WC Video - 23 November 2009 - Rejoining the Pack

Aidan had surgery on November 21st for a potentially problematic testicle. Fortunately, the situation was not as problematic as anticipated, Aidan had a quick and easy surgical procedure, but, with wolves, the biggest concern is the recovery time. Placing an individual back into a pack after surgery is risky. Active social dominance can result in torn sutures, or an individual can be perceived as weak and can be singled out by the pack. Keeping a wolf out of the pack until it is completely healed can be just as problematic. Wolves are social pack animals and an isolated individual can lose status in the pack or be perceived as a disperser if they are out too long, not to mention the anxiety of being separated from pack mates. It is much easier to reintegrate pups than adults. To read more about each individual wolf's behavior during the reintroduction, check out www.wolf.org and follow the link to the wolf logs.