shadow – Sep 3, 2007 12:00 AM

Shadow has been very responsive to wolf care staff and daily checks lately. His behavioral patterns are clearly influenced by the activity in the wolf yard. The Behind the Scenes programs ended on August 15th, and it’s like a whole new wolf has emerged. His confidence is increased and his social interactions with the pack have increased dramatically. This could also be timed with the end of the summer heat, but we are taking all precautions to make sure we don’t do anything to upset the balance of this pack prior to pups arrival. For the Spring Working for Wolves, we’ve changed from open registration to an application process to ensure that we have people with prior experience around the wolf yard in the weeks prior to the pup’s arrival. In Shadow’s case, it’s not just prior experience, its prior positive experience. I know for some people it’s hard to understand why we have such standards for programming, such as prerequisites for the nanny program, applications for a working for wolves program, but the reality for us in wolf care, is that we have to keep pack compatibility prior to the pups arrival and during the pup socialization process. The wolves have to come first, and one thing we have learned when working with wolves for nearly 20 years at the Center is that wolves have a lasting effect from a negative experience. Please bear with us as this exciting time of pups arrive, we will try to accommodate everyone’s wish to be involved in the process, but we will always do what’s best for the wolves.