lakota – Sep 11, 2000 12:00 AM

On several occasions this week, Lakota seemed to be forced to stay in the wooded hillside of the upper enclosure. Any attempts by Lakota to retreat to the lower pen caused Mackenzie to approach and circle her, driving Lakota back up the hill. Yet, other times, Lakota was observed chasing squirrels with the pack and exhibiting a high tail position. The aggression toward Lakota seems to still be tied to her behavior toward the pups. If interactions with the pups are calm, mobbing are limited. This week's "What's for Dinner" pup feeding was less successful than last week's. With the cooler air of Fall weather, the adults were a bit hungry and took possession of the pups deer leg. Lucas took the leg up in the woods so the Wolf Curator brought three more deer legs in from the freezer. Mackenzie and Lakota took two of the three and the pups shared the last leg. Once the pups had possession of this leg, they were able to guard it from the adults, but since the leg was frozen, it was more difficult for the pups to feed. During the program, Lucas brought his thawed deer leg close to the pups which encouraged Malik to approach and food beg. Prior to the next program, the Wolf Curator needs to redesign protocol to ensure the pups are able to compete with the adults for the food. The pups continue to be isolated for feedings with 5 – 7 pounds of meat fed every day except Wednesday and Saturday. These are the two days when food is brought into the enclosure for the main pack. The pups continue to grow and although weighing has become difficult, we estimate their weight to be nearing 60 lbs. Their winter coats are getting very thick and have resulted in pups staying rather inactive on some of the warmer Fall days.