iStockphoto / Jean Landry
The Voyageurs Wolf Project has set up remote trail cameras throughout Minnesota to track local gray wolf and timber wolf populations across packs. They recently capture stunning footage of gray wolves playing in the snow like puppies.
When an employee for the Voyageurs Wolf Project went to swap a camera’s SD card this past weekend they were stunned by the footage. It showed the Nashata Pack, 1 of 16 packs they monitor, playing like puppies on their first snow day.
This footage is also very informative. The Voyageurs Wolf Project worried the Nashata Pack of gray wolves had dipped to just 3 wolves this past Summer. One of the females in the pack was pregnant at the time but they never captured footage of the pups. These clips reveal the current composition of the pack:
Gray Wolves Playing In The Minnesota Snow
Here is the Twitter thread that has since gone viral:
Swapped an SD card on Saturday and realized we got some dynamite footage of the Nashata Pack! Here is a snippet for some Monday morning zen…enjoy a few moments of a couple wolves being wolves in a snowstorm! pic.twitter.com/ebZRdz5akQ
— Voyageurs Wolf Project (@VoyaWolfProject) January 16, 2023
Aside from the footage being pretty cool, it is also quite informative for understanding the size and composition of the Nashata Pack.
The Nashata Pack appeared to be down to 3 wolves by mid-to-late summer this year, and we did not get footage of any pups.
— Voyageurs Wolf Project (@VoyaWolfProject) January 16, 2023
The female, however, clearly was pregnant in April and then was nursing in late April/May. So the pack certainly had pups but it appears none made it. Unfortunately, we don’t know why or even how many pups they had.
— Voyageurs Wolf Project (@VoyaWolfProject) January 16, 2023
The video tells us pack composition: the 1st wolf in the video is the breeding female (very distinctive!), the 2nd wolf is a subordinate female (you can see her parts, so to speak), likely a pup born in 2022, and the last wolf is the breeding male who is a bigger light gray wolf.
— Voyageurs Wolf Project (@VoyaWolfProject) January 16, 2023
The final tweet adds that they ‘have a few more gems’ of these gray wolves that will be shared soon.
Have You Ever Heard A Baby Wolf Pup’s First Howls?
Back in 2021, Voyageurs Wolf Project captured an incredible moment. One of their trail camera captured a wolf pup just a few weeks old emerging from its wolf den and letting loose its very first wolf howl. Wolf pups begin to howl after just a few weeks old. It starts once they’re hearing is fully developed and they first emerge from the den.
This wolf pup might be just 3 or 4 weeks old but it has a powerful howl. It makes the pips and squeaks of a 3-4 week old puppy sound like a cartoon. I’ve never heard a baby wolf howl until now but I certainly didn’t expect it to be as impressive and loud as this. It’s certainly loud enough for the parents to hear if they’re hunting nearby.
If you are at all interested in the work that the Voyageurs Wolf Project is doing you can click through on their YouTube channel to learn more.
They are currently trying to raise money for 120 more trail cameras. The region they’re attempting to keep track of is enormous.