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Gray Wolves — viewable in Wolf Woods in the Minnesota Trail.
For the first time in many years, the Zoo will be home to a pair of northern gray wolves, viewed in their native woodland setting from a variety of perspectives,
including a rustic log cabin set right in the center of the exhibit.
Orion
Zoo ID number 1.0 11805
This male was born in 19 April 1996 in Green Bay Wisconsin at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. He was housed with his 3 brothers and was the most dominant male in the pack until he was suddenly outed and was transferred to MN Zoo in December 2006. It turned out his loss of dominant status was probably due to some fractured teeth that became infected. Shortly after coming to the MN Zoo he was introduced to female 11791 and was very submissive to her to the point that he would not eat if she was not there. The keepers had to target train them so that they could be close so that he would eat and to keep her from taking his food. Since moving to the new exhibit he has become more assertive and will defend his food and enrichment from the female, but she is still dominant over him. Overall he has a laid back temperament and generally stays in the middle of the exhibit, keeping him viewable to the zoo's visitors.
Shania
Zoo ID number 0.1 11791
This female was born 22 April 2000. She was also the most dominant wolf in her pack at Moonridge Animal Park in Big Bear, CA. She also was outed from her pack and they were attempting reintroduction without success, so she was transferred to the MN Zoo in Nov 2006. She originally had an aversion to male keepers when she arrived, which was new for her, but eventually she worked it out and would shift for male keepers. When introduced to the male wolf she was not aggressive towards him and they got along well although he was very submissive to her and she did not allow him near items she wanted (i.e. deer hide). Once moved out to the new exhibit the two wolves started to become more equal and the male became more assertive. The female tends to be a little more shy on exhibit keeping to well covered areas.
Mexican Gray Wolves — Viewable from the Wolf Gazebo in the Northern Trail
This gazebo is the viewing area for the one-acre exhibit that currently houses seven Mexican Gray Wolves.
All of the Mexican gray wolves in captivity are managed as part of the Species Survival Plan. This group makes decisions on which wolves stay or are moved to another facility. All wolves are owned by the US Fish and Wildlife Service or SEMARNAT—the two government organizations in the US and Mexico that deal with natural resources and their management.
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Frisco ("Free") Zoo ID number #10960 Studbook number #833 Born at the Minnesota Zoo on May 19, 2003 in a litter of 7 pups. He is fairly non-descript in his physical markings and has classic Mexican wolf coloration and features. Frisco was the most dominant male in the pack until February 2007, when Tano, a lower ranking male challenged him and came out as the most dominant male. Frisco remains a lower ranking male wolf in the pack. |
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Ulie Zoo ID number #10961 Studbook number #834 Ulie was named for Dr. Ulie Seal, a conservationist who started the Minnesota Zoo and the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group. He was born at the Minnesota Zoo on May 19, 2003 in a litter of 7 pups. He is a very dark faced wolf (almost black) with a "classic" wolf look in the face/body. Ulie is a middle ranked wolf in the pack, and stays out of any of the more serious dominance interactions that occur in the group. He often spends time near Frisco when in the exhibit or den, and is one of the wolves to gain possession of enrichment items before any of his brothers. |
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Tano ("Glory" or "Sun") Zoo ID number #10962 Studbook number #835 Born at the Minnesota Zoo on May 19, 2003 in a litter of 7 pups. He has a very "gold" overall body color with a very broad shaped head. He recently challenged Frisco in a dominance interaction in February 2007, and appears to be the most dominant male in the pack. He still bears scars on the left side of his face from this challenge. He is the most fearful of staff and often will run away as soon as we approach the outside gate of the exhibit. |
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Raja ("King" or "Hope") Zoo ID number #11130 Studbook number #899 Born at the Minnesota Zoo on May 13, 2004 in a litter of 8 pups. He has darker features than Frisco but not as dark as Ulie. He can often be confused with either wolf, except when you look at his ears, where they seem to be "larger than life". He often completely removes himself from any conflict in the pack and is currently the lowest pack member. He is a full sibling to the other three males, just born a year later to the same parents. |
