Aidan was a welcoming pack leader.
Aidan and his littermate, Denali, were born April 27, 2008. Aidan was clearly the more submissive of the two pups during the first few years of his life, and was considered a lower ranking wolf. He was often forced to submit by Maya, the dominant female of the Exhibit Pack. After the retirement of the pack leader, Shadow, Aidan took on a higher ranking role and pair bonded with Maya. He was the leader of the pack until the winter of 2017-2018, being deposed primarily by Axel and Boltz. Aidan joined Grizzer and Luna in retirement in July 2018. He resumed his social relationship with both pack members; Luna was his “co-pack leader” and Grizzer was a social companion that had adopted Aidan back in 2008. Aidan provided comfort and familiarity for Grizzer as his vision began to decrease. Being a pack leader can be a big responsibility, and over the years, Aidan had issues with auto-immune disorders. Since 2017, he battled mast cell tumors that would emerge around times of stress, such as major changes in pack dynamics. These mast cell tumors eventually took over, and Aidan passed away on August 14, 2019. His sense of leadership was remarkable, and passed along to his successor, Grayson.
