Haliburton Weekend : The Wolves

According to the Haliburton Forest Howler there is a lot of excitement, aggression and flirtation amongst the wolves during late February and early March as breeding season is in full swing. Today the pack - Smudge and Citka, the Alpha pair, and their siblings and offspring, - roams freely in a 15 acre enclosure, one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Below are the Alpha Female Citka (top) and the Alpha Male , Smudge. The story goes that Citka killed her own mother to take the position of the Alpha Female, as did her mother before her. (Killed her mother ,Citka's gramma).)
Smudge killed his brother to take the Alpah Male position. I am so naive about all this nature stuff, but it was so very interesting to learn some of the ways of the wild Grey Wolves.



Below is a fellow named Cedar, who used to hold the position of Beta Male, until February 2009 he decided to challenge Smudge for the position of Alpha Male. Cedar lost in a fight that lasted 40 minutes and resulted in many injuries and bloodshed. In loosing the fight Cedar was forced down to the lowest position , Omega, and now must endure being an 'outcast'.



He now is trying to make his move back into the pack , but when he tries to interact with his siblings, the Alpha pair come immediately and put him in his place. Eventually he will work his way back in. While we were observing these amazing creatures from inside a one way glass, Cedar came and approached another fellow, and preceded to try to make some waves, by eventually sitting right on top of this fellow named Haida.





Though we were watching the compound behind the one way glass we could hear the wolves growling and whining . We were told they could not see us, but they knew we were there and could hear and smell us. You can tell by the look on this chaps face he was not being fooled by the glass at all.





The Alpha Female spends a lot of her energy mentally and physically stressing the rest of the female wolves so that they are unable to conceive pups leaving the Alpha of the pack the only one to produce pups.
As well the other males are so preoccupied by the Alpha Male that they rarely get a chance alone with a female for an attempt at mating. If the Alpha Female has done her job properly breeding among the subordinates will not work.

All in all a very interesting and fascinating experience for me. Thanks so much Carol. It also makes me re-think the whole concept of 'a wolf in sheep's' clothing.'