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Apr 29, 2011
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The park has announced that it has adopted an abandoned gray wolf pup named Boise. Below is the press release followed by a few pictures and a video provided by the park.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg said:
WILLIAMSBURG, VA (June 28, 2012) – An orphaned Gray wolf pup found wandering along the side of a road in central Idaho now has a new home at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. Idaho state officials transported the 8-week-old male by airplane to the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport on June 20. A team of wolf experts from Busch Gardens met the plane at the airport and took custody of the pup.

Nicknamed “Boise” by the park’s zoological team, the pup is slowly being introduced to his new pack mates. He eventually will be part of the park’s animal ambassador team that helps teach the important role wolves play in the wild. Boise will continue to acclimate to his pack mates and will eventually be introduced to park guests once the zoological team determines he is ready.

Boise’s journey starts near the resort town of Ketchum, Idaho. The orphaned wolf was found in May by a group of campers who mistakenly believed he was a lost or abandoned domestic puppy. The campers contacted a local veterinarian who, in turn, contacted Idaho Fish and Game. State officials, along with a local zoo, assumed the care of the pup and confirmed via DNA testing that the pup was a Gray wolf. After unsuccessful attempts to locate the pup’s pack, Idaho officials began looking for a suitable home for the rescued animal.

Idaho Fish and Game along with the host zoo, Zoo Boise, selected Busch Gardens Virginia as Boise’s new home based on the park’s extensive experience with wolf training, husbandry and education programs. The Williamsburg theme park is home to 10 wolves split into three packs, including two 6-week-old pups the park recently acquired from a private breeder in Montana.

“Because of our 12-year experience with wolves and the fact that we already had two wolf pups at the park played a major role in the decision by Idaho state officials to choose Busch Gardens for the pup’s new home,” said Jay Tacey, zoological manager for Busch Gardens.
Tacey said Boise immediately took to his new pack, which consists of the two 6-week old pups and a German short-haired pointer named Mia who is serving as their surrogate mother.

“The young pack mates are getting along and adjusting very well,” Tacey said. “They are playing and discovering their new home.”
Eventually Boise and the two yet-to-be-named pups will be introduced to one of Busch Gardens’ three mature wolf packs. Until then, Mia, the surrogate mother, has taken on the role of pack leader and is ensuring the pups remain submissive until they are transitioned into the larger pack with an already established pack hierarchy.

Once integrated into the pack, Boise and his young pack mates will help teach the public about the important role wolves and other apex predators play in the wild. Daily stage productions and interactive training opportunities let Busch Gardens’ guests experience the power and agility of these animals while they learn about the company’s wildlife conservation efforts and ways they can help.

Several public and private organizations in Virginia and Idaho worked together over the past several weeks to ensure Boise found a good home.

“Boise has been given a second chance at life thanks to the leadership and support of Idaho Fish and Game, Zoo Boise and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries,” Tacey said.

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment inspires people to celebrate, connect, and care for the natural world through the power of entertainment. The company owns and operates 10 parks across the United States, as well as the newly formed SeaWorld Pictures division. The parks play host to 23 million guests a year and provide lasting memories through up-close animal encounters, world-class shows and rides, and high-quality themed attractions. Locations include SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio; Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove and Aquatica in Orlando; Sesame Place near Philadelphia, Pa.; and water parks Adventure Island in Tampa and Water Country USA in Williamsburg.
Source: http://www.buschgardensnews.com/page/wolfpups


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RE: BGW Adopt New Wolf Pup

Apparently there are two other wolf pups there being raised by a german pointer. So that is 11 wolves now I think.
 
RE: BGW Adopt New Wolf Pup

Didn't know about the other pup, so 10. This will probably mean a total of four packs now, since based on what I understand from the tour, they will probably keep these pups as a separate pack.

Math breaks down as Two packs of two, Two packs of three.
 
Introducing the wolf pup to the dog is curious.

Note that the pup doesn't seem to react to the howling of the wolves in the distance.

The dog is a surrogate mother.
 
It's actually pretty clever. Even though the wolves are in captivity, they still have pack behavior and it's something that cannot be removed. If they hope to introduce the pups to them, they will have to learn pack behavior or else they will be injured or possibly be killed by the alpha. The dog is there as a surrogate alpha male. It will still teach the pups proper pack behavior, but isn't aggressive enough to injure the pups while learning.
 
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PzP said:
It's actually pretty clever. Even though the wolves are not on captivity, they still have pack behavior and it's something that cannot be removed. If they hope to introduce the pups to them, they will have to learn pack behavior or else they will be injured or possibly be killed by the alpha. The dog is there as a surrogate alpha male. It will still teach the pups proper pack behavior, but isn't aggressive enough to injure the pups while learning.

Yep.

Next, they can be trained to be Verbolten ride operators, and placed in charge of telling folks standing in line that the ride has just broken down.

;)
 
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will he be in the wolf valley now or anytime soon or do you guys not know any of that information
by the way this my first post
 
dragonduck turtle said:
will he be in the wolf valley now or anytime soon or do you guys not know any of that information
by the way this my first post

First off, Welcome to BGWFans! :)

As far as Boise goes, they are trying to get him acclimated to his new home. I believe the park said that patrons will be able to see him in a few weeks however they didn't give a specific date. Best bet would be to keep tabs on BGW's Facebook or their official blog.
 
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It might be a while before the GP can see the pups. Just like it's still in their nature to be in packs in captivity, wolves are still very afraid of new things like they would be in the wild, even in captivity. As an example, even though the wolves have been there for years, it was only recently that certain trainers would be allowed to get close to wolves. With that being said, I think it might be a while before they bring them to large crowds, but if you do the wolf tour (which I highly recommend in the first place), you might be able to get a look at them before the GP at the predators show.
 
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