Farewell Gideon

We are left blindsided as we try to wrap our minds around the loss of a young, strong, playful wolf – Gideon. He had overcome so much in his early life and had finally begun to thrive over the last few years. We are heartbroken to lose another magnificent and charismatic member of the Northerners family. We know that he had a wonderful life with us these past four years, but we still mourn deeply for the loss of such a beautiful soul.

Four years ago, we rescued a family of gray wolves from a zoo in Quebec that was being investigated for cruelty and neglect of their animals. We called them the Northerners. When they arrived, they were in rough shape – they were malnourished and had parasites, but the biggest concern was their mental state. They were clearly traumatized. We spent countless hours slowly bringing them back to health. Over time, they began to feel better and after several months of treatments and gentle care, they finally began to recover. It was then that we began to truly get to know them.

Gideon was the youngest and liveliest of the four. He was the first to break out of his shell and start to recover. He was still an adolescent wolf when he arrived and he had the highest resilience being so young. As days passed, he began to play more frequently, pouncing on his parents and running laps around his enclosure. Over time he even became comfortable coming close to the fence for his caretakers. He was never near enough to touch but he would follow along the fence and playfully pounce and bound away. We will miss his silly playfulness, as will his remaining family members, Midnight and Mazikeen.

Gideon showed no signs of illness or injury prior to his passing. In the wake of uncertainty, and because he was young and appeared healthy, we requested a necropsy to determine what may have caused his death. Unfortunately, while the report noted some irregularities, there was no concise evidence to indicate a clear cause. The most significant finding was a condition called hydrocephalus, which may have caused his sudden death. There are many symptoms of this disease, including restlessness, spastic walking, falling to one side, and changes in behavior, however Gideon was displaying none of these symptoms, and therefore we had no idea that he was being affected. Due to his age, the report suggested that he would likely have had the acquired version of this disease, rather than the congenital version, however the doctors were unable to find any cause for acquired hydrocephalus in Gideon. Therefore, while this was the most likely cause of Gideon’s death, it is still quite uncertain as to how he may have acquired it or why he showed no symptoms.

Without a clear answer, our hearts remain heavy with the loss of such a young and vibrant spirit. Gideon was so special and unique to have overcome such hard circumstances at the start of his life and to grow into such a happy, playful, and carefree wolf. We mourn his passing, but we know that he found joy and peace here with his family, and he brought them joy as well.

Farewell Gideon. We will deeply miss your bright and lively spirit and your joyful soul. We will hold the memory of your love and devotion to your family forever in our hearts.

IN LOVING MEMORY GIDEON OF SPEEDWELL
Born EST. Spring 2019, Rescued July 2019, Died November 21, 2023