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Wolf, cougar playmates once more
This article appeared in the
Friday, December 26, 1997 issue of The Los Angeles Daily News
written By Amy Collins - Daily News Staff Writer

TOPANGA CANYON- It started with a gentle pat, and then quickly there was little but a churning ball of fur and fangs. Levon the wolf and Envy the mountain lion wrestled with each other earlier this week, displaying the same fierce instincts that these natural enemies would need to stay alive in the wild.But they are not in the wild, they are not foes, and they were just playing.Raised together since they were 3 weeks old, Levon and Envy now are virtual siblings. And this week they were reunited, two weeks after facing a lifetime of separation. Envy and Levon, both 8 months old are settling into their new home at The Nature of Wildworks in Topanga Canyon. The pals were among 16 animals seized Dec.11 from Larry Mann at his Elysian Heights home after animal regulation officers found, he did not have the proper permits to keep the animals.At first, Wildworks took only the mountain lion, leaving the heartbroken wolf caged for a week in the East Valley Animal Shelter, where he pinned away for his friend Envy.The mountain lion was adopted by Mollie Hogan, a trainer at the Los Angeles Zoo who also runs Wildworks, but she initially was afraid her nonprofit refuge could not afford to keep Levon as well. It took only a day for Hogan to realize that she couldn't keep the two apart, so she agreed to take in Levon."When the wolf walked up, you could hear the wildcat go: 'Woooooooo.' It was just the loudest scream," Hogan said. "They just fell all over each other." A few days later, it was as though they'd never been apart. They play rough with each other, but never so rough that they've drawn blood, Mann said.He also noted Levon's relief. "You could feel this tension that left him. He just knew it was over. The whole ordeal was over," Mann said. Even with an upset stomach, Levon didn't take too much prompting from Envy to roughhouse for a little bit. "Look at that mouth," Hogan said, as Levon's mouth opens just next to Envy's much smaller face. "The whole head goes into it."They tired of the play, separated and then started over. Mann said the wolf eventually will mature and want more canine companionship, so he hopes to take Levon back if he can get the proper permits.

Among the permits Mann will need is one from the city's Department of Animal Regulation, but he first must convince officials that he can keep his animals safely confined, a department spokesman said. "He hasn't done a very good job of that in the past," said spokesman Peter Persic. After all, it was the escape of Mann's emus that led officials to Envy, Levon and the other unpermitted animals. But Envy's future is more certain: He's staying at Wildworks along with two mountain lions retired from the Los Angeles Zoo, and several other wild animals either left unemployed by the zoo or confiscated from their owners. Because Envy is declawed, Hogan intends to train him so he can take part in the educational shows she presents to schools.