2011 — 2023
Argus
Argus and his siblings (Grendel, Nevaeh, Arrow and Linnea) were born in April of 2011 to Loki and Loki Sioux at Wolf Creek Habitat in Indiana. In early May they made their journey to Massachusetts.
Argus was always hard to tell apart from his sister Linnea. The two resembled each other greatly and the biggest difference was Argus having a slightly blockier head, and a bit darker of a fur color (although this was very hard to see to most people). Argus was a shy wolf for the most part, preferring to hang out with his packmates and favorite volunteer staff members during presentations. Every once in a while, his curiosity would prevail and lucky visitors would have the chance to see him approach the fenceline and give a bit of a hello before disappearing back into the brush.
Argus was showing dominance over his siblings a lot as a pup. He held his dominant position with the other two males until he hit about a year old and decided to take a step back and let his brothers, Arrow and Grendel, obtain higher ranking. Argus spent most of his days being aloof and minding his own business!
Some time after his sister Linnea was removed from the main pack in 2015 Argus began pestering his brother Arrow frequently. This resulted in Grendel asserting his dominance more over Argus. As a result Argus didn't have much social freedom and wasn't allowed to get a lot of human interaction. In February of 2017 the decision was made to place Argus back in with Linnea. This made them both happy as they were always very close when the whole litter lived together.
Argus lived out his final years happily with his sister Linnea. The two worked well together sharing an enclosure, as Argus let Linnea get her way, and was content doing so. It was always a beautiful sight to see Linnea and Argus hip checking each other in play, zooming around their enclosure, and having quiet moments together cuddled up in their shavings, taking a sunny afternoon nap.
Argus passed away in February of 2023 at the age of 11.
A tribute to Argus, from volunteer Christine Anckner
Argus was watchful and shy while still being curious and playful. He was one of the first wolves to engage in a scent roll and loved a scratch behind the ear more than almost anything else. Steady and dependable, he carried himself with the earnest air of a quiet country gentleman. You always knew what to expect from Argus; in the ten years I knew him, his sudden passing might be the first thing he ever did that caught me by surprise. “Think you've got it all figured out? Guess again!” How very like a wolf.
His steady, comforting presence was admired by so many who came to love him over the years, but no one loved him more than his sister and best friend Linnea. Most of my memories of Argus are quiet and peaceful, but my favorite memory is the day in 2017 when, after a year and a half of living in her own bachelorette pad, we reunited Argus with his impish, trouble-making sister. At this point, it should be said that while I find Linnea's playful personality and blatant disregard for rules incredibly endearing, I also acknowledge that it has made her a challenging roommate for many other wolves to live with. Not Argus. He was perfectly content allowing her to do exactly what she wanted when she wanted and appeared to love her for it. They had always been like peas and carrots before, so when it was clear that she would benefit from companionship again the natural conclusion was that we should attempt to reintroduce them. Within minutes they were shoulder to shoulder as Linnea walked him around his new living space, pausing for the occasional kiss or hip check. Peas and carrots, together again. When they were together he could go from cautious and worried to rowdy and silly in the blink of an eye. Up to the end, he was still up for a game of tag or a wrestling match and could often be seen hip-checking her to initiate play. There was nothing she could do, nowhere she could go, that he would not eventually follow. This might be the first time he's ever gone on ahead without her. To say he leaves all of us heartbroken is an understatement.
We can take comfort in knowing how many lives he touched, and how many people he helped to educate about wolves, but saying goodbye never gets any easier. He will be missed forever by those who knew and loved him best. I know I'll always be looking for him in every playful summer breeze and quiet autumn afternoon. Our cautious, gentle, playful boy.
I hope we can all grow to become a bit more like Argus. I have often thought about how lucky everyone would be if they had a friend or brother like him in their lives. Steady, dependable, and always ready with the bail money. Ride or die for life. How fortunate we are to have known and loved such a very special wolf.