This Is Really The Last Wolf In Ireland...or is it?

Over the years many bloggers and writers have referred to the "Last Wolf in Ireland" which survives as a taxidermy "in an Irish museum. The photograph usually used is shown below. I never understood why it was not a normal full body image. Few actually state which museum  but that's where I come in.

In my quest to try to find any surviving taxidermy examples of Old British wolves -including mounted masks (heads) I have had one lead after another simply turn out to be false. However, authors and bloggers were all positive that this was the last genuine Irish wolf -and not one of the wolves released by 19th century hunts to add some spice to their 'fun'.

It took a while as "Irish Museum" is a very broad term and there are many local museums in Northern Ireland and Eire. However, I narrowed it down to one The National Museum Ulster Northern Ireland. I sent a copy of the photograph and details in 2023 but heard nothing back. Last week I was going over old files and found the image again and so I sent an email to the National Museum NI:

Hello.

I contacted the Museum in 2023 but never received a response so thought I would try sending my enquiry again.

My name is Terry Hooper-Scharf and I am a naturalist specialising in canids and felids since 1976 and part of my ongoing work is to look specifically at those that lived in Britain and Ireland as isolated (from Europe) island populations.

I have the attached photo and the only information I have is that it was “the last wolf in Ireland” and that it was on display at your museum. Any information I had went with a laptop.

I wanted to find out the following:

1. Is this taxidermy on display at the Museum?

2. Are there any other photographs available of it -I assume it is full body not a mask (head)?

3. Can you give me any details of where and when it was killed and (it’s a bonus for me!) who carried out the taxidermy?

I apologise for taking up your time with all of this but all of my online searches come up with nothing and as professionals I am sure that you will understand that I do not want to write or record inaccurate information.

My thanks in advance.

Kind regards

Terry

I got a speedy reply from Angela Ross, Curator of Vertebrates:

Hello Terry

I am sorry that you didn’t receive a reply to your previous email.

I am afraid your information is incorrect. The wolf in your photograph is definitely not the “last wolf in Ireland”, it is a modern specimen.

1. The wolf is currently on display in a temporary exhibition Wild Ireland: Past, Present, Future and is visible in the link below.

https://www.ulstermuseum.org/whats-on/wild-ireland-past-present-future

2. As you can see in the image above the wolf is a full body mount. 

3. The specimen is a European wolf mounted by Edward Gerrards and Sons, London. It was acquired by the museum in 1961.

All the best

Angela

And so I followed the link and there is the full body mount of the (not) last wolf in Ireland s you can see below.

(c)2025 National Museum Ulster Northern Ireland

But to give a better look at the wolf here is a clipped and enlarged image.

(c)2025 National Museum Ulster Northern Ireland

Sad that it is not a genuine Old Irish wolf but you have to ask why all of the writers and bloggers could not check before writing their pieces? European wolves killed by holidaying hunters turning up in UK collections is far from unusual. The two (cropped image) below are owned by the private Extinct Fox and Wild Cats Museum, London.

(c)2025 Extinct Fox and Wild Cats Museum

One more ticked off the list but I am determined to find a genuine Old British wolf before I kick the bucket!