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PROGRAMS
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Wolves Online
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Ambassador Wolves
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November - 2009 |
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The two newest additions to the International Wolf Center's ambassador pack, Aidan and Denali were successfully introduced to the Exhibit Pack on August 4th, 2008. Aidan and Denali, two gray wolf pups, were born on April 27, 2008 at the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake, Minnesota. The complete introduction took approximately 45 minutes. Under the right conditions, most wolves and wolf packs are very caring towards wolf pups, sharing feeding and pup-sitting duties and indulging in play. With the addition of the two pups to the Exhibit Pack, the Center now has, for the first time, three subspecies of the gray wolf and three age groups-the arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos) born in 2000, Great Plains wolves (Canis lupus nubilus) born in 2004 and Rocky Mountain wolves (Canis lupus occidentalis) born in 2008. Aidan and Denali will now have weekly updates posted to reveal their individual personalities and how they are integrating into this socially dynamic pack, please check the individual logs for details.
Watch extended wolf video on the International Wolf Center's YouTube Channel.
Enjoy a close-up of wolf behavior on our four Wolf Watch Cams.
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11/16/2009
Lori Schmidt - The November weather has been much warmer than usual, creating a scenario of extra food cached throughout the enclosure. In the first time since the pups were introduced, we canceled the Saturday evening feeding program. At the time of these log postings, there are still 3 or 4 beaver caches in the enclosure. Denali has been very good at caching and defending his caches. He has even started some marking behavior, a sign of maturity. He did a partial raise leg urination and attempted to scrape the ground afterward. He also did a significant amount of scent rolling and then marked on a beaver spot. All of his behaviors were captured on video for the weekly Youtube.
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| Is it a sneeze or a snarl? |
| Photo: Center Staff |
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11/9/2009
Lori Schmidt - Denali has a good time testing any other wolf that is near him. He is famous for a foreleg stab, where he takes his front leg and thrusts it at another wolf to get attention or invite chase. In this week's Youtube video, he spends a lot of time testing Grizzer who is trying to defend a beaver cache. The whole time Denali is testing, his tail is wagging vigorously, a sign that at least he's enjoying himself.
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| Denali doing a foreleg stab to Maya |
| Photo: Center Staff |
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11/2/2009
Lori Schmidt - As one of the wolf care staff mentioned today, Denali is like teflon, nothing sticks. He is able to do what he wants when he wants, and this includes grabbing Grizzer, riding up on Shadow, foreleg stabbing Malik, wrestling with Aidan, but doesn't include looking at Maya. Maya seems to be the only wolf showing limits to Denali. Shadow must not take him as a threat, or he would be showing him more status.
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| Denali sniffing around the pond after it was drained |
| Photo: Center Staff |
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