International Wolf Day – Protect wolves and their wild homes

What is International Wolf Day?

International Wolf Day was created to raise awareness and challenge misconceptions about wolves. It encourages the appreciation of these canines, highlights why wolves are important to their ecosystems, and explores what we can do to protect wolves around the world.  

This important day also drives support for wolf conservation initiatives and a peaceful coexistence between wolves and humans.

When is International Wolf Day?

International Wolf Day is celebrated on August 13th each year. This global attention is important because wolves are threatened by habitat loss and conflict with humans.

Why wolves are important

Wolves play a crucial role as apex predators, helping to maintain balance within their ecosystems by controlling prey populations — and they are equally remarkable for their sentience. They’re emotional, intelligent, and social animals that live in packs, communicate with each other, and form lifelong bonds.

3 fascinating facts about wolves

1. Wolves have complex family structures and even mourn lost pack members.
2. By controlling prey populations, wolves play a crucial role in preventing overgrazing and protecting biodiversity.
3. Every wolf’s howl is unique, and they use their calls to locate, protect, and bond with other pack members.

Threats facing wolves today

Unfortunately, the wolf faces a number of threats in the wild, making wolf conservation more important than ever:

• Trophy hunting: In some countries and some US states, it is legal to trophy hunt wolves. These canines are killed for sport, undermining wolf conservation efforts and the stability of wolf packs.
• Habitat loss: Wolves are losing their habitat to agriculture, as their natural range is being turned into land for cattle feed and farming. Such deforestation and habitat destruction triggered by food systems reduce both the wolf’s range and their sources of prey.
• Human conflict & misconceptions: Though research shows that wolf hunting has a minimal impact on livestock loss, wolves are mistakenly thought to threaten humans and their animals. As a result, wolf hunts are being approved as a way to control wolf numbers, despite this being unsustainable and unethical.

How we can protect wolves and their habitats

You don’t have to wait for International Wolf Day to take action. There are plenty of ways to protect wolves and their habitats all year round.

• Lobby for wolf protections: Support legal protections and campaign for an end to trophy hunting.
• Only engage in responsible wildlife tourism: Observe wolves ethically in the wild, not in captivity, where wolves are victims of commercial exploitation.
• Eat a plant-based diet: Reduce the amount of meat you eat to reduce the impact of agriculture on wolf habitats.