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ELY—Two new wolf pups arrived this spring, and are being cared for and socialized to be introduced to the exhibit pack this summer at the International Wolf Center in Ely.
“The International Wolf Center uses science-based education to teach and inspire the world about wolves, their ecology, and the wolf-human relationship,” according to a mission statement on the center’s website.
An estimated 40,000 people visit the International Wolf Center in person each year, including school groups. There are also online options available for children and adults alike to learn about wolves on the center’s website, including a streaming wolf cam, where you can observe the exhibit pack.
Giselle M. Narváez Rivera, Wolf Curator said the new pups were born on April 22 in Wisconsin.
“These curious, playful additions to our Pack offer an exciting glimpse into the future of wolf education, showcasing the social dynamics and strong bonds that bring them together as a pack,” as stated on educational material.
“They were born on Earth Day, which is pretty special, too,” Rivera said.
The two pups were only 10 days old when they arrived, and are being cared for by staff and volunteers known as the “Wolf Care Team,” “We get them at that critical bonding period for socializing, between 10 to 14 days old, before they open their eyes—the first things they see are humans feeding and caring for them and bonding that early,” she said.
The Wolf Care Team monitors the pups 24/7, bottle feeding them, and offering them gruel formula—a type of ground meat mix mixed with milk replacement formula.
“They’re doing really well eating that too,” she said.
They are anticipated to be introduced into the exhibit pack once they weigh a little over 30 pounds, which will be the end of July or early August—about three months old, or so, she said.
The new pups are introduced slowly to the exhibit pack through the fence, where they are able to sniff and see each other, according to Rivera.
Until the pups go into the exhibit pack, they need to be continually be monitored around the clock. While the young pups sleep, staff can monitor them on camera, while in other parts of the building, she noted.
All of the members of the Wolf Care Team have extensive training, and many of them have 20 plus years of experience in combination with a staff that has been there for decades.
Rivera said it’s important to have stability in the Wolf Care Team. There are members of the team that have bottle fed, Grayson, the oldest member of the exhibit pack, who is now nine-yearsold.
At the end of the day, the wolves are wild animals.
“They are socialized and bonded, but still are wild animals,” Rivera said, noting the staff and volunteers have to be trained about situational awareness and reading wolves’ behaviors.
Rivera said the wolves communicate very clearly, and “You have to be very aware of body language and reading a lot of the situations.”
Fortunately, there have been no accidents at the center, but they do train twice a year, she noted.
The International Wolf Center offers free WolfLink video conferencing programs to schools, including a Wolf Pup 101 that teaches about the ambassador wolves through their first years of life. The program includes the stages of pup development, and what it takes to raise wolves.
The International Wolf Center is raising funds to help with costs associated with feeding and caring for the pups.
Donations are being accepted online at: https://wolf. org/support/donate/. Please indicate Pup Pack on the Tribute line of the donation form.
To watch the Wolf Cam, and learn about wolves, go to wolf.org.
More information on school programs is available online at https://wolf.org/ programs/educator-resources- wolf-link/.
