Kuzbass is a recognized industrial center of Siberia. But our region is not only famous for this; it is unique in its nature. And we have nature to choose from: taiga, steppe expanses, alpine meadows, mountain ranges, rivers and lakes. And all this beauty is violated by man. We are gradually losing some species of plants and animals, so there is a need to create nature reserves in the Kemerovo region.

One of these reserves was created on the land of the Tashtagol region in 1990. Shorsky National Park - includes 400 hectares of forests. The diversity of the natural landscape of the park determines the diversity of its flora and fauna and includes 58 species of animals. Not all animals lived here before; scientists found that the hedgehog appeared in Gornaya Shoria only in the 60s, and a little later the wild boar began to be found. Now there are already 62 species of mammals, including 13 species of predators: fox, lynx, sable, etc. I would like to focus on the wolf in my story.

The wolf is a large animal weighing up to 80 kg, with a tail up to 2 meters long. The body is lean, slender, the chest is wide, the paws are large and lined with hair, which allows the wolf not to fall through in deep snow. The ears are movable, which allows them to pick up the slightest sound. The teeth are large with large fangs. The wolf does not chew food, but tears off portioned pieces of meat with its teeth. He has keen eyesight and a keen sense of smell. The color is dominated by grayish-black and reddish tones. In winter, the fur is long and thick, retaining body heat well. Wolves live up to 15 years. Wolf cubs are born in the spring from 2 to 8 puppies. In the first days they are completely helpless and sleep a lot. The mother does not leave them for a minute, and the wolf brings food to the she-wolf straight into the den. At three weeks of age, they begin to crawl out of their shelter, the time comes for the wolf cubs to join the pack, they learn to communicate, become familiar with the territory, and become accustomed to hunting. A pack usually consists of a wolf, a she-wolf and wolf cubs born last year and this year.

Wolves rarely hunt alone, more often in a pack. Even if a lone wolf notices a herd of deer, he gives a signal with a special howl: “The deer are coming!” He is picked up by the nearest wolf, then the next one. And so the signal can be transmitted over several kilometers. At this signal, wolves gather in a pack. During the hunt, they demonstrate cunning and knowledge of the habits of the prey. Often a flock is divided into “beaters” and “ambushers”. When hunting moose, they fight off one of them from the group and drive it into deep snow, where the moose falls through and becomes helpless.

At different times, attitudes towards the wolf were different. So in Ancient Rome they worshiped him as if they were a deity, because... it was believed that the Roman she-wolf nursed the twins - Romulus and Remus.

In Rus', the wolf has long been considered the most evil, greedy and greedy animal. This is reflected in sayings such as “The wolf molts every year, but does not change its appearance; If you were born a wolf, you will never become a sheep.” But people understood that the wolf is a very intelligent creature, this can be seen in Kipling’s fairy tale “Mowgli”, as well as in Russian fairy tales - for example, “Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf.”

What is really the role of the wolf in human life? In 1947, Alaska began exterminating wolves to protect reindeer herds. Ten years later, the deer herds increased and then began to decline sharply. The deer began to run out of food, and sick deer began to give birth to weak offspring. Wolves in Alaska are now protected by law. The man realized that the wolf is the “orderly of the forest.”

In the 50s, on the territory of Kuzbass, the wolf was also completely destroyed, as it was believed that it caused great harm to livestock. And only in the 70s did it begin to penetrate into the territory of Kuzbass from the Altai Territory and Novosibirsk Region. Over the past 10 years, according to local residents and park employees, the wolf has become a permanent resident.

The debate, both for and against, about the role of the wolf will continue for a long time. Human interference in wildlife should be of greatest concern. We must respect every inhabitant of the forest, and we do not have the right to decide whether there is a place for him in this life. If it exists, then it is needed and without it nature will lose something important!

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