Toronto 
Credit: Toronto Zoo
The Arctic wolf pack at the Toronto Zoo has some brand new additions and a terrible loss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTmfk9ir19U
The zoo reported that both adult Arctic wolf females, Dora and Vera, had been displaying behaviours that alluded that they had given birth to pups. The exact number of pups is still unconfirmed.
This what the zoo had to say on the matter:
“Usually only the dominant pair breeds, however in areas where prey is plentiful, there can be multiple litters per pack. A typical pack of wolves consists of a dominant pair of breeders and their offspring from previous years. The behaviour of members of the pack is based on the hierarchical relationships of the individuals and it is not unusual behaviour for Arctic wolf females to exhibit aggressive behaviour when more than one female in a pack has a litter at the same time.”
According to the zoo on Saturday, May 2, 2020, an unfortunate fight between the dominant female ‘Dora’ and her sister ‘Vera’ resulted in Vera sustaining serious injuries rendering her unable to stand or walk.
The zoo’s Wildlife Health and Wildlife Care staff were able to anesthetize and move Vera to the Wildlife Health Centre for testing and monitoring. However, after extensive consultation with external specialists and zoo experts, the conclusion was made that Vera’s injuries prevented her from ever rejoining the pack. Hence, the zoo staff made the necessary decision to euthanize Vera on Sunday May 3rd.
Dora was treated for her injuries on the same day and she was returned to the pack.
The zoo says this was essential as failing to treat Dora quickly would put the pup’s safety in jeopardy.
They happily report that last Sunday afternoon, Wildlife Care was able to visually confirm that three pups were seen emerging from Dora’s den, and they also witnessed Dora moving two pups from Vera’s den over to her own.
This is Dora’s third litter of pups since 2018, all sired by male ‘Imiq’.
The zoo is unable to confirm the number of pups there are in total, but they anticipate that there could be up to eight.
Recently, Toronto Zoo successfully hatched critically endangered Madagascar spider tortoise. This was the first hatching of a Madagascar spider tortoise at the Toronto Zoo.
SUPPORT TORONTO ZOO
The world’s third-largest zoo, the Toronto Zoo said that it relies on parking and admission fees to feed its 5,000 animals at a cost of roughly $1 million per year. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the closure of the Toronto Zoo on March 14th, has brought an immediate and critical initiative to the forefront for the Wildlife Conservancy.
To make up for lost revenue, the Toronto Zoo is fundraising with the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy, which was established last year and typically focuses its efforts on protecting endangered species. The Wildlife Conservancy has launched the Zoo Food for Life campaign to raise funds to offset these lost revenues.
