Denali- Is a Yawn just a Yawn?

When a wolf yawns, it it tired?  This question is important as we train the next generation of pup care staff.  When we talk about wolf behavior, we try to identify behaviors that indicate a captive wolf might be experiencing stress.  We ask people who are participating in pup care or wolf observation programs to be diligent in their observations, not only observing the behavior, but observing the situation and stimuli that motivated the behavior to occur.  When a wolf yawns once, it may be tired.  When a wolf yawns repetitively, it may be a signal of stress.  Other behavioral indicators may be rapid eye movement or blinking, snapping at the air, excessive licking and the obvious, redirected aggression.  In this photo, we happened to catch Denali in a yawn as he rested in the sun, but Aidan, that’s a different story.