Woman who identifies as a wolf howls live on This Morning

A woman who identifies as a British Columbian wolf howled on This Morning yesterday much to the surprise of the presenters.

Naia Ōkami, from Seattle, explained to hosts Phillip Schofield and Rochelle Humes that she doesn’t believe she is physically a wolf. Rather, it’s more of a spiritual and psychological identification.

Naturally, as a wolf, she barks and howls. When she’s in private or with friends, she said she will sometimes “wolf out” in the woods.

She said when she was in high school she was less shy about expressing her wolf side, and would vocalise and howl.

Since she has gained popularity as the “Wolf Girl”, she’s able to be more open publicly when appropriate.

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She laughed: “If I’m at work or in the grocery store, I’m not going to bark and howl at my cashier.”

Schofield asked for a howl, but as Naia’s housemates were asleep she could only show them a quiet howl.

Naia said she identifies as otherkin therian. Explaining what that means, she said: “A therian is somebody who believes that they are a non-human animal on a personal, integral level.

“Now this isn’t to say that we’re delusional. I don’t physically believe that I’m a wolf. It’s more of a spiritual and psychological identification as a wolf.

“I’m completely aware I’m human. I got to work every day, I don’t necessarily dress like this to work, at the same token spiritually somehow I’m a wolf."

She added: “I think a lot of people have a misconception that I think I am literally a wolf and obviously I don't. I have a serious job, I pay my bills and pay my taxes. This is just how I spiritually express myself.”

Naia first became interested in the animals at a young age, when she started picturing herself acting like a wolf in her dreams.

Piquing her interest, the more she researched them the more she felt she identified with them.

Naia previously went viral on Vine, TikTok’s predecessor, when she delivered the line: “On all levels except physical, I am a wolf”.

Almost a decade on, Naia said she is able to use her wolf side to help her in her job as an investigator who catches online predators.

Although she has had hate directed towards her online, she rises above it.

She told The Sun: “Something I've learned that I can control is how I react to someone being negative. I can just say, 'Yeah, so what. Would you like to talk about it?'

"So by doing that I've sort of reclaimed my image. I can just say, 'Yeah, I'm the girl who was the wolf meme. But look at all this other stuff about me. I'm trans, I've contributed to the arrest of child predators, I'm an activist.'

"I'm able to kind of pivot back into saying, 'you know me for this, but you didn't know about all this other stuff that you'd never make fun of me over.'”

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