Yang Wenjing keeps a close relationship with wolves. (Photo/Yangtse Evening News)
Encountering a wolf is a frightening experience for most people across the world, yet a Chinese girl decided to leave her career behind and dedicate her life to raising 36 wolves, Yangtse Evening News reported on Tuesday.
Yang Wenjing from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region quit her job working at a tourism agency last year and decided to join a wolf center due to her love for the social predators.
The 25-year-old's job is tough yet morally full filling. She doesn't get paid for raising the cubs and finds it hard to gain their trust during the early stages. In order to get close with the animals, Yang puts herself in the cage with the young wolves. She feels rewarded after she gains their trust yet the constant crouching in the cage has resulted in her suffering with spinal degeneration.
Currently the center is home to 36 wolves but the number grows everyday. Yang sees all the wolves at the center as her friends. She plays with them like an adult wolf would, letting them lick her face, roll around with her in the snow and touch her with their paws.
When Yang first began working at the center her parents strongly disapproved of the career change. They thought it would be dangerous for her, interacting with the wild animals. However after one year of raising wolves her parents have acknowledged her achievements and are now showing their full support towards the cause.
Previously, another Chinese woman also rescued a wolf pup. Li Weiyi brought the wild orphan pup back to Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province after saving it in Apirl 2010. The pup lived almost a year in the city and successfully returned to its birthplace, in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
However, it is important to remember that wolves – even those raised by humans – are dangerous. Yang has been bitten and scratched by the wolves countless times. They are still wild animals, and human environments are far different from their natural habitats.
Wolves are currently under China's second class national protected species. The center's manager surnamed Zheng, who has been looking after wolves for more than 10 years, told Yangtse Evening News that their goal is to become a fully fledged scientific research and protection center.