A New Year - Wolf Park

Just as I was sitting down to write this editorial, there was furious barking at the door by oursecurity team of Cassie and her daughter Little Bit - two pocket wolves otherwise known as longhairedChihuahuas. When I looked up there was Orca being led on a walk by Monty and Pat. Orcahad walked all the way from his enclosure at East Lake, across the bison pasture, to my houseabout quarter mile away. He was busy checking the “P-Mail” of the dogs and cats. While a bitwobbly on his hind legs, he was moving with confidence, ignoring his handicap. Considering that ayear ago he was dragging his hind legs unable to plant his feet, he has come a long way. Lookinginto Orca's eyes it was clear to us that he was not going to give up, we determined to give him allthe help we could. It was a collective effort. Overall responsibility for his rehabilitation was in thehands of Pat Goodmann, ably assisted by Monty Sloan, who also documented his condition andprogress on video tape and still pictures.For those not familiar with Orca's situation, we found him lying on his side last Novemberparalyzed from the mid-section back. We have no idea how it happened. Dr. Glaubowitz, aveterinarian and chiropractor, realigned his vertebrate column, gave him some medication toreduce any possible inflammation, and told us to keep him comfortable. Through the internet CarrieCraddock heard about Orca's plight. She offered her help as a massage therapist. She taught Patand every day he was massaged. Kept in an enclosure by himself, he improved gradually. He hadmany human visitors and members responded generously with donations to pay medical expenses.Dr. Harper, our regular veterinarian, monitored Orca's progress. His hind leg muscles had becomeatrophied through lack of use, and although Orca was willing to walk, he did not have the strength.To encourage him to use his hind legs we took him swimming. From that time on improvement wasmore noticeable as his leg muscles became stronger. If Orca had not been handraised, as all ofour wolves are, we would not have been able to help him. A non-socialized wolf afraid of people,would not have accepted the treatment he received. This is one reason why we socialize ourwolves; and it paid off for Orca.I want to thank all those who helped Orca with their dedication, time and money. It is especiallygratifying to be able to report during this Holiday Season how well Orca is doing. We all hope forhis complete recovery.Another tragedy had a happy ending. Maya, one of this year's pups, came down unexpectedlywith a neurological disorder. She had seizures, was disoriented and lacked coordination, and hadto be removed from the pack. We seriously contemplated having to euthanize her if we could nottreat her. Not really knowing what she had, and unable to take her to a neurologist for anexamination we decided to wait. Well, she not only got better, but appears to be completelyrecovered. We were concerned whether we could reintroduce her into the pack. She was sevenmonths old by now, and we had never introduced a pup that old into the pack. We introduced theother pups in a neutral enclosure to Maya, and when she got on well, we introduced the rest of thepack. She was accepted and she is now happy back in the pack.Opening hours are now limited to Howl Night each Saturday at 7:30 PM until we open again onMay 1, 1999. However, there will be two important changes for the 1999 season. First we will beclosed on Mondays. Secondly, the admission prices for non-members has changed. Admission forchildren 6-13 years of age will be $3.00 each Tuesday through Sunday and Howl Nights. Children5 years and younger will still be admitted free of charge and adult admission will remain at $4.00Tuesday through Saturday and Howl Nights, and $5.00 on Sunday for the Wolf and Bisondemonstration.The SELF-TEACHING PROGRAM in English and German should be ready soon. It will beposted on our web site. Those who attended previous wolf behavior seminars and have alreadyexpressed an interest, will be notified, and others can obtain the reading list via the website as well.Classical ethology is only rarely offered in universities any longer. Yet, behavioral analysis froman ethological and psychological point of view is very useful in understanding the evolution,causation, and motivation of behavior. People working with animals find that a knowledge ofbehavioral principles can help them to better understand their animals, train them humanely andmore efficiently, and to prevent and solve behavior problems that may occur. Questions will beanswered once a week, and the questions and answers will be distributed via e-mail to allparticipants in the program.For more information about this program,please contact me at ekltiki@dcwi.com or throughthe Wolf Park website at www.wolfpark.org2From the Director...by Erich KlinghammerWolf Park News Fall 1998enefits:•S U P P O R TWOLF PARKthrough memberships•ree admission for one year•Wolf Park News•Discounts on books from our bookstore•Two Wolf Park logo window stickersee page 8 for more detailshe Institute of Ethology offers:••olf Behavior Seminars•Four Week Ethology Practicum•Research opportunities year-round•Three month InternshipNEW DAYS AND PRICES ec. 1 - April 30:Wolf Park is open every Saturdayat 7:30 pm for Howl Night onlyMay 1 - November 30:Wolf Park is open every Tuesday to Sunday from1:00 to 5:00 pm(Closed on Mondays)and Friday & Saturday Howl Night at 7:30 pmWolf-Bison DemonstrationSunday Only: Lecture 1:00 pm followed by demonstrationolf Howl NightListen to the intriguing sounds of our wolves as theycommunicate through their howls. After the lecture, join in achorus howl of your own.olf-Bison DemonstrationSee wolves and bison interact as wolves testbison for signs of weakness. Our healthy bisonhave nothing to fear from the wolves.Wolf Park is a non-profitorganization dedicated to improvingthe lives of wolves in captivity and inthe wild through behavioral researchand education.