Exhibit Pack Update – December 2024

As we wrap up 2024, we look back at all the changes that took place at the International Wolf Center. We said a heartbreaking farewell to Axel, one of our ambassador arctic gray wolves. This brought a big change within the dynamics of the Exhibit Pack, and Grayson stepped up to the role of pack leader with a newfound confidence. Some major facility updates took place, including a new roof, heated garage, freshly stained building, and some freezer repairs. We also welcomed our new Wolf Care Specialist, Lexi Ham. Enjoy this piece she wrote, reflecting on the importance and maintenance of our exhibit pond, and how that changes with the seasons:

From heavy snow to subzero temperatures to rain, December has had some varying winter weather. As the wolf care team settles into winter protocols it’s fascinating to compare what the job consists of seasonally. A piece of the puzzle that plays a big part in the wolf care check all year is the pump house.

The pond was built in 2001 for the ambassador wolves, to create a naturalistic water feature for drinking and cooling off in the summer. A housing unit for the pond’s pump (cleverly referred to as the pumphouse) was built alongside it to pump water from the lower pond up to the top of the waterfall feature, as well as to keep the water clear of debris. Additionally, in 2016 an ultraviolet filter was installed to advance this process.

In the summer, we climb into the pumphouse. A deep skimmer box collects many surprise items for the wolf care team to find. Some days it may be leaves, deer hair, or even a piece of leftover meat lost to the wolves. Once that task is completed, we clean the inside of the filters. Sand, logs, and rocks are strategically placed to provide a space to rest on top.

In winter, this is a whole other story. Since the pump house is a place for social gatherings for the pack throughout the year we keep it in a condition worthy of this activity. We add cover hay to provide a soft space to rest and hide a cache or two. Rakes are used to fluff it and add air pockets to maintain its warmth. On warmer days, any wet hay will be removed and replaced. Come spring, all of the hay will be removed to prepare for the sand to come back. It’s a continuous cycle that promotes what we strive to do: give the exhibit pack the best life possible.

Now, as we move into January, we begin to prepare for winter pack dynamics. Winter brings heightened activity due to cold weather and increased breeding hormones. While these moments may look intense, it’s a wolf’s way of communication. Here’s what’s been noted by the team for the month of December. Blackstone’s position as the lowest ranking wolf has stayed consistent. This often makes him the focus of the pack in certain situations, like pack chases. Usually, Rieka focuses the most and may find an opportunity to grab his rear. His brother, Caz, may join but easily veers into a social interaction quickly. Historically, Grayson would stay on the sidelines and search for a moment to correct Caz. Lately he has been joining in and placing inhibited bites, a controlled bite without enough pressure to cause injury, to Blackstone. This has been an interesting change to note. Caz and Rieka have their own instances of dominance and Grayson has been seen grabbing at Rieka’s leg too. These types of reactions do make us question if pair bonding is on the horizon for her. No matter what we will watch closely and keep detailed data of the pack.

Keep looking at our wolf cams and using our ethogram!

We look forward to what 2025 will bring and appreciate your support!

Ambassador wolves in the wolf yard

Exhibit Pack Update – November 2024

As November comes to a close we are finally seeing winter weather in northern Minnesota! Our first sizable snow day brought a lot of activity for the pack. Most of the behaviors being food guarding from the ravens, a trend we see often with changing seasons. Local raven’s know the wolf enclosure is a great spot for leftovers.

Trends in pack dynamics have been noted by the wolf care team as well. As we’ve explained in past logs, Blackstone is currently holding the omega rank within the pack. Usually, we find that he is the subject of focus from the others. Focused behaviors may include chasing, circling, and biting. While it may be difficult to watch moments like these, it’s all part of ritualized dominance. This is a process of an exchange in behaviors between a wolf pack that establishes hierarchy and it helps to maintain cohesiveness within the pack. Wolves may have these moments multiple times a day, just as a wolf’s status may change on any given day. That’s why we keep such a close eye on the pack. For now, we are continuing to watch Grayson maintain the role of pack leader. Caz and Blackstone willingly submit to Grayson, and Rieka and Caz keep due diligence to remind Blackstone he’s the omega.

Speaking of Grayson, we have an update on his colitis. He’s been on a regimen of antibiotics and probiotics for a couple of months and he has responded very well to the treatment. He recently finished his last dose for the foreseeable future. We will continue to monitor and assess his condition under the guidance of our veterinarian to decide any next steps. If you’re interested in more information on the pack, consider joining us for the Winter Solstice webinar on December 21st!

Lastly, we want to give a big thank you to everyone who made Give to the Wolves Day such a success! Our goal was exceeded by $412, giving us a grand total of $140,412. These donations fund the care for our current, and future, ambassadors. Your generosity supports our mission and makes our work possible. We are very grateful for all of your continued support!

Exhibit Pack Update – 8 November 2024

Despite temperatures beginning to drop, we still have had a fairly warm/mild fall. This was a relief, as we have had quite the eventful October! Our facility has undergone some much needed TLC. The building has been freshly stained — both on the public side and the wolf side — and the shingles on the roof replaced. This took a tremendous amount of planning, re-planning, and planning again in order to complete both projects while still meeting the needs of the wolf ambassadors and our visitors. A special thank you to the guests who put up with some rather loud roof work, and to our incredible team for ensuring the safety and comfort of our Exhibit Pack.

As you can imagine, the wolves had to be in holding while the staining was done. While several hours is longer than the wolf ambassadors are used to, they took everything in stride and handled it all very well. A week later, they had to be in holding again while the roofing crew began demolition on the old shingles; this was for the safety of our Exhibit Pack, as this process was incredibly messy with a lot of plastic, nails, screws, and shingle pieces falling on the ground inside the enclosure. Again, the wolves impressed us with their tolerance in holding, even with noisy roof work going on! We had members of the wolf care team with the Exhibit Pack the entire time they were in holding to provide distractions and comfort when needed.

After the old shingles were removed and a thorough sweep through the yard for debris was completed, the wolves could return to their enclosure for the remainder of the roof work. However, wolf care team members still needed to stay in the enclosure while the roof crew was installing the new shingles so that we could retrieve anything that fell into the wolf enclosure right away (before Blackstone ran off with it). This meant many long days of sitting in the enclosure from sun up to sun down.

Overall it was a bit of a chaotic and stressful few weeks, but we are happy to say that the wolves did absolutely wonderful throughout all the many iterations of plans! Watch the most recent couple of Exhibit Pack Updates for an additional look at the ambassador wolves’ reactions to these projects.

On a separate note, Give to the Wolves Day is on November 21, 2024 with early giving starting November 1! When you donate now through Give to the Wolves Day, your donation will be doubled thanks to the generosity of our Board of Directions and several incredible donors, who have pledged nearly $70,000 in matching donations. Learn more or donate today to make twice the impact!

Exhibit Pack Update – 12 September 2024

To celebrate Ely’s annual Harvest Moon Festival, the Exhibit Pack received several harvest-themed enrichments! Pictured above is the lowest ranking male, Blackstone, carrying a meat-stuffed gourd. Although he is the omega of the pack, Blackstone will still successfully guard food items from the rest of the pack. Social rank does not appear to dictate food possession; guarding and possessing items seems to be influenced more by the personality of the wolf. For example, Caz is extremely food possessive and does not shy away from conflict. Grayson, however, seems to avoid conflict more often and is usually less motivated to guard food. Grayson and Blackstone appear to have the stronger bond and alliance between them compared to that of Grayson and Caz. They are very much kindred spirits, and have similar sensitive personalities.

It has been an eventful few weeks up here at our interpretive center in Ely, Minnesota. Our building is currently undergoing some much-needed staining, with plans to re-shingle the roof underway. The roofing project will require temporary fencing within the enclosure to keep the Exhibit Pack away from the roofline and freshly-stained building. This will likely take place in October. There will be extra wolf care team presence on site during this to ensure the wolves are calm and safe during these projects.

After a few blissful days of cool weather, the heat has returned. The wolves appear to be handling it well, but have been retreating to the cool shade of the forest early on in the day. It has been pretty dry as well, with very littler precipitation lately. A small (0.1 acre) wildfire has popped up in our area, but appears to be well-contained and is not a current threat. Since we are located in an area prone to wildfires, this is not an unusual occurrence. We have several fire safety precautions and emergency protocols in place to both reduce the risk of wildfires affecting the enclosure and safe evacuation of the wolf ambassadors if needed. Some of the precautions we take include establishing a wide firebreak around the entire enclosure and implementing fuels reduction practices such as woody debris/brush removal.

Our next Wolf Care Webinar is this month! Join us on the autumnal equinox (September 21st) at 4pm CDT as we assess the Exhibit’s fall colors and see if the wolves have started transitioning to the more intense interactions that are associated with a seasonal change in hormones as colder weather approaches. You can register for this webinar by visiting this page.

Exhibit Pack Update – 28 August 2024

As temperatures begin to cool, activity within the Exhibit Pack increases. There have been many notable interactions between Rieka and Grayson that are social in nature: play bowing, invite chasing, inhibited muzzle bites, high tail wags, and overmarking urinations. These interactions can be viewed in the most recent Exhibit Pack Update on YouTube. This trend toward more social interactions rather than rear-grabbing may be an indication to where her alliances might lie this coming winter. However, there is still no guarantee that there will be a pair bond between this dominant female and well-respected male.

Blackstone continues to be regarded as the lowest ranking pack member, oftentimes referred to as the omega. He is typically the focus of any chases (social or otherwise); Rieka and Caz will readily escalate the interaction with displays of dominance if the opportunity presents itself. Some of the interactions will be triggered by food possession or guarding of an object (such as a deer hoof or a really cool stick). If this is the case, there is typically a very loud exchange of growling, snapping, and barking between Blackstone and his brother, Caz. In these instances, there is rarely any dangerous intent; wolves will oftentimes engage in loud, blustering demonstrations of guarding or ritualized dominance. These interactions rarely result in an injury, and are intended to communicate via verbal cues and snapping at the air.

As summer begins to wane and fall blows in, we expect to see ambassador wolf activity continue to increase.

September 6-8th is Harvest Moon Festival in Ely, Minnesota. To celebrate, we will be giving harvest-themed enrichments to our Exhibit Pack each day during the festival. These will include stuffed gourds, cinnamon apples, wild rice brats, apple-liver popsicles, and more! These enrichments will take place at 12pm and 4pm (CDT) each day. Not able to make it in person? No problem! You can watch these enrichments from our live streaming webcams.

Exhibit Pack Update – 18 August 2024

Wolf activity in the Exhibit Pack has lessened in the past few weeks due to some increased temperatures. During a hot day, a wolf is more likely to rest someplace it can cool off such as in the shade of a forest, in a dugout dirt hole, or possibly even in a den. The bugs have decreased significantly, with the arrival of August, meaning that the woods has become a comfortable place of respite from the heat once more; our ambassadors still utilize the many shaded areas by the viewing windows, but they may retreat to the treeline during the hottest part of the day. If you are planning on visiting our interpretive facility to see the Exhibit Pack this month, we recommend you arrive early or late in the day, when pack activity is at its highest. We still offer enrichment at noon and 4pm everyday, making these excellent times to visit the wolves.

Caz (pictured above) is already growing in his undercoat in preparation for this coming winter. In order to cool off with this extra fur, he can often be seen swimming a lap around the pond.

Fur growth and shedding appears to differ year by year (and wolf by wolf!), indicating that there is more to it than just a change in photoperiod or temperature. Hormones play a large role in the behavior and physiology of wolves; Prolactin is one of these key hormones that influence both behavior and physiology. It is thought that the production of prolactin (in association with other hormones such as melatonin) may be associated with coat shedding and regrowth (Martinet et al. 1984). While prolactin production is influenced by photoperiod, individual wolves may vary on the rate and amount of prolactin produced, thus resulting in a variation of behavioral and physiological effects. See the following passage from Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation:

“Wolves shed their thick, insulating undercoat in spring as day length and PRL [prolactin] concentration increase. Conversely, in fall, when day length and PRL decrease, the summer coat is replaced by the thick winter pelage. Any reproductive or pelage effects that PRL may have, however, are most likely a function of a complex relationship with several other hormones such as melatonin. Since melatonin is also highly photoperiodic, it could be acting as a primary messenger mediating the effect of photoperiodicity on season events, in which PRL acts as a modulating, secondary messenger (Bubenik et al. 1986).” – Terry J. Kreeger; edited by L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani 2003

So while Caz is beginning his winter coat regrowth, his brother Blackstone is still very much enjoying his summer coat! This is a great example of the individuality of wolves more than just personality, but also the individuality of physiology.

Exhibit Pack Update – 22 July 2024

Summer storms are no joke here in Ely, Minnesota. We’ve had a few pretty intense weather events so far this summer – including a tornado warning! While tornadoes are pretty rare here, we often see a lot of strong winds come through. One of these winds snapped one of the trees that provided some excellent shade for the Exhibit Pack (see the photo above of the entire Pack resting in it’s shade). It was an unfortunate loss, but the wolves still have an incredibly lush environment with plenty of shady spots available for refuge from the sun.

The downside of this wonderfully dense vegetation is the ever-present bug issues we continue to have. We do our best to help provide comfort to the wolves as discussed in previous Exhibit Pack logs, but one additional way we’ve been trying to reduce the bug load is by weed eating some of the groundcover in the enclosure. We do this with a weed trimmer; we’re currently borrowing a battery-operated one from a staff member since it is much quieter, lighter weight, and less disruptive to our wolf ambassadors than the gas-operated one the Center owns. We do have a battery-operated weed trimmer on our Amazon WishList (as well as many other much-needed items) if you are looking for a way to support our wolf care department!

The Exhibit Pack has been fairly calm these past few weeks, with their activity lessening on some of the more hot and humid days. Grayson continues to initiate invite chases to Rieka, along with other social behaviors such as play bows, jaw sparring, and high tail wags. There seemed to be an increase in these interactions this summer as Grayson’s confidence grew as the leader of the Exhibit Pack. It will be interesting to see how their relationship and behaviors change as we enter the fall and winter seasons later this year.

Ely’s annual Blueberry Arts Festival is this weekend (7/26-7/28)! We will be providing some special blueberry-themed enrichment items at 12:00pm and 4:00pm CST during the weekend. If you’ll be in town, be sure to swing by our interpretive facility to observe the wolves’ behaviors when given blueberry brats, blueberry popsicles, and even blueberry snow cones! If you are unable to make it in person, you can still view these enrichments on our live cams. Learn more about wolves’ relationship to blueberries through the Voyageur’s National Park Wolf Project, as they have some extensive research regarding the summer diet of wolves here in northern Minnesota.

Exhibit Pack Update – 16 July 2024

We’ve been lucky to have such a mild summer so far; however, this luck seems to have run out! The past few weeks have shown us some very warm days. The wolves have been handling the heat fairly well, utilizing the pond, shaded areas, and misting system to cool off. Wolf care staff continue to provide frozen treats such as deer leg “popsicles”, frozen beaver tails, and bacon ice cubes. As a “cool” enrichment to celebrate July 4th, we provided the wolves with red, white, and blue snow cones made out of snow saved from this past winter with some sports drink for added flavor, color, and electrolytes. The fireworks were acknowledged by our wolf ambassadors, but they did not seem to be too affected by the loud noises; we have also been getting a lot of thunderstorms, which oftentimes are equally as loud! You can watch the ambassador wolves’ reactions to their snow cone enrichment and the fireworks later that night in this YouTube short.

To avoid the heat during the summer months, wolves tend to become less active during the day and more active in the cool evenings and night. Our wolf ambassadors are no exception to this! As July brings the heat and humidity, the Exhibit Pack has been spending more of their time resting in the shade or in their dens. Typically we see our ambassadors retreating to the wooded forest within their enclosure to escape the heat. However, the substantial amount of rain this summer has provided an abundance of mosquitoes… much to the chagrin of the wolves (and the wolf care team!). They seem to be avoiding utilizing the dense vegetation, preferring the more open areas by the viewing windows that tend to be less buggy. Although we certainly cannot complain about the rain this year, as it has helped greatly reduce the risk of wildfires after a very dry winter season. If you would like to help manage the mosquito issue for our Pack, check out our Amazon Wishlist! There are several items that aid in keeping bug numbers down such as all natural bug repellent sprays, bug balls, and an electric weed eater that we can bring in the enclosure to cut down some of the overly-lush grasses that the mosquitoes like to hang out in.

Even though a good portion of the wolves’ days consist of resting, there has still been a lot of interesting behaviors and Pack dynamics of note. Caz and Blackstone continue to be very respectful and submissive to Grayson. We oftentimes pay a lot of attention to some of the more antagonistic behaviors or behaviors associated with ritualized dominance since they tend to be more loud and noticeable. But wolves are incredibly social animals and will also display more affiliative behaviors such as mutual grooming and resting in proximity. The Exhibit Pack usually rests near each other, which can be a sign of a cohesive pack unit with strong social bonds. While Grayson will oftentimes give Caz corrections or posture over him, we have also seen a lot of grooming behaviors shared between these two. In the most recent Exhibit Pack Update you will see Caz presenting his leg and pawing at Grayson’s face. Grayson responds by licking Caz’s leg and providing that social care Caz appears to be soliciting.

When we talk about a dominant wolf — either male or female — people tend to think of the loudest, most intimidating or domineering wolf but in reality, maintaining good relationships with your pack members and leading with care for your pack seems to be the most common and important qualities. If you want to learn more about about wolf behavior, view our new wolf ethogram page. There, you can dive into the world of wolf ethology and begin to identifying many different types of wolf behavior.

Exhibit Pack Update – 2 July 2024

Summer is in full swing here at the International Wolf Center. We are happy to say that our Exhibit Pack pond is now running smoothly! The ambassador wolves have been utilizing this resource daily, whether it be to take a quick drink under the heat of the sun or to wade through the water to cool off. The pond is occasionally a focal point during our noon or 4pm enrichments; if the day’s enrichment item is a beaver-tail “popsicle” or bacon ice cubes, the wolf care team may toss some into the pond to encourage our wolf ambassadors to get their feet wet and display some natural swimming, wading, and head-dunking behaviors. There is no guarantee that they will step foot into the pond, but it appears that the youngest pack members – Caz and Blackstone – are very comfortable traversing the waters.

If you have watched our most recent Exhibit Pack Update on YouTube, you may have seen the social rally demonstrated by Grayson, Rieka, Blackstone, and Caz. This behavior is signified by wolves coming together after a howl or after a period of rest. Several behaviors may occur, such as greeting, tail wagging and sometimes mild aggression. We see rallies take place often at the International Wolf Center, usually after a chorus howl led by Grayson. The mild aggression or testing behaviors that we tend to see during or immediately after a rally is thought by some biologists to be due to the opportunistic nature of wolves; the pack had been separated for some time before rallying together, so wolves may posture over one another to reestablish pack rank order. Because of this, a rally may start social but end with some corrective behaviors by more dominant pack members.

As social animals, wolves also rely on building strong bonds and alliances within their pack. We continue to see our Exhibit Pack display the calmness and social behaviors expected by a cohesive pack unit. Blackstone and Grayson appear to have a strong relationship, oftentimes described by the wolf care team as being “two peas in a pod”. They have a similar sensitive nature and Grayson rarely postures over Blackstone. On the other hand, Grayson is quick to posture over Caz! We believe this is because Caz has a more confident personality than his brother (as demonstrated by his many raised-leg urinations and possessiveness when it comes to food); Grayson may see this as a potential issue as Caz matures and perhaps may test Grayson in the future. Both younger males seem to continue to be extremely submissive to Grayson, but that will likely not always be the case.

And where does Rieka fit into this? Well in the center of it all, of course. As the dominant female with a sometimes intense personality, Rieka is typically involved in most pack interactions. She seems to be more socially engaged with Grayson than we had seen in the past, but continues to focus on him during times of heightened excitement within the Exhibit Pack. We have also seen Rieka and Caz displaying the occasional parallel gait, one of the many behaviors oftentimes seen among individuals with a strong social bond. This in itself is not necessarily indicative of a pair bond, as we have also witnessed several parallel gaits between Rieka and Grayson as well.

July 4th is right around the corner and the ambassador wolves will be given some special red, white, and blue themed enrichment in the form of flavored ice cubes and pails of snow. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next video on YouTube, as this will likely feature footage of the wolves’ reactions to snow in July! If you have not viewed our Amazon Wishlist lately, please check it out; there’s a couple items on there that would be extremely helpful to have before the end of summer (namely bug balls and an electric weed whacker!).

Exhibit Pack Update – 4 June 2024

As the weather warms, our ambassador wolves shed out their winter undercoats that kept them warm all winter long. The soft, downy fur of the undercoat serves as an excellent insulation layer in the cold but is not very comfortable when the warmer days of spring arrive. Changes in hormones, photoperiod, and temperature likely all contribute to the initiation of shedding for wolves. Rieka has shed out most of her undercoat, Caz still has some patches to go, Grayson is shedding out fairly evenly, and Blackstone still has a long ways to go! The wolf care team collects their shed fur and sends it out to some very talented fiber artists; it is crafted into items that are available in our annual Wolf Care Auction in March.

Summer also brings with it a decrease in activity during the day. Wolves are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk; however wolves can become seasonally nocturnal – or more active at night – in order to avoid expending energy during the warmest times of the day. These are also the same activity patterns seen among some of their usual prey, such as white-tailed deer.

To help our ambassador wolves beat the heat (even with a full fur coat), we have several sheltered areas such as man-made dens, medical pen areas, and under the eaves of the building. Our Exhibit Pack also utilizes the shade of the vegetation and the many wolf-made dugouts throughout the Exhibit. The pond is another excellent way to provide the ambassadors opportunities to cool off; unfortunately, we have had a few small hiccups with out pond this year. A burst underground waterline had to be addressed before we could fill the pond fully. After that was repaired, the seal didn’t hold on our new pond skimmer box that was installed last fall. Without the skimmer box, we cannot install the pump or filtration system yet. We are currently waiting for supplies to be delivered to address this issue, and hope to have the pond fully functional within the next few weeks! Until then, you may see the pond at various states of fullness as we drain the water regularly to keep algae and pond scum at bay.

As we enter into the buggy season, wolf care team members apply natural, canine-safe bug repellents to our wolf ambassadors to try to ward off the mosquitos and flies. Several of these repellents are available on our Amazon Wishlist if you’d like to help keep the wolves from those pesky biters!