Denali and Aidan were born on April 27, 2008, and joined the Exhibit Pack on August 4, 2008. The 2008 pup introduction was unique for the Center as it was the first time that our Exhibit pack contained three subspecies of the gray wolf and three age groups: the arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos) born in 2000, Great Plains wolves (Canis lupus nubilus) born in 2004, and Rocky Mountain wolves (Canis lupus occidentalis) born in 2008.

Denali was euthanized on September 4, 2021. A necropsy revealed that a tumor on his liver had ruptured.

Denali was fairly immune to dominance rank order. He was more prone to social engagement and avoided interactions related to dominance. He was encouraged to be more dominant by the second-ranking male, Grizzer, who allowed Denali to readily take food or possessions without any sign of threat display. By the time Denali turned two years old, he was always very social but also very testing. Grizzer attempted to assert some rank over Denali, but starting at two years of age wasn’t very effective.

In July 2010, the pack leader, Shadow, an arctic wolf born in 2000, was retired, which essentially left no leadership in the pack.  In 2011, we had a tragic injury to Maya, the dominant female and littermate to Grizzer that resulted in her euthanasia and prompted the decision to retire Grizzer. Without Grizzer’s limits, Denali was looking for an opportunity to assert his rank and did so to both the 2012 and 2016 pup litters. He was especially focused on Grayson, an arctic pup introduced to the Exhibit in August 2016.  This focus on Grayson ultimately led to Denali’s retirement.  Denali’s size and tendency to dominate food resources meant that Denali controlled who got to eat first in the weekly deer carcass feeding. For whatever reason, Denali would allow Boltz and Axel to feed with him but would chase Grayson away from the carcass until everyone else was full.  Even though staff supplementally fed Grayson to make sure he got enough to eat, he was frustrated with this situation and it showed in pack interactions.   One of those behaviors witnessed by staff was a “Grab Bite,” where Grayson would grab a back leg for a nip and run away, often chased by Denali.  This behavior ultimately led to Denali’s retirement in October 2020.  As staff arrived for daily operations on the morning of October 16th 2020, they noticed that Denali had a paw injury.  Further inspection showed a tear on his back right paw that was going to require some more intense medical care than could be completed in the Exhibit Pack.  The decision was made to retire Denali at 12.5 years of age.  This was far older than any of our previous retirees, who had all been retired by 10 years of age.  Since his retirement, he was reunited with Grizzer, a former packmate and adapted to a calmer, more restful life in retirement.

Unfortunately, while staff were observing a social, interactive wolf that always welcomed the wolf care staff’s daily greetings, he had developed some internal masses that were not detectable.  Before the September 4, 2021 nighttime feeding program, wolf care staff noticed that Denali was significantly declining and all symptoms indicated some internal bleeding.  He was euthanized by the Center’s Veterinarian later that night.  A necropsy revealed the cause of his decline: a mass had ruptured on his liver.  A biopsy confirmed that he had a hemangiosarcoma, and evidence suggested that this cancer had spread to other organs.

Wolf videos on the International Wolf Center’s YouTube Channel have documented Denali’s behavior over the years and are a good way to keep his memory alive.  As with all of our ambassador wolves, the lessons they have taught our wolf care team will make us better care for future generations.