Boltz taught the wolf care team about the importance of trust.
Boltz was born March 17, 2012 and was 8 days older than his pupmate, Luna. Arriving at the Center at 30 days old, Boltz was well past the critical bonding period of 10-14 days old; this led to an increase of mistrust and neophobic fear responses that are instinctual in wolves. Boltz was considered a low ranking member of the pack. In addition to his lack of status, he developed a phobia about flying insects. The introduction of Axel and Grayson in 2016 certainly helped Boltz socially. He had a great bond with the pups and worked in tandem with Axel to test the pack leader, Aidan, in the winter of 2017-2018. Wolf care team members noticed some instability in his back legs, that led to his removal from the Exhibit Pack into retirement in September 2020. Initial testing and MRI imagery was unable to pinpoint the cause. His condition declined drastically in his last few months of life and he was humanely euthanized on November 12, 2020. Necropsy results concluded that his declining mobility was a result of a degrative neurological disorder. Boltz’s lessons on the importance of socialization will live on in our wolf care team members and future generations of ambassador wolves.
