The five wolves rescued last year in Alaska – “Hooper,” “Stebbins,” “X-Ray,” “Huslia” and “Gannett” – are settling in great on the Minnesota Zoo’s Medtronic Minnesota Trail. According to one of their zookeepers, they are now used to the morning routine and feeding schedules, in fact, they know exactly when it’s time to come in and eat!
Although they are people-oriented, the wolves enjoy digging in their habitat, scratching on trees and playing in their (summer) water pool. Now ranging in weight from 77-97 pounds (the females are smaller than the males), they enjoy their enrichment including bones, antlers, dog food, spices, and large boomer balls. They all are very interested in watching cars, garbage trucks and any other work vehicles that drive near their habitat. They are attentive to any and all activity on the road nearby.
Gray wolves are now limited to northern forests and tundra from North America through Asia and Europe. They usually avoid people, although this is changing as expanding human populations force more interactions. As social animals, they live and hunt in packs of 2-15; Minnesota packs often roam territories of 50 or more square miles. Once almost gone from the 48 states, northern Minnesota boasted one of the few remaining populations. After decades of aggressive protection, wolves are again doing well in Minnesota.
Did you know? Gray wolves can eat an average of 3-7 pounds of meat daily, but can gorge themselves on up to 20 pounds in one sitting. They’ve been clocked at 35 mph for short distances, and can travel more than 30 miles in one day. Their sense of smell is 80 times stronger than humans, helping them to track, hunt, communicate and avoid danger. All domestic dogs are direct descendants of gray wolves.
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