What is That Smell?

An omnivore, the maned wolf diet consists of fruit, meat, insects, and vegetation. It preys on small animals such as rodents, rabbits, birds and, in Brazil, they have been seen dining on small deer. Very little is known about the wild population but it is thought that they number only a few thousand and that the species is threatened with extinction. One of the goals of the Maned Wolf Species Survival Plan is to “increase public awareness of the unique nature of the maned wolf”. With only 93 animals in North America, most people have never seen or smelled one of the worlds most beautiful creatures.

At the SSP meeting in May, the Management Advisory Board discussed the need to introduce more people to maned wolves. Fossil Rim has a pair of maned wolves with their two male offspring in the Intensive Management Area. These animals are seen by the Behind the Scenes Tours only. During the meeting it dawned on me that we had a perfect opportunity to bring the maned wolf to the Scenic Drive by using the wolf enclosure at the Children’s Animal Center. As most of you know, we had a pair of red wolves there for many years. One of the brothers died of old age and we moved the survivor to the IMA so that he would not have to live alone. After discussing the possibility with everyone involved, we decided to do something new with the space and bring maned wolves to the Fossil Rim public.

On June 13, two one-year old female siblings were driven by their keepers to Texas from the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center in Missouri. The WCSC has enclosures similar to our IMA yards and the girls, Calysta and Adelina, seem to have settled in to their new home very well. They are not shy and have been very visible to the visitors. They are fed a diet of mixed fruits and vegetables as well as dry dog food and occasional bones. All of our wolf species are given monthly heartworm and general parasite medication which is injected into whole quail. Quail is such a treat that the medication is taken with no problem and can be given easily to each individual.

Since Calysta and Adelina are so young, our Children’s Animal Center Specialist, Ashley Wisniewski, is planning to start introducing them to some operant conditioning clicker training. This will hopefully make our husbandry observations more efficient. Since so little is known about maned wolf ecology and behavior; the recording of their daily interactions is extremely important. As for the smell, it is produced by anal glands and is thought to be used for long distance territorial identification. And, when you get used to it, it’s really not so bad. Stop by the next time you are at the Overlook and enjoy these very special animals.