The Amadeus Diaries

Home Amadeus Page Hopa Page

Amadeus is a Gray Wolf and lives at the Conservators' Center, Inc.  He is a remarkable animal.  Below are notes from my visits with him and his sister Hopa (who joined him October 27, 2001.)

Special Entries:

bulletFirst Meeting (Amadeus Home Page)
bulletA Special Rescue (Hopa Home Page)
bulletThe Introduction (Amadeus' and Hopa's first meeting)
bulletCCI canid enclosures
bulletConstruction updates
bulletWolf/Dog comparison
bulletClassification of Wolves

Videos:

bulletAmadeus howling

August 4, 2002

Last night (8/3/2002) the exercise pen (section 1B) was completed enough to allow the two to have a supervised visit to their new area.  Amadeus quickly ran through to check it out.  Hopa, on the other hand, was very unsure.  We tried to herd her through the gate, but she was to frightened, so we let her come through in her own time.  It took a while, but eventually she dashed through.  They both happily explored for a while though Hopa was a bit tentative the whole time.

Photos from the visit to the new area: Photos are dark because it was dusk.
mvc-453f.jpg (98501 bytes)
Amadeus runs while Hopa waits		 mvc-454f.jpg (124794 bytes)
Hopa contemplates running through		 mvc-455f.jpg (117932 bytes)
Amadeus exploring		 mvc-456f.jpg (110237 bytes)
The mud hole where the pond will go		 mvc-457f.jpg (103925 bytes)
Amadeus explores around the "pond"
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The temporary dig barrier		 mvc-459f.jpg (100385 bytes)
Hopa, after dashing into the new area		 mvc-460f.jpg (99046 bytes)
Hopa and Amadeus		 mvc-461f.jpg (121343 bytes)
Amadeus		 mvc-462f.jpg (124835 bytes)
Hopa (right) and Amadeus (left)
  

August 19, 2002

The exercise pen is close, but not quite ready.  Yesterday the news was not good since Babe, the dog Amadeus grew up with, was missing.  She had gotten out two days earlier and hadn't been seen since.  When Amadeus was a pup Babe was the one that nurtured and looked after him and acted as his surrogate mom.  When Babe had been walked by the pen recently Amadeus was happy to see her but Hopa had shown she was not to pleased with this girl in her territory.

In the afternoon some neighbors drove by asking if we had a "white one of those" (meaning a white wolf.)  When I drove over to their house there was Babe in the field.  She's a Husky/Collie mix but they thought she was another wolf and were very afraid of her.  She ran up to me and was very happy to see someone she knew.  She wouldn't leave the field because of the electric wire along the bottom of the fence, so I had to carry her over the fence and put her in the car to drive her home.  We put her in the wolf exercise area where we were working (the wolves are still in the secure area.)  Amadeus was happy to see her and Hopa was much more accepting of her this time.  Babe had some food and water, then lay down very contented to be back with people who cared for her.

Amadeus and Hopa are doing well.  They keep eying the new area ready to go.  It's close enough that they definitely should be able to get in there to stay next week.

October 6, 2002

The wolves were moved into the enclosure several weeks ago and have really enjoyed the space.  The pond has been a hit too, and each has been seen pushing the other in.  There's still no power to the site so no filter on the pond.  It's been scooped and emptied to help keep it clean, but algae still grows and it can get quite dirty.  Hopa seems to have put on some weight now that they can be fed separately.  Both seem in great health physically and mentally.

Hopa is scheduled to be spayed on the 30th of this month.  Today we did a test run of the medication to partially sedate her prior to transport.  The dose seemed to have no effect, so next week we try again with a larger one.  Our transport permit has already in order.  We will also be rehearsing the whole event at the spay site to be sure we're ready for any problem that might arise.

We've also had some other special canids ready for rescue.  An endangered New Guinea Singing Dog may be coming to the facility in the next few months, as well as a Coyote.  The "Singer" is a female included in the central breeding registry for preservation of the species.  She was rescued from another site, and the people that have her now are looking for a permanent home for her.  The Coyote is at a rehab facility.  This little critter went through normal rehab for re-release, but for some reason has imprinted to much on humans to be safe in the wild.  (The rehab facility is at a loss to explain what happened since they have a great deal of experience and have always been successful in preventing this type of imprint.)  The Coyote will need a special permit to import so it may be a while, but they're in no hurry as long as they know there's a place for this critter to go.

October 21, 2002

In preparation for her spay surgery on Oct 30, we have tried two test partial sedations on Hopa.  On Sunday, Oct 13 she was given 20 mg of diazepan orally.  This dose did not seem to phase her at all.  This past Sunday (Oct 20) she was given 20 mg diazepam plus 35 mg of ace promazine.  She was definitely slowed and appeared a bit unsteady, but was still up, alert, and moving.  We will find out the vet's recommendation for our next step soon.

An additional shelter is under construction to provide shelter in the large area.  After her surgery Hopa will need to be confined to the small area for a few days so Amadeus will need a shelter in the large area.  When fully complete this addition will also provide a large shaded area and a platform for sunning.

   
October 30, 2002
 
Hopa's spay surgery was today.  20 mg diazepan plus 70 mg ace promazine and she was barely phased.  She's a lot stronger and fitter than she was when we moved her and getting her in the crate was quite a challenge.  The net was pretty worthless and she fought the catch pole so hard I finally let her loose.  Finally we were able to lock her in the tunnel, slide in the crate, and coax her into it.  Once in the crate she seemed fine.  Amadeus was rather upset about the whole thing, but we had locked him away from her for safety.

We hauled her to the shelter and put her crate in a secluded pen.  She was restrained inside the crate with a catch pole and then injected with a sedative.  It took three doses of sedative before she finally succumbed.  Once fully sedated we rushed her to surgery.  It was also a good opportunity for a physical checkup and get her annual shots.  The big girl is fit and strong and in great shape at a solid 62 lbs.  Dr. Bartfiled from SNAP is an excellent veterinarian and the surgery went smoothly as expected.  While she was in surgery the crate was put back in the van and prepared for the trip back. After the surgery was completed Hopa went right into the crate where we waited for her to recover.  As soon as she was ready we closed up and were off.
 
October 31, 2002
 
Hopa spent the night in her crate to fully recover.  She went into the isolation pen at around noon and was allowed out.  Amadeus was happy to see her, but he was kept on the large side of the pen to protect Hopa and restrict her activity (rough play might open the suture site.) 
 
November 1, 2002
 
The two slept next to each other on opposite sides of the fence.  Straw had been piled on both sides so they had comfortable places to sleep.  They were put together in the small section of the pen in the afternoon today, and were both overjoyed.  Hopa never had any problems or pain and is doing well.
 
November 13, 2002
 
Amadeus was given his shots today.  We took him in to give a little talk on the difference between wolves and dogs.  The big guy did not like the trip and was very agitated the whole time.  We won't be taking any more trips of this type.  Hopa has healed up beautifully and acts like nothing ever happened.
 
March 9, 2004
 
A long time since the last update.  The two are doing well and both continue to be healthy and strong.  Amadeus is very selective about who he accepts now, typical of a fully adult wolf.  He has very few "dog" attributes any more and seems pretty much all wolf.  He will still play if properly approached, but most people that he grew up with are no longer allowed in the pen unescorted, and no new people are allowed.

The pen has had serious problems with mud.  Dirt, peat, and mulch have been added on multiple occasions in an attempt to control this mud, but with limited results.  We are intending to add underground drainage pipe within the next couple of weeks.  Hopefully that will resolve the problems.  In addition, a permanent cover will be added to the small enclosure in the next couple of months to provide better shelter from both sun and rain/snow.
 
May 2, 2005
 
Through the multiple applications of mulch and dirt the mud problem seems to have been at least minimized, though not eliminated.

Amadeus is still not to open to new people, but Hopa has actually demonstrated an interest in a number of people.  She has approached several individuals (who are outside the fence) and sniffed at hands.  She's even started playing the run/chase game when I'm inside the enclosure, clearly with a good bit of joy.

They are both starting to lose their winter coats and should look pretty scraggly for the next few weeks, though that's quite normal.  They both seem healthy and happy and are doing well.