For wolves, grooming helps strengthen family bonds.

When Ambassador wolf Alawa licks and nibbles Nikai, not only is Alawa keeping her brother's fur clean and free of debris, her grooming efforts are gestures of intimacy that reaffirm the unique emotional bonds that shape the foundation of the family.

Because when it comes to wolves, it's all about family.

Alawa and Nikai are captiveborn Canadian/Rocky Mountain gray wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC), a 501c3 nonprofit organization, in South Salem, NY. The siblings are two of the three 'ambassador wolves' at the WCC that help teach the public about wolves and their vital role in the environment.

If you want to watch Zephyr, Alawa, Nikai or the WCC's critically endangered Mexican gray wolves or red wolves in live time, visit our live wolf webcams at http://www.nywolf.org/webcams. If you see something cool, let us know!

For more information about wolves and the WCC's participation in wolf recovery, please visit our website at www.nywolf.org and follow us on Facebook (  / nywolforg  ) and Twitter (  / nywolforg  , and Instagram (  / wolfconservationcenter  )