Shima *04.05.2008  †21.04.2019

Lina Oberließen (Animal trainer)

Dear Shima,

we are very sad to have to say goodbye to you after 11 wonderful years. As one of the first wolves you were part of all from the first second and helped establish the Wolf Science Center in your way and made it to what it is today. Your name, Shima, means 'mother' and that's exactly what you are in a certain way for the many wolf generations that became a part of the WSC family after you.

It all makes it harder now to let you go. With your lovely and gentle character, you built up a fan club of visitors, sponsors, employees, scientists and not least trainers over the years. Because even in advanced age, you were always open and friendly to new trainers and never had stupid things in mind. I still remember the first "wolf presentation" that I was allowed to do with you alone. You have wonderfully compensated my beginner nervousness with your incredible routine and fulfilled every single one of my wishes (every command). This inexhaustible dedication has also made you incredibly popular with many generations of students. Unlike other representatives of your kind, in which the mood of the day decided on participation or non-participation in scientific tests, we could always rely on you. You were a workaholic, who without exception has made every test enjoyable. I'm pretty sure you would have been thrilled in the middle of the night, if you'd been asked to work.

Your relationship with the other pack members was harmonious . From the beginning, you have lived together with Kaspar and your brother Aragorn. For shorter periods of time, other wolves have joined your pack, but in the long run, you stayed with you two black guys. You really enjoyed being the only female among two handsome males.
Unfortunately, your health conditions has been getting worse and worse over the last few weeks before your death. You couldn't coordinate your hind legs anymore. We have tried everything to help you to get healthy again. In addition to medication, you also received chiropractic treatments, which you loved and which did you very well. Unfortunately, only short-term relief was possible but no cure.
Nevertheless, you have kept your enthusiasm almost to the end and still have been eager to perform. The hard decision whether we should release you from your pain or not, was not on us at the end. Next to your two boys you fell asleep peacefully in the shelter where you built a nest out of straw in the night of the 21st of April 2019.

You will always stay in our hearts little Shima! We will miss you!