, their trepidation turned to interest and the two began flirting through the fence. Merlin and Jazmine became quite the team—often found rushing through their enclosure while howling together whenever anything exciting happened. Unfortunately, in 2006, Jazmine passed away unexpectantly, leaving Merlin alone once more.

In 2007, Merlin took up a new role; instead of being a partner, he became a role model. A new pup, Amulet, had just come to Mission: Wolf (with her brother Fenris) and she needed help coming out of her shell. Shy little Amulet was introduced to Merlin, with hopes that she would cheer him up and he would serve as a brave role model for her. Merlin’s outgoing personality began to rub off on Amulet and she began to calm down. Amulet even began to peer over the hill at visitors, which was a level of bravery that she had never shown. Amulet also helped Merlin; she kept him company and he started to cheer up. Merlin lived with Amulet for the rest of his life and never had to undergo the sadness of losing a mate again.