The pups arrived in Asheville from Bozeman, Montana, at 6 weeks old, weighing about 10 pounds each. They spent about a month in quarantine to ensure they weren't carrying any diseases.

The pups' introduction to Shalimar went well, Gentile said, though "there was some posturing."

Thursday morning, Shalimar watched the pups play from her section of the exhibit.

The center's male gray wolf, 7-year-old Cody, had to be euthanized in April after it was stricken with cancer.

"It left our female gray wolf alone," Gentile said in June. "We knew we needed to do something because wolves are so social. Unlike, say, cougars that want to be by themselves, wolves form little family groups.


"When Cody passed away, we didn't want Shalimar to spend the rest of her time alone. We decided to bring in two young wolves that we can put in with her."

The gray wolves are one of the center's most popular exhibits.

Gray wolves once roamed over much of North America, although it's unclear if they were native to North Carolina. The pups will grow to about 80 pounds each. Gray wolves typically live 13-15 years in captivity.
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