Our two sibling red wolves, Eno and Ellerbe, share the same enclosure.

As you might expect, each wolf has its own personality. Eno often seems to desire, what appears to be, playful interaction between himself and his brother. From my observations, Ellerbe prefers to be left alone and does not share his brother’s enthusiasm for “playfulness.”

It’s part of the captive animal experience to be offered enrichment. Environmental Enrichment, in the case here, is the placement of objects inside the animal’s enclosure to stimulate them mentally or physically, a break from the routine of captive life. Burlap sacks filled with bedding straw from our black bear enclosure were placed in with the red wolves as enrichment.

Eno had been watching Ellerbe and soon appears at his side.

What’s going on here, is Eno attempting to take control of the objects, or is he simply wanting to share in the “play?”

Whatever Eno’s intentions, Ellerbe seems unwilling to participate.