Stunning Footage Captures the Reunion of 3 Dire Wolves That Were Brought Back From Extinction
Direwolves from Game of Thrones may have gone their separate ways, but their real-life counterparts are having a reunion of sorts. In April 2025, fantasy fans all around the world were shaken when these extinct creatures from George R R Martin's saga became a reality, through some genetic science magic, according to PEOPLE. Genetic Engineering led to the birth of two male and one female dire wolf. The males were named Romulus and Remus, while the female was named Khaleesi. After their birth, the males and the females were kept separated from each other in different places.
On August 12, an update video was shared by Colossal Biosciences (@Colossal), the genetic engineering company behind the pursuit, where the three siblings were shown meeting each other for the first time since their birth. The experiment was arranged essentially to begin the process of Khaleesi becoming a part of a pack along with her brothers. At first, Khaleesi met Romulus in a grass yard, according to the narrator. Romulus approached Khaleesi first, and both of them showed 'great behavior' with the former smelling the latter.
Thereafter, Khaleesi started running, and Romulus ran with her. Khaleesi took refuge under some logs, which the narrator felt was her way of feeling safe and in control. "She's an incredibly smart little dire wolf, and she was using the logs in the area to make her feel more secure," the narrator added. The fact that her small size allowed her to get under the logs, while Romulus' massive build prevented him from doing so, helped Khaleesi keep control of their interaction. The strategy allowed Khaleesi to come out and play with Romulus whenever she desired, and come back to her refuge whenever she felt overwhelmed.
Seeing the interaction, experts felt that both of them were having a jolly time. "Their ears were up the entire time, which is a good, happy, calm wolf behavior that we were hoping to see," the narrator shared the team's insight on the situation. Seeing the positive direction of the interaction, the team decided to also arrange a meeting between Remus and Khaleesi. They took Romulus out of the area and put Remus with Khaleesi. In this case, also, both of them played, but experts noted a difference. Remus was more gentle than Romulus with Khaleesi. Here also, the pair kept their "ears up," "wagged their tails," and "followed each other around."
Experts then allowed both Romulus and Remus to interact with Khaleesi at the same time. This experiment also went good, with all three showing hints of playful behavior. Now the plan is to allow Khaleesi to interact with each of her brothers on alternate days. One day she will spend with Remus, the next one she will spend with Romulus, and so on. The team wants to go forward with this "cautious" arrangement to help Khaleesi build her confidence in interactions like these. "She is still smaller than the males, and we want her to feel that she is controlling all her interactions with them," the narrator shared.
The moment experts believe she is ready for more, they will increase the level of interaction between this extinct species. Not only Khaleesi, but Romulus and Remus' feelings will also be considered. Experts will keep a close eye on how they cope with being separated in the process. "We care a lot about these animals, and we want to make sure that nobody gets injured. Nobody is scared," the narrator assured the afficiandos.
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