Luna- On Watch

Luna will not be part of the medical protocol this spring because she received an extensive evaluation and exam last fall after her removal from the Exhibit Pack.   While we still think it was the best decision for Luna and the pups to move her to retirement, it’s been our experience that removal from the Exhibit Pack has two components, the physical change of space and the psychological removal from the pack.  It’s a challenge, especially for high ranking wolves like Luna to be extremely focused when the adjacent pack activity is heightened.  We experienced this in 2002 when Shadow was testing our dominant female, MacKenzie.  Once she lost the psychological connection of leading the pack, she relaxed and became more content in retirement.  While Luna continues to be “On Watch” for those Exhibit Pack moments, we have been noticing more contentment with life in retirement, especially when sharing den space with Grizzer.  For those of you who watch our Youtube channel, the last video showed Luna having some anxiety coming into the Wolf Care Center.  We have worked through that anxiety and she is back on track to enter the building and stand on the scale for regular weighing sessions.  Her last weight was 111 pounds which is consistent with Boltz.  But because of her hip condition, our vet would like her back at 95 pounds.  We have adjusted her feeding schedule and expect to see some weight loss as summer progresses.  Wolves traditionally look much thinner after they shed their undercoat.