Last evening, Loki passed away. This was not a surprise by any means, as he has been on his way out for over a week now.

Early last week, Loki stopped eating and became extremely lethargic. He ceased coming to the fence for his med-ball, his interaction with Zoe became minimal, and normally a skittish animal, he showed no response to caretakers in his enclosure. As we watched him, slowly starving himself and fading away, the idea of euthanasia came up and became quickly dismissed.

While euthanasia is always a difficult idea, when dealing with captive-bred wolves, it can become increasingly difficult. A wolf in the wild generally has a life span of only 6-8 years. This can be because of the stress of hunting, roaming and living in situations that are not always perfect. Also, in the wild, if an animal begins to show weakness whether because of age, sickness or injury, they are immediately ousted from the pack.

In captivity, our animals are provided with food, deal with only one mate, and are provided with veterinary care and vitamin supplements. We have animals that have lived beyond 17 years of age, more than half the natural life-span for a wolf.

When one begins to think about how unnatural this is, questions of ethics and morality are forced. Are we doing what is best for the animal in prolonging a life that is naturally meant to be less than half of the current lifespan? Further, by prolonging life of the animal at all, is this truly the most humane when dealing with an animal that is truly supposed to be in the wild? Is this prolonging of life merely prolonging imprisonment? Would being euthanized in a regular dog pound be a better choice so that the animal could become free, at least in spirit?

But we have decided to allow these animals to live their lives out in our sanctuary. And by doing so, we have accepted certain responsibilities. We have in some ways, accepted the responsibility of the pack. As other pack members do, we provide food, companionship, and safety to our residents. When an animal reaches a point where the quality of life is beyond redeemable, should we too accept the responsibility of the pack to end the suffering? Is euthanasia the closest method to mirroring the ousting of a weak member from a pack? Or is our place meant to be to leave the animal to die of its own--no matter how lenghthy and gruesome of a process this may be? Is it more "natural" to let the animal go without assistance? Can anything be considered "natural" when a wild animal is forced to live his/her life out behind chain-link?

As Loki began to pass away before our eyes, I found myself compelled to sit in his enclosure frequently. I did not pet him or attempt to offer comfort. Loki has never been a social animal, and while as Amarock passed, I attempted to offer her with the comfort of soothing pets and silent companionship, I simply offered Loki my presence from a distance. As I sat there throughout the days, I went from feeling sheer pity at his suffering, to accepting his path, to feeling anger at his life... From one end, my relationships with domestic dogs began to take precedence. I looked at Loki as a companion animal, a member of the family, passing to another world and leaving a family behind. However, with time, I began to realize in myself that this is a totally different world... Loki did not lead a life like a domestic dog. He was not part of a human family. My anger began to rise as the moral dilemma of prolonging imprisonment surfaced in me.

Life at the Sanctuary is often culminated with death. Only in Isis's death did I feel her presence the way that those had grown with her felt. As Amarock passed, my heart ached at the loss of a social animal but rejoiced that she no longer had to drag her hips behind her and trip over her own legs. As Loki passed away, he brought more issues to the surface of my mind...

Dealing with captive wolves, even while understanding the major differences, can easily allow one to fall in the emotional mindset of domestic dogs. The differences go beyond simple precaudal glands and rounded ears verses pointed ears, and even beyond acts of ritual domination... There is an entirely different moral code. When we as rescuers take on the responsibility of their care, we must also take on the responsibility of the pack and of nature... Something that remains out of our grasp...