MARIANNE HEBERLEIN

Head of Science of Core Facility WSC & Head of the animal team

In spring 2009 I got the chance to get to know the first wolf puppies of the WSC. In that time, the WSC was still housed in Grünau and not in Ernstbrunn like today. I was deeply impressed by the huge amount of snow that the wolves were living in at that time. The four wolves - back then totally black - were very open minded and curious.
Taya was the first wolf I had contact with. She was very nice and wanted to be petted immediately. During my PhD I could help with the puppy raising of the next generation.

Working with wolves and dogs at the WSC fascinates me every day. I am amazed by the trust these animals have in us. Their trust becomes especially obvious, when we take them on walks, when they meet strange objects and also when one of them is not feeling very well and lets us treat them even though he/she is in pain.

The central task of the Core Facility WSC is to better understand dogs and wolves through research and daily work and to pass on the knowledge generated. This includes conducting but also planning scientific studies, training the dogs and wolves and conducting visitor programs. All this makes the work at the CF-WSC extremely varied and exciting and allows me to keep learning new things even after more than 10 years.