The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo is welcoming a new addition to its animal kingdom: arctic wolves.
Nuna, Anori and Inneq, which translate to ‘Earth, Wind and Fire,’ arrived last Wednesday from the Toronto Zoo.
“The Toronto Zoo was a little overcrowded and they were looking for a place to be able to take some of their animals,” zoo manager Jeff Mitchell explained.
Since the wolves’ arrival, zoo keepers have been slowly introducing them to their new home.
“They’ve been adapting really, really great. At first, they were cautious coming in and out but you guys can see today they’re popping in and out, jumping all around, looking. And as people are coming up, they’ll jump in the back and jump in the front,” Mitchell said.
“They’re just really learning their new area and they’re really adapting really, really well. We’re really pleased with how it’s going.”
According to a statement issued earlier this week, the zoo has upgraded its interior portion to allow for zookeepers to work more closely with the wolves for training and enrichment.
Mitchell says having these animals contributes to the zoo’s mission of inspiration and teaching.
“They really allow us to really talk about the education, the conservation and all the important messages out there that belong with these species — you know, the habitat loss and how people are affecting them, some of the Indigenous folklore things that go along with them,” he said.
Mitchell said he contacted the Toronto Zoo months in advance to bring the wolves to Saskatoon.
The plan became more important to the zoo’s wolf education after it had to euthanize its last grey wolf, Buddy, due to declining health earlier this year.
“We’re just really, really excited to have them here as part of our new animals, our new display and for them to really be great ambassadors for their species,” he said.