“Can I carry him?” Zoe asked hopefully.
“Of course!” replied Great-Uncle Horace, and helped her pick the little wolf up. Zoe kept one arm securely around his body so that he didn’t fall, but made sure he could sit upright and see everything around him. This was going to be Shadow’s first view of the zoo, and she knew he would want to get a good look!
As they walked through the zoo, lots of animals peered curiously over the fences of their own enclosures to have a look at the new arrival, and to call out a friendly greeting. The pup was very excited to see so many new faces, and wriggled eagerly in Zoe’s arms, wagging his tail and letting out little barks and louder, longer howls. She had to concentrate to make sure she didn’t drop him!
“Oh, I’ve thought of a name for the wolf pup,” Zoe told her mum and Great-Uncle Horace, smiling at Meep. “Shadow!”
“Excellent!” replied Great-Uncle Horace. “And a rather mysterious, spooky-sounding name too, which I think suits a wolf perfectly. Years ago, people were rather frightened of wolves, you know, Zoe. That’s why they were often the wicked character in fairy tales, like Red Riding Hood.” He shook his head.
“To look at this adorable little chap, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it? But sadly, grey wolves were almost hunted to extinction at one point.”
“That’s awful!” said Zoe, cuddling Shadow even tighter. How could anyone have been afraid of something as gorgeous as this?
“It’s a pity Shadow won’t have any other wolves to live with,” said Lucy. “Wolves always form packs, and they’re very social creatures. I’m worried that Shadow might find it very lonely here without any companions.”
Great-Uncle Horace nodded. “Yes, I’ve been thinking the very same thing. Don’t worry, my dear – I do have a plan. I can’t say any more just yet though…”
Zoe and Lucy glanced at each other. He was being very mysterious!
They soon arrived at the enclosure. It was designed to look like a beautiful sprawling wood, full of tall trees with reddish-brown cones hanging from their branches. “These are Sitka spruce trees,” Great-Uncle Horace explained. “They’re the most important tree found in Alaska, so hopefully they will help Shadow to feel at home.”
Zoe breathed in deeply as they stepped inside. She thought it smelled amazing in the enclosure – fresh and piney, like being inside a real forest! Shadow seemed to like it too. His ears were pricked up and he was sniffing the air eagerly. Zoe placed him gently on the ground and straightaway he started dashing round, exploring.
Just then the wolf keeper, Ethan, arrived. “Hello, everyone!” he called, waving. “I’ve been so looking forward to meeting this little fellow. Wow, look how cute he is! Does he have a name yet?”
“He’s called Shadow,” Zoe told him.
“Well, I hope Shadow likes his new home,” said Ethan. “I brought him a little welcome present too.” He held up a red bouncy ball, which he rolled gently across the ground towards Shadow. The little pup gave it a curious sniff, patted it with his paws – then he leaped on it excitedly, howling and barking! Meep, who had been sitting on the floor of the enclosure, had to scuttle quickly out of the way. He ran up Zoe’s leg and up on to her shoulder as Shadow raced after the ball, leaping into the air and pouncing on it over and over again.
“Don’t worry, Meep,” Zoe whispered with a smile. “He’s just playing!”
“I think he likes that game!” chuckled Great-Uncle Horace as they all watched Shadow playing boisterously.
In fact, Shadow liked the ball a little bit too much! He chased it around the enclosure, butting it with his head and snapping at it playfully with his white teeth, until there was a pop. Shadow had burst it! The little pup looked at the crumpled plastic, puzzled, and gave a sad little whine. Zoe quickly ran over to him and whispered, “Don’t worry, Shadow – we’ll get you another one.”
Just then Lucy called, “Zoe? I think it’s time we went home and had tea. Let’s leave Shadow to get settled in. He’s had a long day.”
“Can’t I stay a bit longer, Mum?” asked Zoe hopefully. She wasn’t ready to leave Shadow yet, and before she did, she wanted to ask him if he really liked his new enclosure!’
Lucy smiled. “Five more minutes then. You can always come back to visit him after school tomorrow, remember.”
While Lucy and Ethan chatted, Zoe crouched down next to Shadow. “What do you think of your enclosure?” she whispered. “Do you like it?”
Shadow wagged his tail and gave a happy yap. The little pup loved his new home! “We’re going to have lots of fun together!” Zoe told him, smiling. “Meep and I will come back to play tomorrow.”