A successful red wolf pup check occurred earlier this week. Lots and lots of prep work and planning seemed to really pay off.

If you recall, our last pup catch-up yielded only 5 of 6 pups caught up. This time, we brought in the entire Animal Care Team and four other staff who have worked with us on previous pup catches. Seems like 13 people and over 100 feet of tarps were the way to go.

Three pups started the morning out in the back den, so it meant we only had to corral the last three. Less than 10 minutes into our plan, we had the last three pups contained (one ran into the side cage area and the other 2 into the front den).

Like last time, we’re done using the small green crates. The wolves are held in much larger crates. We tried to use the small green crates for weighing… we were successful, but this is likely the last time. Check out the photo above with Jill setting a pup in the green crate which is sitting on the scale. Amusing!

Do you notice any other changes to our work space?

A table is the newest and best change. The table makes working easier on everyone- human and wolf.

As for the pups, everything is moving along. The five “big” ones are all 10.3-11 Kg, with little Rocket weighing in at 8.6 Kg. (We’ve got over 137 pounds of wolf pups!)

Remember, moving along and growing doesn’t mean everything is perfect. Pups have some raw spots, dirty areas, healing scars, etc. This is all part of living a full and appropriate life. Two pictures to follow that show some of the things we find when we get our hands on these little ones.

Today’s work included weights, vaccines, ear, eye, and teeth check, as well as an overall body check. Pup #3, Bronto, needed to get the de-wormer he missed last time.

Next catch-up is the end of August and will include a rabies vaccination for the pups. We may very well have 200 pounds of pups at our next check. Can’t wait!