Some 2,000 years ago, the barbarous Carpathian rulers known as the Dacians charged into battle against the invading Roman forces behind wolf-head banners. They were crushed and ultimately assimilated by the Romans. From this union of "wolf people" and the great Italian civilization under the sign of the she-wolf was born the Romanians. Ever since, the wolf, or "lup" as the locals know it, has played an integral part in the Romanian culture and psyche. Today the Carpathian wilderness is home to more than a third of Europe's large carnivore population, or 3,500 wolves, which is nearly as many as found in the entire U.S. The wolf is a major player in Romanian folklore, and retains a supernatural reputation. "Speak of the wolf and his tail appears" warns the old Romanian proverb.
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