Behavioral Changes Related to Stress in a Mexican Gray Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) Pack

Abstract

Stress is an interesting combination of biological responses to adverse environmental factors. Stress responses can be adaptive as a way individuals respond to potential life threats or situations potentially reducing reproduction success. Normally, it produces a change in an individual’s priorities directing energy to solve immediate situations instead of long-term investments. In this work we report a two stress inducing situations for Mexican wolf packs at the old Wildlife Research Center (CIVS) of San Cayetano, México. In the first one, an attempt to provide artificial dens within the enclosure occurred just prior to the parturition date for the litter. The dam changed the described normal wolf-mother behavior giving birth in a small depression instead of a den and moving the puppies several times until they died, post-mortem analysis reveals that death of one pup was due to a pneumonia. In the second case accidental separation of one of the yearling females produced changes in behavioral patterns in the family pack, including increased exploratory, passing, watching, and smelling behaviors in comparison to the time when the entire pack was together. These two study cases document the behavioral responses to a stress situation.