Written by Alexandria Valdez Press-Gazette Media
Luna and Ember not only have new names, they have a new home.
The 6-month-old gray wolf pups were placed Friday in their permanent exhibit at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary and next month, they’ll be joined by three other young wolves, sanctuary officials announced during a ceremony at the facility, 1660 East Shore Drive. The 2-month-old pups, named Tundra, Yoon and Owila, came from a sanctuary in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“Wolves are a hot topic right now in Wisconsin,” said sanctuary director Mike Reed, referring to the ongoing controversy over whether to hunt gray wolves in Wisconsin. “There’s a lot of different views about wolves, but we like being able to share the facts about wolves, the scientific research facts plus some cultural information.”
The wolves’ new home at the sanctuary went through a two-part renovation that included filling in holes, replacing rocks, reseeding grass and giving the area deep clean.
Representatives from the Oneida Tribe of Indians blessed the wolf exhibit before the wolves were released.
“The wolves have been a significant part of our culture,” said Greg Matson the vice chairman of the Oneida Tribe of Indians. “They represent one of our clans.”
With the recent heat wave that hit Green Bay, sanctuary staff had to pay extra attention to keeping the animals cool, including the wolves, said Lori Bankson, the curator of animals.
“We have a little sprinkler that we wet them down and they also get a lot of Popsicles that they can gnaw on and lay on,” Bankson said.
They also check the wolves’ temperatures and their paws at least once an hour to make sure they do not have any problems that can include dehydration, heat stress and bites from flies. When the temperature goes up, the mosquitoes come out and like to bite the wolves’ ears, Bankson said.
Luna and Ember arrived in Green Bay at the start of May from a sanctuary in Florida and a naming contest began soon after that.
Two of the winners who named one of the wolves were 5-year-old twin sisters, Mackaia and Gabrianna Kimminau. They submitted the name Luna with help from their mother. She came up with a list of names and the three went over the list together and fell in love with Luna.
“I was excited and I thought it was just an honor for the girls to have a connection with the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary,” Rebekah Kimminau their mother said. “The girls were actually on the moon, they thought they had won the wolf and that the wolf was going to come home with us. It took me about half an hour to explain to them that they hadn’t actually won the wolf but that they had named the wolf.”