A wolfs head

The downspouts on the University Library in Copenhagen are very detailed. I've passed the building hundreds of times without noticing them, but the other day I realised just how beautiful the building is with all its details in red brick, stone and copper.

Food-fight wolf-style

 

Before dinner these two wolfs in the Copenhagen Zoo had to decide who should have first dip at the meat. And after a bit of snarling and snapping, one decided to wait a bit.

 

Iron Wolf

Just outside the parish hall in Kernavé is this sculpture of the Iron Wolf. The howling wolf is a symbol of Vilnius, the capitol of Lithuania. Legend says that after a hunting in a beautiful place between the Neris and Vilna rivers, Duke Gediminas had a dream: a huge Iron Wolf on a high hill was howling as a hundred wolfs. In the morning a prophet explained the meaning the meaning of the dream: a strong city would be build in the place of the hunting. So the Duke founded Vilnius at that place.

Wolfs in the snow

In Sweden the wolfs are still found in the wild in the northern areas. An estimated 220 lives in small packs but that number varies from day to day as these packs often wanders into Norway and Finland. The wolfs are still stigmatized even in Sweden as they take sheep and lambs from the farmers, but they are protected by law. Only those wolfs that repeatedly follow their nature and raid the local farmers are hunted, sparking heated debate among farmers and environmentalists every time. Many myths still exists here about the big bad wolf, but fact is they only hunt sick and old animals (and the occasional lamb too but most farmers got insurance, so what's the problem?). At Järvzoo, which is a zoo specialized in the wildlife of Sweden, 10-12 wolfs are on display for the visitors. These photos, and the photos in the next couple of days, are from this very nice place.

The wolf pack

When I've visited the Copenhagen Zoo this pack of wolfs has not been the most active of animals. Either it's because they prefer to be active at dusk or they have seen it all and are bored to death about it.