The two wolves who attacked two women zookeepers Wednesday morning at the Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City likely overreacted because another wolf in their pack had died.
That is the conclusion of Elizabeth Emerick, the Washington Park Zoo’s assistant director, who on Saturday released an update in a video posted on the zoo’s Facebook site.
A 39-year-old woman is still receiving treatment for multiple injuries suffered in the attack. She had to be rescued from the wolf exhibit by firefighters who used a ladder to reach her.
The other 34-year-old woman, who was bitten on the arm, was treated and released from Franciscan Health Michigan City. Emerick said their focus is on supporting the two injured animal care employees.
Emerick gave a few new details about what happened before the attack.
When the two women zookeepers were doing their morning rounds, they noticed that “Echo,” a 10-year-old timber wolf, didn’t come to the fence as usual.
Echo lay dead in the compound and the two other wolves attacked when the women entered the range.
“Wolves are highly intelligent animals with a very strong pack instinct,” Emerick said. “The other wolves were likely in a protective state with Echo’s passing.”
Animal researchers have found that wolves display a range of emotions that suggest they experience grief and mourning in ways that parallel human emotional responses. Those emotions have been observed when there are deaths within a pack, according to the Animal Around the Globe website.
The two wolves have displayed more normal behavior in the succeeding days as the zoo’s wolf exhibit has reopened, Emerick said.
Meanwhile, a necropsy performed on Echo determined that the timber wolf died of natural causes due to a mass that ruptured on her spleen, Emerick said.
“Echo spent her life here at the zoo and was deeply loved by all the staff here and the community too,” Emerick said. “Her loss has been felt by the entire zoo family.”
Emerick said that the Washington Park Zoo’s relatively small size results in the public having more interaction with the animals and staff.
“We understand the significance of those connections,” Emerick said.
Emerick said the safety of the zoo’s staff and animals has always been their highest priority. She said they will cooperate with all regulatory agencies to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
