The Wonderful World of Wolves

Romulus (left) and Remus (right) enjoying each other's company.

Here at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary we have two grey wolves who call this place home. Remus and Romulus are brother and sister who are a little over a year old. They are still getting used to their surroundings here at the sanctuary, but they are getting braver and coming out of their shells more and more every day.

Remus

Wolves are the ancestors of today's domestic dogs. Historically wolves lived throughout the lower 48 states, but they were hunted for years and almost disappeared completely. Recently though, they have made a comeback and have been seen in the Great Lakes, northern Rockies, and the southwestern US. Wolves are very important to keeping ecosystems running smoothly. They keep populations of deer, elk, and other game down so that they don’t over eat the vegetation and make areas barren. Their leftover meals are also helpful to scavenger species who need a meal. When wolves are taken out of an area the ecosystem can collapse.

Romulus

In the wild, wolves live in pack of about 8 animals. They are very intelligent animals who have a hierarchy that they live by. The alpha male and alpha female of the pack are the leaders and make all the decisions. They track the prey, decide where the pack will live, and are usually the only ones who are allowed to breed. It has been seen that if a subordinate male and female mate then they are either exiled from the pack or severely punished. The hierarchy keeps everyone in line and helps everyone survive.

Living in a pack helps wolves with more than just having a family to hang out with. Their numbers help them to be able to hunt large prey to feed everyone. Packs work together when they hunt and are able to take down prey that is much larger than them, for example bison or moose. Everyone knows that wolves eat meat, but what a lot of people don’t know is that they also need fruits and vegetables to stay healthy. They need the nutrients from fruits and veggies that meat can't give them. Remus and Romulus love eating and playing with pumpkins here at IEAS. They make a huge mess but it is worth the clean up to see them having so much fun with their food.

Come visit Remus and Romulus here at IEAS on one of our tours and learn more about these amazing animals! You can visit http://www.bigcat.org/tours for more information.