lakota – May 26, 2008 12:00 AM

Lakota had an excellent recovery from the surgery. When she was returned into the enclosure, MacKenzie was very excited to see her and they were running throughout the enclosure. Unfortunately, we didn't get video footage to show this exhuberance, nor did we take footage the morning of MacKenzie's death, but we have it in our memories. We learn to cherish every day with these wolves. Lakota is showing some depressed behavior since MacKenzie's passing. The video clip this week shows the curator's dog Jake greeting Lakota. We were happy with the introduction and Jake may be a visitor to Lakota in the future, but the preference for Lakota is staff time. You may see staff resting with Lakota on sleeping bags, she got the taste for comfort during the surgery recovery and would prefer to have a flannel sleeping bag now. We have made some fence modifications to give Lakota an option to travel into the pack holding area, or into the wolf yard if she wishes. So far, she's visited the main pack through the fence, Maya is very excited to see her and whines at the gate. The other wolves don't show any aggression towards her. We will continue to do what she needs to remain stimulated. ** We just finished wolf care on Monday, the 26th and Lakota did a play bow and a bit of a sprint to Joyce Riveroll, a wolf care staff person who volunteers each summer. This is an excellent sign.