At Salzburg Zoo

Arctic wolf pups finish their “hide-and-seek” game

Tiny cubs: the wolf duo are now making their first appearance.(Bild: Zoo Salzburg)

New visitor favorites are making their first appearance at Salzburg Zoo: the polar wolf pups, born in mid-April, are now coming out of hiding and making their rounds in the extensive enclosure together with their father, mother and uncle.  

The polar wolf enclosure is very spacious and densely overgrown. In their first weeks of life, the little wolf pups played "hide and seek" with anyone who wanted to catch a glimpse of them. "They were born in a den dug by the wolves in the upper part of the enclosure, so we had to be patient," explains Managing Director Sabine Grebner. She adds: "We could tell when the offspring were born from the behavior of the adult animals."

First glimpses after five weeks
"After about five weeks, we were lucky for the first time and were able to spot a young animal with binoculars, which certainly looked very well fed," recalls district manager Silke Hempelmann. At the end of May, the youngsters finally made their first appearance near the visitor path and since a few days ago, the two cubs, now nine weeks old, have been making regular excursions with their mother, father and uncle to the section of the enclosure that is easy to see. It is noticeable that all three adult animals look after their offspring and always keep a watchful eye on the two little wolves.

The pups explore the enclosure together with their family.(Bild: Zoo Salzburg)

First glimpses of the new zoo residents(Bild: Zoo Salzburg)

Arctic wolves are very social animals
The social behavior of wolves, which originate from the Arctic islands of Canada and northern Greenland, is generally very pronounced. Due to the harsh climatic conditions in their homeland, they are even more dependent on each other. This can also be seen in the polar wolves or Arctic wolves at Salzburg Zoo. The two male animals, father Isegrim and uncle Nanuk, help diligently with the rearing of the cubs. In the beginning, the lower-ranking animal of the seven-year-old pair of brothers had to look after the pups in the den, while the other two polar wolves took a short break and had a nap on the roof of the shelter. The younger generation has now joined them.

Together we are stronger: adorable pups at Salzburg Zoo(Bild: Zoo Salzburg)

"After four years without any polar wolf offspring here in Salzburg and having to wait a while after the birth of the pups, we are now all the more delighted about the little wolves," says Zoo Director Grebner. For the two-year-old mother Nura, who has been living in Salzburg for a year, these are the first cubs.