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Ely Interpretive Center
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By Lori Schmidt, Wolf Curator
Summary statement regarding the pups' birth and introduction to the pack:
In April or May 2008 the International Wolf Center anticipates the birth of a litter
of pups at a private educational facility, Wildlife Science Center, in Forest Lake,
MN. Center personnel hope to select two wolf pups one female and one male around 10-12
days of age. The purpose for this endeavor is to bring new life to the Exhibit Pack
at the International Wolf Center's Ely interpretive facility. The pups will be
socialized to humans who will provide their future care and will develop a relationship
through the fence with their future Exhibit Pack members; arctic subspecies, Shadow
and Malik and great plains subspecies, Grizzer and Maya. Raised by the Center's Wolf
Care Team and selected nannies, the pups will be socialized and introduced to the
public through daily programs at the Center. At about three months, in early August,
they will join the Exhibit Pack in the main wolf enclosure.
- What kind of wolves are you adding to the Exhibit Pack?
Gray wolves, Canis lupus. There may be a possibility for a subspecies, Canis lupus
occidentalis, representing the northwestern subspecies of wolf, but this won't be
known until pups are born. Regardless of the pups selected, they will be Canis
lupus, gray wolves.
- Why will two pups be added to the current pack?
- The International Wolf Center maintains a socially cohesive unit of wolves
and, in order to do this, new life must be added to the exhibit. Two pups
are added to the Exhibit Pack approximately every four years, allowing enough
time for the pack to be cohesive, but not allowing the pack to age to a point
that new pups would be stressful and testing of the older animals' weaknesses.
- As the pups mature, the wolves' energy will be focused on providing a
place in the rank order for the maturing pups, rather than the aging of the
older wolves. With this three to four year method, we are likely able to keep
the pack more cohesive and delay the inevitable retirement of the older wolves
until 10-12 years of age.
- We see the benefits though the visitor experience of having resident
wolves, especially socialized wolves that offer a glimpse into the individual
traits of wolves, showing the social nature of the species that makes it
successful as a top level predator. Wolves are often portrayed for their
predatory behavior and the Center provides a unique view into the intricate
pack life and social organization that keeps the wolves together as a social
unit.
- Who will raise the puppies?
The pups will be raised in Ely to maximize their socialization to the sights and
sounds (including the growling of their future packmates) of the wolf exhibit as
early as possible. Many people including a highly experienced Wolf Care Team,
specially selected "nannies," a veterinarian and many others will be involved
in the pups' care.
- What do you feed the pups?
The pups will be fed an esbilac formula with a few other tidbits for nutrition
for their first six weeks of life. After they are weaned, they will eat a natural
meat diet of venison.
- Where can I see the pups?
- Newly born animals of any species are sensitive to their new environment
and can be easily stressed by human crowds and especially by human handling.
Wolf care staff will always have the pups' safety in mind when scheduling
any public display. We will try to feature the pups at one public event at
the host facility, the Wildlife Science Center, prior to their transport to
Ely. The International Wolf Center and the hosting facility will schedule the
event on a day and in a way that is the least stressful for the wolf pups.
Therefore, the exact day of the event will be scheduled after the pups are born.
- Once the pups are in Ely, they will spend two to three weeks in relative
seclusion to become adjusted to the site, reduce potential risk of contracting
canine parvovirus disease, meet the Wolf Care staff, and be seen daily by Web
cam on the Center's Web site at www.wolf.org. The pups can be seen at daily
programs starting Memorial Day weekend, May 24, 2008. Visitors can check the
summer program schedule at www.wolf.org for more details.
- Special programs can be arranged at the Center for school groups. For
more information and updates visit our Web site or call 1-800-ELY-WOLF.
- An evening program will review the 2004 introduction of past pups to the
pack and present plans for the introduction of pups to the pack in 2008.
- Why didn't you just rescue orphan wolf puppies from the wild?
It is illegal to take wolves from the wild. Also, it is important to socialize a
wolf pup so that it remains relatively relaxed and displays natural behavior on
exhibit. Human handlers must begin contact early, preferably between 10-14 days
of the pup's birth. Research has demonstrated that if a pup is not handled during
the critical bonding period of its first 21 days, it may respond with very fearful
behavior towards people and in captivity. Resident wolves that feel comfortable
and relaxed enough to interact in front of the public make the best teachers and
thus support our efforts to teach the world about wolves.
- What is involved in socializing the pups and why do it?
Socializing wolf pups involves a spending a large amount of time with them early
in the socialization period, with the time scaled back gradually when the pups
are older. We plan 24-hour-a-day staffing, including a nanny program, in which
people help care for the pups during the first few weeks when they may be bottle
fed every three to four hours and need stimulation to help defecate and urinate.
Later, wolf care staff and nannies will rotate two eight-hour shifts daily
(16 hour total coverage) to assist with pup care and programming needs. We socialize
the wolf pups so they feel more relaxed in their enclosure, can be examined for
injuries, handled and medicated as needed.
- How difficult is it to raise wolf pups?
Raising a wolf pup is more challenging than caring for a dog pup, since wolves
don't instinctively accept humans, and can be very skittish of new or unusual
things in their environment. They are also vulnerable to adverse temperatures and
disease. They must be socialized to the sights, sounds and care a resident wolf
at the International Wolf Center might experience. This would include becoming
familiar with future pack mates, Wolf Care staff, their veterinarian, large crowds,
garbage trucks, chainsaws and weed-eaters for enclosure maintenance, visiting
dogs, even visiting wild wolves.
- Are wolves still an endangered species?
In the Great Lakes Region, wolves have been delisted and are under the management
of the State of Minnesota. They still have a protected status, as the state is
in a monitoring phase to determine the population numbers and areas of wolf conflict.
For more information go to the Center's Web site Learn section, www.wolf.org.
- What are the ramifications of adding pups to the current pack?
Generally, visitors can expect to see more play behavior as the pups develop their
social skills and find their place in the pack. As the pups mature into adults,
pack dynamics may change, offering the public an opportunity to appreciate the
world of a social pack animal.
- Is this process dangerous to the pups?
Any introduction of pups to adult wolves has risks. The introduction day must
be calm, with limited stress on the adult wolves, to minimize the possibility
that they will redirect aggression toward the pups. In planning, every scenario
is reviewed and the plan is left open to change depending upon the wolves' behavior.
A wolf seminar entitled Behavioral Observation will be conducted the week of the
introduction. This team will rotate 24-hour-a-day shifts for the first 7 days of
the pup introduction to watch for pack cohesiveness and tension in the pack that
might require Wolf Care staff intervention.
- Didn't the Center just add pups to its pack a few years ago?
Yes, in the summer of 2004 pups were raised and added to the Exhibit Pack. The
management rotation for pups is now on a 4-year basis. As stated earlier, two
pups are added to the exhibit approximately every four years, allowing enough
time for the pack to be cohesive, but not allowing the pack to age to a point
that new pups would be stressful and testing of the older animals' weaknesses.
- How will the possible three different wolf species (great plains,
northwestern and arctic) co-exist?
The wolves are actually the same species, Canis lupus, or gray wolf, but vary at the
subspecies level, which is more a representation of the geographic regions where
they're located than the behavioral aspects of being a wolf. The public is very
interested in the issues facing wolves in the lower 48 states.
- What steps is the International Wolf Center taking to maximize the safety
and survival of the wolf pups when they join the pack?
The initial plan is, over several days, to introduce one wolf at a time to the
pups in the safety of the pup pen. The first introduction day will be calm with
only Wolf Care staff who the wolves really like in the pen in order to maximize
their positive experience. More Wolf Care staff than wolves will be present to
intervene and distract the wolves with meatballs, if necessary. The dominant
wolves will be allowed to meet the pups first and will likely take on a parental
role toward the pups including guarding them from the other wolves.
- Can wolf pups be handled like dog puppies?
No. Dogs are domesticated animals and have been genetically altered through the
domestication process to include humans in their social structure. Wolves have
all the genes that were selected for survival in the wild rather than what humans
selected for a domesticated dog. Wolves are predators; they will chase and attempt
to grab and bite something that runs in front of them. As they get older, these
can be killing bites. Wolf Care staff avoid running in front of wolves and playing
rough. Wolf pups are known to bite, and all Wolf Care staff are trained to reduce
the potential for bite wounds.
- How may I stay in touch with the pups' progress?
Details about special pup programs and the pups' physical and behavioral progress
will be posted on the wolf logs on the Web site, www.wolf.org. Nannies will weigh
and measure the pups through their first six weeks so that we can quickly intervene
if we observe a problem in weight gain or loss. The data will immediately be added
to the Web site.
- Are there any opportunities for me to get involved with the pups?
In addition to the nanny program, the Center will also coordinate a behavioral
observation team to monitor the pups' first week in the main enclosure with the adult
wolves. Details will be posted on the Web site, www.wolf.org. Participants may
also sign up for special Behind the Scenes opportunities listed on the Web site under
summer programs.
- How may I learn more about the International Wolf Center?
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching
about the wolf's life, its relationship to wild lands and the human role in its future.
You may become a member, preview International Wolf magazine, make a donation to
help the pups or wolves in the wild, get wolf information, buy an item from the Wolf
Den Store where profits go to the CenterŐs education efforts, or sign up for a program.
Contact the Center at www.wolf.org or 1-800-ELY-WOLF.
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