Until Kayoran Common Wolf becomes a father
September 18, 2026
At Tama Zoo, Common Wolf was born on April 26, 2026. "Sui" (female) immediately began caring for her cub, showing signs of motherhood, but it took a little longer for "Kayoran" (male) to become a father. This time, we will introduce the journey of father Kayoran to the harmonious family they are today.
Before giving birth, Sui and Kayoran were very close and could often be seen playing together. However, one day, when Sui could feel the baby's movements, she began to distance herself from Kayoran. She would threaten Kayoran and wouldn't even let her into the same room. Just as we suspected that giving birth might be imminent, the next morning she gave birth in an artificial burrow in the enclosure.
On the day of the birth, when Kayoran tried to peek into the burrow, she angered Sui, who chased her to the corner of the enclosure. After that, whenever Kayoran passed near the burrow, Sui would jump out and chase after her relentlessly. At times, she would even chase her into the animal enclosure, scattering fur everywhere. There were concerns about whether they could continue to live in the same enclosure, and also about Sui's health, as she was not seen eating or drinking.
Even two days after giving birth, the surveillance camera still captured Sui following Kayoran as she moved to the rocky area above the burrow. At first, I thought Sui was threatening Kayoran because she was passing near the burrow, but it seemed a little different. It appeared that Sui was receiving food from Kayoran some distance away from the burrow.
Gradually, Sui's wariness subsided, and as she became able to find food on her own, Kayoran's feeding behavior decreased, and they began to cuddle and play together again, as they had done before. Sui would act affectionately towards Kayoran, beg for food, and even when Kayoran regurgitated it, Sui would leave without eating it... The familiar sight of Kayoran being at Sui's mercy returned, and their prickly relationship disappeared.
Even so, Kayoran is not allowed to approach the burrow. Sui steps in between Kayoran, who is wary of the burrow, and chases her away. After days of this, the time finally came for Kayoran to meet her babies. While Sui was resting outside the burrow, Kayoran quietly slipped inside. Just as she was about to shrink down in front of her babies and sit down slowly... Sui noticed something was wrong and rushed back in at full speed, causing a huge mess inside the burrow (please see the video for details).
The chick has never ventured far from its burrow, yet it wanders all the way to the center of the enclosure. Sui continues searching for the chick, threatening Kayoran as he goes. Perhaps the immature chick's escape is an instinctive behavior to flee from an intruder. It was an incident that made one wonder if Kayoran had not yet been accepted as the father.
Even as the chicks grew and began to frequently leave the burrow, Sui continued to send them back inside whenever she sensed Kayoran's presence.
However, on May 21st, Kayoran approached Sui and the children while they were playing. Kayoran did not approach from a certain distance, waiting for the children to come closer. Sui also kept an eye on the situation, pulling Kayoran back if she got too close, or stepping in between them. From that day on, the distance between the children and Kayoran began to shrink.
Since early June, Sui has entrusted Kayoran with babysitting and has been enjoying her alone time foraging, patrolling, and resting. Currently, Kayoran is often seen grooming, feeding, and cuddling with her offspring, and she can also be seen educating them. However, when she first bared her teeth at her offspring, she was seen immediately grooming them to distract them.
He still seems to lack the authority to lead a herd, but I hope you will continue to watch Kayoran grow as a father.
[Tama Zoo South Garden Animal Care and Exhibition Section 1, Tomooka]