Tj. Kreeger et al., EFFECTS OF FASTING AND REFEEDING ON BODY-COMPOSITION OF CAPTIVE GRAY WOLVES (CANIS-LUPUS), Canadian journal of zoology, 75(9), 1997, pp. 1549-1552
We examined the effects of fasting and refeeding on body composition i
n 9 captive adult gray wolves, Canis lupus (6 males, 3 females), durin
g May-June 1995. Body composition was estimated by the technique of tr
itiated water dilution. Wolves were immobilized and weighed, base-line
blood samples were taken, tritiated water was injected, and additiona
l blood samples were taken before fasting, after 10 d of fasting, and
again after 2 d of refeeding. Male wolves lost 8% (P = 0.0001) and fem
ales lost 7% body mass (P = 0.01) during the 10 d. Males lost 54% of t
his mass in water, 28% in fat, and 18% in protein/ash; females lost 58
% in water, 20% in fat, and 22% in protein/ash. Upon refeeding, male w
olves consumed an average of 6.8 kg (15.3% body mass) of deer meat per
day and females consumed 6.4 kg (18.7% body mass). AU wolves regained
their initial mass. Males regained 24% of this mass in water, 70% in
fat, and 6% in protein/ash; females regained 35% in water, 51% in fat,
and 14% in protein/ash. This study provided evidence that after prolo
nged fasting, captive wolves could quickly and efficiently regain lost
body mass after refeeding.