The omega is the lowest ranking member of a pack and it can be either male or female. Another name for this wolf is "scapegoat," because it is the one that bears the burden of the other wolves' frustrations. Tonkawa spent the first eleven months of her life here at Wolf Haven as the omega of our Nebraska pack.
Tonkawa was born, together with her brother and only littermate Denali, at Heritage Zoo in Nebraska on 2 May 1998. The following year the zoo came under new management, who decided to phase out their wolf exhibit. Tonkawa and three other members of her pack-father Chinook, brother Denali, and an unrelated female named Solo-had to find a new home. With the help of generous donations by our members, Wolf Haven was able to take them in on 12 January 2000.
Tonkawa and her pack arrived just in time for breeding season, which is usually the most harried time for an omega. Hormones are flowing, tensions over dominance and breeding rights flare into fights, and females are especially irritable and snappish. Solo firmly established herself as the alpha female, so her canine "PMS" found its outlet onto Tonkawa's head...or more accurately, her rump, which received numerous bites over the course of the next eleven months. It was lucky for her that wolves' hips, with fewer nerve endings than elsewhere on the body, have evolved to tolerate much abuse.
Tonkawa was not a meek, submissive omega however; she fought back, as shallow puncture wounds to Solo's muzzle attested. Most of the time though, she just tried to stay out of Solo's way and remain unobtrusive. She occasionally had reason to be grateful to Chinook, the pack's alpha male. While her brother sometimes joined Solo to pick on Tonkawa, her father usually held his distance-except when he apparently decided that Solo was going to far, and intervened.
Despite trying times during breeding season, Tonkawa's status as omega did not always mean an unrelenting harsh life. Omegas are often very playful individuals and frequently serve as babysitters when a pack has pups. For a few months Solo's aggression towards Tonkawa seemed to wane, but as they made their way into their first summer here at Wolf Haven it began to intensify. In the wild an omega would have the option of dispersing from the pack if they tired of the constant harassment. Unfortunately for Tonkawa, she did not have that choice. However, on 25 November 2000, the tension between Solo and Tonkawa had reached a point where it was no longer safe to keep them together. Solo had always shown a preference for the beta male Denali, so together, they were moved to an enclosure off tour.
Tonkawa and Chinook have now settled into a peaceful coexistence and have become favorites on the public tour route. To see her these days one would be hard pressed to see any vestiges of the once timid omega. She has grown into a bold and beautiful adult. She is a slender female whose bright golden eyes contrasting against black fur show the essence of elegant wildness. One can understand the settlers' mystification of the black wolf, a coat color not seen in Europe, when they came across such an eerie gaze.
Thanks to your generous support which made it possible to bring Tonkawa and the rest of the pack to Wolf Haven. Although they are no longer together, we have been afforded an educational, first hand glimpse into the complexities of wolf pack structure which we in turn are able to pass along to the public. We are grateful for your help in this important work.
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----Taken from the adoption kit by Wolf Haven
