Discovery Wildlife Park just north of Innisfail has recently adopted two wolf puppies named Highlander and Sassenach. The one-month-old wolf puppies will be joining the pack with Nissa and Lupe, two six-year-old resident wolves of the park. 

“They needed a home. They were born in a pack of six and unfortunately mom was really struggling to feed all six. So, having two out of that situation made it more positive for the two that came out and the four that remain with mom. They are thriving they are doing amazing,” said Serena Bos, Head Zookeeper, Animal Trainer. 

Highlander and Sassenach are originally from Safari Niagara in Ontario. Bos says that the puppies will be a wonderful addition to the pack and were long-awaited at the park.  

“Everybody knows that wolves do amazing in packs. There was always the two of them so they were really happy and content but who doesn’t want to have a bigger family. We always hoped that we would end up with more orphaned wolves so that their pack size could grow,” explained Bos. 

Bos noted that the resident wolves are already quite excited to meet and greet the new additions to the pack, but will have to go through a bit of an introductory period before all wolves are introduced to one another.

“Sassanach and Highlander now are two little to introduce to Nissa and Lupe because Nissa and Lupe are six years old today. They have to grow up a little bit. We might start kind of through the fence introduction where Nissa and Lupe get to see them. They’ve already got to smell them. I am caring for Sassanack and Highlander and, of course, their noses are so important to them. So they’ve already smelt them on me and they were crazy excited,” explained Bos.  

Introductions won’t be considered until Sassanach and Highlander are around six months to one year old. For now, the wolves will be introduced between fences to keep all involved safe and happy. 

“You have to keep in mind every animal has a personality. Nissa and Lupe are amazing. Nissa is dominant out of the two of them; however, the moment other wolves are introduced a whole pack dynamic can change and so it could be a process. We are more than willing to put the effort, and time in to make sure that it is a happy positive introduction,” said Bos. 

With the pandemic underway, the Discovery Wildlife Park is accepting donations because they won’t be able to open during their regular season. To keep the wolf puppies and other animals fed and looked after, the park is accepting donations to keep them afloat until it is safe to open. 

“We’re not open to the public on May 1st like we typically would be. We’re a business that is only running five months of the year and then we have to sustain ourselves for the remaining seven months. We are privately owned and operated we are not funded. The only money that we get is from the public and typically that’s from people coming to visit,” said Bos.

Bos said that one bag of the formula for feeding the puppies runs the park around $126. Additionally, like any puppy, the wolves will require vet care and vaccinations. 

“There are lots of additional costs, but at the end of the day when we outweighed the odds, the negatives, the positives, taking them the positives were just stronger than not knowing. We’re all living in that situation of not knowing right now. We do have very high hopes. We hope that people do continue to support us while we are not open. We look forward to opening and having people come to meet them and to enjoy the rest of the animals,” said Bos. 

The wolves will be featured in photos and live streams on Discovery Wildlife Park’s social media account to document their growth while people remain at home during the park’s regular season.