lakota – Nov 7, 2008 12:00 AM

I am sorry to say that Lakota, our last remaining member of the 1993 litter, was euthanized today at 3:30pm. She lived an incredible life as an ambassador wolf for the International Wolf Center. At 15 1/2 years of age, her metabolic system had started to show signs of decline. This was a fairly fast onset of decline, as you can see from the weblogs that she was still up and active as of the last posting on November 3rd; however, 15 1/2 years is old. In the last few days, she stopped taking her medication and stopped eating any food. When wolf care staff came in for wolf care this morning, she got up, came to the wolf yard and entered the lab (we leave the door open so she can come and go as she pleases), then went to the back side of the new retired enclosure area and laid down in the wooded portion. She was unwilling to get up, showing some intense shaking and muscle spasms. Staff covered her with a sleeping bag, and were able to deliver her anti-inflammatory medication, giving her some relief. After some time, she willingly got up and moved to the den box. It’s not uncommon for animals to retreat to places away from people before they die. This same behavior was noted on Thursday afternoon, but again, staff worked diligently to get her up and into the den box. A consultation with Dr. Hanson, our veterinarian, led to the assessment that her system was shutting down, and while the anti-inflammatory provided some relief, her condition was declining. All of the Ely staff were able to spend time with her in her final hours. While it is sad to lose such an important part of our wolf care program, it is comforting to know that Lakota had a great life and was a vital part of our educational mission.