Why are there no orphans among the wolves, according to Ootek?

The nature of the wolves is a continual surprise for Farley, as is Ootek’s storehouse of information where they are concerned. For instance, there is no such thing as an orphaned wolf as we would understand it. If calamity befell a female with pups, the wolves in the area would simply move the now motherless pups to another den where a mother had pups of similar age. She, along with her family and the widowed male, would look after the pups until they were weaned.