MANSFIELD — Ironwood Wolves is an educational facility in central Ohio, operating from an enclosed compound at an undisclosed location just outside of Columbus. Founded by couple Rachel Lauren and Matt Emmelhainz, they keep a small family of wolves onsite.
When I heard that they were coming to town to host a series of ‘wolf talks’ at the library (complete with live wolf), I decided to get in touch. I realized this was a subject I knew very little about.
Now, werewolves – ancient curses, five-pointed-stars, silver bullets, all that stuff – I’m something of an expert on that subject. But as far as actual wolves were concerned, I was in the dark.
For example – are there any wolves living in Ohio? I had no idea. Just before Christmas, a friend of mine spotted a coyote – or possibly, he reckons, it might even have been a ‘coywolf’ – ambling down Courtwright Boulevard near Cook Road. But again, that’s a different matter.
Last week I spoke with Rachel, of Ironwood Wolves, in advance of the team’s upcoming visit to Richland County. She explained that their ‘ambassador’ wolves are taken on the road to visit libraries, schools, scout troops and camps, as part of the overall mission to educate the public.
So what is an ‘ambassador’ wolf? These are wolves that from birth have been socialized and exposed to a variety of situations, in order to make them comfortable around humans. They are not wild, and are often descended from a line of ‘working’ wolves.
The wolves may be adopted from rescue organizations in other states or outside of the country, but Ironwoods Wolves is not a sanctuary or a rescue. All the animals are raised and trained in-house, and it’s essential that they receive this training before they are even a year old.
“We put a lot of time and energy into socializing them,” Rachel told me. “And the first 6 to 8 months of that socialization are really important.
“We have to think about what they’re likely to experience and expose them to it early on. It might be car rides, different kinds of light or sound. Whatever it is they need exposure to it early, as they don’t react well to new stimuli when they’re older. They can get spooked and then it’s hard to get them under control.”
She added that it would not be possible to take a wolf that had been living in the wild and socialize or train them in this way.
“Unless they’ve grown up with humans, they’re terrified of us,” she explained.
“In the wild, they’re what’s known as an apex predator,” Rachel told me. “This means they’re at the top of the food chain. They eat deer and elk and keep them under control.”
So are there wild wolves in Ohio?
“No, not anymore” said Rachel. “They’ve been extinct in Ohio since 1840, and they won’t be coming back. The nearest ones are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.”
Are they under threat elsewhere?
“It varies from place to place,” Rachel explained. “They can go on and off the endangered species list. In some states it’s legal to hunt them. In California they’ve recently started seeing wolves in their state again – in very small numbers – and the wolf is a protected species there.”
I wondered how domesticated the ambassador wolves at Ironwood were.
Nothing like a dog would be, Rachel told me.
“Our wolves are enclosed outside. They’re not pets. They don’t live with us and, you know, hang out on the couch.”
Rachel explained that although they can be socialized, that doesn’t mean they can necessarily be trained like a dog.
“They’re intelligent,” she said, “and they can learn things, but they’re really stubborn.
“Outside, they can’t be allowed to roam completely free as they’d run off. Without being raised to it they wouldn’t have the skills to survive in the wild.”
Can they eat the same food as dogs?
“No, they don’t process dog food very well. We give them a raw meat diet. They eat raw chicken, goose, venison. They eat everything, bones and all.”
I was curious about the name Ironwood, and wondered if it might be a clue to the facility’s location. I asked if Ironwood was the name of a real place.
“No, not really. It actually comes from Norse Mythology. The Forest of Ironwood. A lot of places that deal with wolves go with a Native American theme, but we wanted to do something a bit different.”
According to the 13th-century Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson: “A witch dwells to the east of Midgard, in the forest called Ironwood: in that wood dwell the troll-women, who are known as Ironwood-Women. The old witch bears many giants for sons, and all in the shape of wolves; and from this source are these wolves sprung.”
This, then, is the mythical background of Ironwood. To be clear, though, the wolves there today are descended from strictly canine ancestry and have no discernable trace of witch in their lineage.
The ambassador wolves at Ironwood are not just used for educational purposes. They also take part in film and TV work, including commercials. Rachel first became involved with wolves through her job photographing exotic animals, and still maintains a photography line as part of her work.
“All the animals have different personalities and we use them for different things,” said Rachel. “Some like going to libraries. Some do better at a photo shoot.”
The upcoming library event here in Richland County is ‘The Wolf: Fact vs Myth.’ The program will cover such topics as the family life of the wolf and how they survive in the wild, and explain their natural habitat and diet. A wolf will be in attendance.
Sessions will be held at the following dates and locations, each starting at 6 p.m.
Tuesday January 10 – Lexington Branch Library, 25 Lutz Ave, Lexington
Tuesday February 7 – Butler Branch Library, 21 Elm St, Butler
Tuesday February 28 – Main Library, 43 W. 3rd St, Mansfield
All sessions are free, but sign up is required at the Lexington and Butler locations. Call 419-884-2500 (Lexington), 419-883-2220 (Butler).
Check out the website at www.ironwoodwolves.com
