Prognosis isn’t yet clear for Boltz, an 8-year-old gray wolf
Contact:
Chad Richardson, Communications Director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-233-7132
chad@wolf.org
Additional photos available on request
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Once the doors closed at the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital MRI unit on Sept. 15, a special patient was wheeled into place for a unique MRI. This patient was a wolf.
For the first time in the history of the International Wolf Center and the first time at the hospital, an ambassador wolf from the Center was given an MRI. The procedure was done to help identify some lingering health issues that are negatively impacting Boltz, an 8-year-old gray wolf.
“We’re so thankful that the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital worked with us on this really unusual request,” said the Center’s wolf curator, Lori Schmidt. “It is not uncommon for us to have x-rays taken at the Ely Veterinary Clinic, but an MRI is not available there. This contribution to helping diagnose Boltz was critical.”
The MRI came about thanks to an initial phone call from Dr. Woerheide from the Ely Veterinary Clinic, followed by hours of logistical details on how to keep a wolf safely sedated for the duration of the procedure.
“She made the call to the hospital and was able to coax them into seeing what a benefit this could be for all the parties involved,” said Krista Harrington, the Interpretive Center Manager. “The closest animal MRI is in the Twin Cities, so we could not have done it without her and the Ely hospital.”
The hospital said it is proud of its contribution.
“While certainly an unusual request for a different kind of patient, we were excited, challenged and blessed by the opportunity to help with Boltz’ diagnosis and eventual care plan,” said EBCH’s Diagnostic Imaging Team Leader, Victor Aime. “I had two planning meetings with Dr. Woerheide to consider the challenges of an MRI on a sedated wolf. The meetings paid off with a flawless experience. It couldn’t have gone better! Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital is proud to have been a participant in this collaborative effort with the International Wolf Center and Ely Veterinary Clinic for the benefit of Boltz.”
Dr. Woerheide figured she had nothing to lose in asking the hospital.
“It didn’t hurt to ask,” Woerheide said. “We thought they were probably going to say, ‘No, we don’t want a wolf in our very expensive machine,’ but Victor was open to helping out. I met with him in person and we talked it all through. We just made a plan and made it happen.”
Staff at the International Wolf Center were able to get Boltz sedated during the day and then transported him to the hospital in a crate. Woerheide was in the back of the truck monitoring Boltz on the short drive to the hospital. When they all arrived, he was loaded onto a lift and taken into the MRI trailer.
Everything inside took about 90 minutes. During the MRI, hospital staff carefully studied what was showing up on their monitors. It’s safe to say that these results looked much different than what they normally see.
“The staff was comparing the anatomy of wolves to people and asking a lot of questions,” Harrington said. “They were asking things like ‘How many lumbar vertebrae do wolves have? What were the presenting symptoms?’
“They explained a lot of what we were seeing on the scans as they happened — where the spinal cord was, the various parts of the brain, the sagittal crest, the jaw and other skull and spine features.”
Once hospital staff were finished with the MRI, the images were burned onto a disc. Those images were emailed to the University of Minnesota Neurology Department, which conferred with Dr. Woerheide on the results. Nothing conclusive has been found yet, so additional tests are being done to get a diagnosis for Boltz.
“Wolf care staff are closely monitoring Boltz with the aid of onsite surveillance equipment and daily review of video to assess his response to treatment, Schmidt said. “We are hopeful we’ll have a conclusive diagnosis and prognosis soon.”
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. For more information about the International Wolf Center, visit wolf.org.
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2020 Ballot question: Proposition 114, reintroduction and management of gray wolves
From the Ark Valley Voice:
Proposition 114 is an emotionally charged question that asks voters to direct Colorado Parks and Wildlife to reintroduce gray wolves in Colorado starting in 2023.
There are currently wolf populations in the Northern Rockies as well as packs to the south of Colorado. Theoretically, wolf reintroduction in Colorado would connect these populations and support the recovery of a species that was hunted almost to extinction in the early 1900s, led by ranching interests and those settling land. Wolf advocates see Colorado as a critical, final link to returning wolves to the Lower 48 States.
Click here for the full story.
Colorado Politics: 114’s ‘ballot box biology’ will backfire
From Colorado Politics
There are many reasons to oppose Proposition 114, a radical plan to introduce gray wolves in western Colorado via ballot-box biology. Not the least of those reasons is the fact that gray wolves are already here.
Gray wolves, an apex predator, have been in Colorado for years, enjoying a wolf-friendly habitat and plentiful food sources — and the population is increasing. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has confirmed their presence in northwestern Colorado and gets more than 100 reports of wolf sightings each year.
Click here for the full story.
Steamboat: Vote ‘no’ on Proposition 114, the plan to reintroduce wolves to Colorado
From the Pilot & Today in Steamboat:
The wolf is a creature that is both romanticized and vilified, and this effort to reintroduce the apex predator on public lands in Western Colorado has elicited strong opinions on both sides of the issue. And now, it’s time for Coloradans to decide.
If approved by voters, Proposition 114 would require the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to develop a plan to reintroduce and manage gray wolves in Colorado by Dec. 31, 2023, on designated public lands west of the Continental Divide. About 10 wolves would be introduced at a cost of $500,000 per year.
Click here for the full story.
Aurora: Colorado’s Prop 114 is a political sheep in wolves’ clothing — vote no
From the Sentinel in Aurora, Colorado:
Anyone with even a cursory understanding of wildlife management and biology can grasp the importance of the balance of wildlife species.
Colorado, like all states, have over the centuries created serious environmental problems by deliberately and inadvertently upsetting that natural balance. Foolishly eradicating the gray wolf about 100 years ago is among many wildlife and environmental management gaffes Colorado has made, wreaking havoc on a natural system that we still do not fully understand.
Click here for the full story.
From the Editorial Advisory Board: Wolf reintroduction
From the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado:
Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Admittedly, I wasn’t sure where I stood on this issue before it came to me from this week’s Editorial Advisory Board question. There are lots of issues to consider such as human safety, livestock, hunters, re-establishment of natural ecosystems, and the plight of the wolves themselves. Luckily, as I learned, there is plenty of data available, because there are quite a few places in the United States that have seen a reestablishment of formerly indigenous wolf populations. Did you know that Minnesota can claim the largest wolf population in the lower 48 states? Anywhere from 2,000 to 3,200 wolves currently call the state home.
Click here for the full story.
Colorado Proposition 114 Endorsement: Yes on gray wolves reintroduction
From The Denver Post:
Coloradans are being asked to weigh a critical question this fall — would western Colorado be better off with a wolf population than it is without this apex predator roaming public and private lands.
Opponents of a ballot measure asking Coloradans for the needed legislative permission to reintroduce the gray wolf into the Centennial State argue wildlife officials, scientists, and biologists should be making this decision, not the voters.
Click here for the full story.
Colorado Wolf Reintroduction
Ambassador wolf receives MRI procedure at Ely hospital
Prognosis isn’t yet clear for Boltz, an 8-year-old gray wolf
Contact:
Chad Richardson, Communications Director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-233-7132
chad@wolf.org
Additional photos available on request
For the first time in the history of the International Wolf Center and the first time at the hospital, an ambassador wolf from the Center was given an MRI. The procedure was done to help identify some lingering health issues that are negatively impacting Boltz, an 8-year-old gray wolf.
“We’re so thankful that the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital worked with us on this really unusual request,” said the Center’s wolf curator, Lori Schmidt. “It is not uncommon for us to have x-rays taken at the Ely Veterinary Clinic, but an MRI is not available there. This contribution to helping diagnose Boltz was critical.”
The MRI came about thanks to an initial phone call from Dr. Woerheide from the Ely Veterinary Clinic, followed by hours of logistical details on how to keep a wolf safely sedated for the duration of the procedure.
“She made the call to the hospital and was able to coax them into seeing what a benefit this could be for all the parties involved,” said Krista Harrington, the Interpretive Center Manager. “The closest animal MRI is in the Twin Cities, so we could not have done it without her and the Ely hospital.”
The hospital said it is proud of its contribution.
“While certainly an unusual request for a different kind of patient, we were excited, challenged and blessed by the opportunity to help with Boltz’ diagnosis and eventual care plan,” said EBCH’s Diagnostic Imaging Team Leader, Victor Aime. “I had two planning meetings with Dr. Woerheide to consider the challenges of an MRI on a sedated wolf. The meetings paid off with a flawless experience. It couldn’t have gone better! Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital is proud to have been a participant in this collaborative effort with the International Wolf Center and Ely Veterinary Clinic for the benefit of Boltz.”
Dr. Woerheide figured she had nothing to lose in asking the hospital.
“It didn’t hurt to ask,” Woerheide said. “We thought they were probably going to say, ‘No, we don’t want a wolf in our very expensive machine,’ but Victor was open to helping out. I met with him in person and we talked it all through. We just made a plan and made it happen.”
Staff at the International Wolf Center were able to get Boltz sedated during the day and then transported him to the hospital in a crate. Woerheide was in the back of the truck monitoring Boltz on the short drive to the hospital. When they all arrived, he was loaded onto a lift and taken into the MRI trailer.
Everything inside took about 90 minutes. During the MRI, hospital staff carefully studied what was showing up on their monitors. It’s safe to say that these results looked much different than what they normally see.
“The staff was comparing the anatomy of wolves to people and asking a lot of questions,” Harrington said. “They were asking things like ‘How many lumbar vertebrae do wolves have? What were the presenting symptoms?’
“They explained a lot of what we were seeing on the scans as they happened — where the spinal cord was, the various parts of the brain, the sagittal crest, the jaw and other skull and spine features.”
Once hospital staff were finished with the MRI, the images were burned onto a disc. Those images were emailed to the University of Minnesota Neurology Department, which conferred with Dr. Woerheide on the results. Nothing conclusive has been found yet, so additional tests are being done to get a diagnosis for Boltz.
“Wolf care staff are closely monitoring Boltz with the aid of onsite surveillance equipment and daily review of video to assess his response to treatment, Schmidt said. “We are hopeful we’ll have a conclusive diagnosis and prognosis soon.”
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. For more information about the International Wolf Center, visit wolf.org.