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There are no two ways around it: wolves are tough animals that sustain and survive many traumatic injuries and ailments.
In June, we collared Wolf V096, a lone wolf. It was abundantly clear that V096 had some eye-related trauma that gave him an alien-like appearance. (1/12)
In June, we collared Wolf V096, a lone wolf. It was abundantly clear that V096 had some eye-related trauma that gave him an alien-like appearance. (1/12)
In particular, the eye appeared to be full of fluid and clouded over. We have never seen anything like this before. We contacted other biologists, who have collared hundreds of wolves, and they all said they had never seen anything like this either. (2/12)
We shared photos of the wolf’s eye with a veterinarian and the vet said this is a corneal edema, which is effectively swelling of the cornea. The vet's diagnosis was: 1) this was likely caused by glaucoma, ulcers, blastomycosis, or a sharp stick to the eye, and (3/12)
2) that the wolf’s eye was non-functional, probably painful, but survivable. Indeed, V096 is still alive and roaming a large area (he is a lone wolf after all!). (4/12)
Intriguingly, V096 was in excellent physical condition (better than most wolves we have studied) with excellent fat stores and an above-average weight for a male wolf. That is, despite a non-functional eye, V096 has found a way to find food and thrive despite this injury. (5/12)
How V096 does this with only one eye is unknown but we suspect he probably relies heavily on scent and sound to find prey! Wolves, due to the high-risk of injury when taking down large prey with their mouths, are adapted to sustain and push through these injuries. (6/12)
Still, we find it simply amazing that wolves (and other wildlife, for that matter) have the ability to sustain all sorts of traumatic injuries and still continue to make a living in the Northwoods. (7/12)
Some will ask why we did not assist the wolf in the field. The first is that we are not veterinarians and do not have the knowledge or credentials to treat an injury like this even if we wanted to. (8/12)
Secondly, if an injury is due to natural causes (e.g, not human-caused) we do not treat it but rather let nature take its course. We frequently collar wolves that have open wounds, partially healed lacerations, tooth injuries, etc., likely from hunting and killing prey. (9/12)
While these injuries are unpleasant, it is the way the natural world functions. Wolves that cannot sustain and survive injuries do not live and reproduce, those that do survive have the possibility of reproducing. (10/12)
We do not want to interfere with the way the natural world functions but rather to study and understand it. We understand some folks will not agree with that perspective. (11/12)
Fortunately, however, all wolves with obvious physical injuries that we have collared have healed and/or survived without us treating their injuries. There are no two ways around it: wolves are just tough animals! (12/12)
