Tabea Teichmann

Animal care assistant

My name is Tabea, and I grew up in Göttingen, Germany. Ever since I was a child, being around animals has given me a deep sense of happiness and contentment. I had barely learned to walk when, during a family outing, my parents suddenly found me sitting among a group of fully grown pigs that I had simply wandered off to join. While my parents were less than thrilled, I was completely at ease and perfectly happy among the large animals.

This love of animals has been a constant throughout my life. One of the greatest joys my parents gave me was when I was nine years old and our terrier joined the family. We shared a very close bond, which taught me a great deal and had a profound influence on my life. I can no longer remember exactly when my fascination with wolves began. I do remember, however, that I had only just started school when I began making collages of wolves from newspaper articles. My first stuffed animal was a dog; my second was a wolf.

I had my first close encounter with wolves at the age of 13, when I helped with the hand-rearing of wolf pups at a wolf centre. My enthusiasm for nature and animals later became a recurring theme in my professional life as well. My first part-time job was at a dog training school, followed by a range of internships in wildlife biology, a partridge conservation project, environmental education, a wildlife rescue centre, and several animal-assisted therapy farms, among others. I then began studying biology.

After completing my Bachelor's degree, I happened to come across the cooperative studies with wolves and dogs at the Wolf Science Center (WSC) while searching online. This inspired me to apply for the Master's programme in Human-Animal Interactions at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. As part of my studies, I had the opportunity to contribute to a scientific study investigating conflict behaviour in wolves and dogs. This was when I first got to know the WSC at close range, and I was immediately impressed by the way the trainers worked with the animals. I had rarely experienced such an appreciative and respectful approach to animals in a professional setting.

During a visit with Amarok in his enclosure, I also experienced for the first time just how powerful a presence wolves can have: a combination of wildness and gentleness, together with an incredible sense of calm. The experience left a lasting impression on me.

For my Master's thesis, I spent a semester in Florence, where I contributed to behavioural studies of free-ranging wolves. When I was offered a position at the WSC to help hand-rear the wolf pups after completing my studies, I was incredibly happy and excited to find out what the experience would bring.

Working here goes far beyond simply caring for and training the animals. It is also a journey of discovering your own strengths and weaknesses, learning how to approach the animals with the confidence and openness that give them a sense of security and trust. It requires a great deal of sensitivity as well as mental strength.

I am grateful for everything I have the opportunity to learn here and for the privilege of being able to work so closely with wolves – it truly is unique!