Wolf pups make it to IWC in good health
By Steve Foss
The International Wolf Center has three new additions.
Really new.
Wolf pups ý a male and female about 10 days old and another female only about a week old ý made the trip to their new home in Ely last weekend.
The three pups will eventually bolster the centerýs ýambassador packý of two adult male Arctic gray wolves, Malik and Shadow.
The older two pups were born May 12, the younger female on May 17 at a private breeding facility in Sandstone, Minn. The animals made the trip in good health and were exhibited to the Ely area public for the first time Monday at a press conference and publicity event.
Staffers have given the animals nicknames, which will suffice until a naming contest is finished. They call the male Griz, the older female Groan and the younger female Newby.
The wolf pups will stay in relative seclusion for awhile to acclimate themselves to the site. Eventually, as more than 100 ýwolf nanniesý from 23 states and 3 countries are well into the socialization process, the pups will be introduced to visitors during programs. If things go as planned, theyýll be added to the main enclosure at three months old.
According to Lori Schmidt, the centerýs wolf curator, a four-member wolf care team will work 24 hours a day for the first few weeks to bottle feed the animals every three to four hours. Later, the nannies will rotate two 8-hour shifts daily to socialize the wolves, which helps them feel more relaxed in the enclosure and when theyýre examined for injuries or medication. They also need to get used to noises from garbage trucks, chainsaws and weedeaters, as well as the presence of large crowds, visiting dogs and the occasional wild wolf that passed the enclosure.
Schmidt said that, while the two adult wolves provide excellent educational value to visitors, adding male and female pups will form a pack that likely will show more varied behavior. Part of the centerýs goal is to educate people about wolves.
Walter Medwid, the centerýs executive director, said the ambassador wolves ýhelp the center forge a connection between people and the animal.ý
Sound off
During the event on Monday, about 25 press, staff and guests gathered in the auditorium, and as soon as the pups were introduced and started whining, Malik heard the noise through the glass and approached fora better look, hanging around the vicinity during the event.
After explaining the ins and outs of wolf pup husbandry to the gathering, Schmidt turned on a microphone to the retirement enclosure where older wolves MacKenzie, Lucas and Lakota live. She opened a side door to the outside and howled. In short order, the adults all howled back.
Getting them ready
After the excitement of the event, the pups spent the afternoon sleeping and eating under the care of the wolf management team.
Raising wolf pups is a business complicated by the risk of disease and an emphasis on proper nutrition.
Only about half the pups born in the wild survive to be a year old, said Nancy Jo Tubbs, the centerýs board president and member of the care team.
Visitors to the pup building must wash their hands and dip their shoes in bleach water to avoid accidental introduction of disease.
Schmidt said the pupsý presence has added excitement to the staff, and said they have forged a deeper connection between the centerýs Twin Cities and Ely staffs.
ýThe pups remind people why weýre here,ý she said.
The pups are expected to debut in education programs at the center this weekend, but that is based on veterinarian Chip Hansonýs judgement. Programs will include ýPup 101ý and ýMorning With The Pups,ý and as a fund-raiser, people can pay to have their photos taken with the pups.
The pupsý transition to the main enclosure will be done slowly and in stages, with a tentative date of July 4 set for putting the pups in a small enclosure that borders the main one, which will allow limited contact between the adults and pups in the main compound.
For more information on the pups, upcoming programs, or to enter the naming contest, log onto the centerýs Web site at www.wolf.org or call (800) 359-9653, ext. 25.