Timber is a lady who loves her boys. She’s courted every male wolf in the park and would be happy to be special friends with any and all of them. When breeding season concluded, and Timber’s pregnancy was confirmed, there were two possible fathers of the pups. Brothers Wotan and Wolfgang had both bred with her during a fertile period. The resulting pups bore all the family traits and gave no clue who the daddy might be.
There were many clamors to know who was the father, and some speculation that the pups might have two different fathers. Mixed litters have been documented in dogs, but not in wolves. We hoped we might prove this to be a possibility.
DNA tests revealed all the Twiglets have the same father and that father is…. *drumroll*…. WOTAN!
Wotan has certainly put in the effort as devoted mate. He helped Timber dig the den and brought her food during her pregnancy. He and she enjoy playdates at regular intervals. Being an aging twelve-year-old, he isn’t interested in her full-time companionship, and he’s shown no desire to meet his sons and daughter without a barrier between.
Congratulations to Wotan and Timber on their lovely, growing litter.