Lives with: Pukak and Massak

Sikko, meaning "ice" in Labradoran Inuit Language, was born on 8thMarch 2011 at Parc Safari Canada in the middle of the worst snowstorm of the winter. Her mother, Roxy, gave birth to four cubs early in the morning and, before staff could shovel enough snow away to reach her and the cubs, all four cubs had severe hypothermia and had to be wrapped in tinfoil. Sadly one cub died. Roxy then gave birth to another cub and this cub has remained with her in Canada. Sikko and her brothers Massak and Pukak were donated to the Trust to enhance the education programme and were the first Arctic wolves in the UK. The cubs were raised by two female park staff for 3 months until they were old enough for British Airways to fly them to England. One of our directors Linda Malliff visited them when they were three weeks old and then flew out to collect them.

They arrived in England on Tuesday June 28th and staff at the Heathrow Animal Centre were very impressed with how relaxed they were. They even happily loped back into their crates to continue their journey to the Trust. Due to the UK quarantine regulations the cubs had to be kept in isolation at the Trust for 6 months with only 10 authorised handlers having access to them. This has meant that they are less confident with new people than the Beenhams who interacted with volunteers and public alike from an early age.

Sikko is a very affectionate wolf and loves socialising with her favourite handlers. She is full of mischief and will try to play with her handlers when they are in the enclosure and is ever eager to greet her human friends with a face lick.

She likes going out for Arctic Ambles and enrichment walks, although she can be a little shyer of new people on public walks. All the Arctics are extremely popular with visitors who come to the Trust, especially children who love their soft fluffiness.

Sikko can often be seen relaxing in her enclosure either under the shade of the trees or on top of the mound where she has a good vantage point. Along with her brothers, Sikko holds the important title of being one of our new generation of ambassador wolves; she is involved in behavioural research that takes place on site, with students of all levels watching and learning from her as she grows and changes.