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 sum
