aidan – May 17, 2008 12:00 AM

Attila is 20 days old today. Someone asked why we nicknamed him Attila? To sum it up, this wolf snaps first and asks questions later… meaning, he is quick to deliver a decisive response, regardless of the situation. He has begun to test staff, biting and grabbing them, which should result in a firm, but not aggressive roll-over by the staff. These are all behaviors that the mother wolf would encounter and a soft grab of the muzzle will show the pup that the behavior is not tolerated. Unfortunately, human handlers don’t have muzzles, so we must use our hands to grab the scruff and roll them over until they submit. Attila did a head on growl to the wolf curator again yesterday, looking directly in the eye and protesting about something, we really weren’t sure what. He rolled over and after a few seconds went on to grab the blanket. The vet did another check on the pups yesterday when he was on site for a Lakota post-surgery visit. The pups are in good condition, and their lungs are clear. We are waiting for warmer weather to get the pups outside in the sun, but spring has been cold here. We have been changing straw on a regular basis to keep the dust down in the lab. It also appears that the pups have discovered that the other pup has a tail, and they spent 10 minutes trying to grab the other pup’s tail. When one tired, the pup turned to chasing their own tail.