By Michael Hartwell
WESTMINSTER — Local wildlife enthusiasts may feel the call of the wild Saturday at a free talk on wolves by a Royalston man with American Indian roots who raises a pack at his home.
“It’s a complete education about wolves in captivity and the wild,” Michael Le Blanc said.
Le Blanc’s talk will focus on the history of wolves in the area, misunderstandings about the creatures, the importance of wolves, and what it’s like being part of the pack and living with wolves.
Le Blanc will bring one of his wolves, which are half North American gray and half timber. The event is not a petting zoo, and the wolf will be kept on a chain out of reach of the audience.
The talk is organized by Watchdogs for an Environmentally Safe Town, or WEST.
Donna Brownell, president of WEST, said Le Blanc has special state and federal permits to raise wolves, and feeds them game such as roadkill deer.
Brownell said she believes the last wild wolf killed in the area died in Westminster, and the area has a lot of history with the animals, but she feels they will never be reintroduced to the town.
“They don’t know any boundaries,” she said, adding that there can be struggles with farmers who lose livestock to wolf packs, and too much of the area is urbanized.
The talk is scheduled for Saturday, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the American Legion Post, 127 Main St. It is free to the public.