Story By: Elena Kalioglo, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

Video Credit: CEN/Kirill Potav

A Russian animal lover who recently opened a mountain rehab centre for wolves is writing a book on how to tame the wild canines after posting videos of him interacting with them like pets.

Kirill Potapov, the ‘Russian Dancer with Wolves’, reportedly runs a wolf sanctuary in the western mountainous region of Ural after rescuing them from their cramped cages in various zoos.

Social media videos show him interacting with wolves and feeding them bananas as if they have become domesticated pets.

Pictures Credit: CEN/Kirill Potav

Reports said that he started off with three Canadian grey wolves and two arctic wolves, but now the pack is breeding and Potapov recently welcomed little Vita into the fold.

Potapov believes in the Native American proverb ‘to look into the eyes of a wolf is to see your own soul’, and he admits that it is his goal to “break the stereotypes about wolves”.

Video Credit: CEN/Kirill Potav

The animal lover is not only a fan of his wolves, but the businessman also has a lynx, rare birds of prey and countless other species living at his centre.

He frequently posts updates on Instagram where he boasts 100,000 keen followers, mostly from the US and Turkey.

TV star Timofey Bazhenov, who hosts the show ‘How the World Works’ said: “Making friends with wolves is a noble endeavour and taming them is extremely difficult. For two years, they will behave much like a dog. However, after two years they will become a real threat.”

Potapov has said that he is writing a book on wolves and has even launched a clothing line that features a wolf logo.

He plans to use the royalties to maintain his centre and open more spacious enclosures to house his growing menagerie.

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