When enclosure enrichment projects are done in the Exhibit Pack, Maya's predatory behavior is very stimulated. She stalks the scent trail of the handlers until she finds the stashed treats. She's most observed doing the rock to rock leap in a very fluid motion. When people observe a pack of wolves crossing a frozen lake in winter, they often comment on the smooth gate of a traveling wolf. Maya displays this same type of movement.
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Summer has arrived earlier than usual this year and the wolves are inactive during the heat of the day. In this photo you can easily see Grizzer's teeth as he yawns.
Lakota is peacefully resting in the den box. She still maintains a full coat of hair and has just begun the shedding process. For a 13-year old, her coat is very soft and glossy.
The Retired Pack was fed about 20 Cornish game hens and a large turkey that was donated to the Center. Lakota, guarded the hens from the staff as well as MacKenzie, but MacKenzie made off with the Turkey and wouldn’t let Lakota near it. In this week’s video, you will see Lakota carrying around surplus food to cache for later.
In the interest of saving time, all wolf logs will be the same today. Most of the wolf care staff time is spent attempting to keep the wolves cool during an unusually warm stretch of weather. The temperatures over the Memorial Day weekend soared to 90 degrees with high humidity. This is problematic weather for wolves that have not completed shedding, and who's primary method of cooling is through panting. Wolves pant to evaporate heat from their system, when the humidity is high, little evaporation occurs. This is why wolves in the wild are commonly termed nocturnal animals, meaning they are active mainly at night. Here at the Center, sprinkler hoses were installed to keep the temperatures cooler. In the retired enclosure, modifcations to the hose installation were made, when MacKenzie became anxious about the hose over her head. Her vision is declining, and the hose over her head must have been too much. The hose was re-installed to follow the north fence line, which will also spread a nice layer of water over the newly planted vines. To add another summer task, biting flies hatched over the weekend, requiring the first application of fly ointment. All wolves were treated, except of course, Shadow, who heads for the hills when fly ointment appears. The arctics were started on a dose of brewer's yeast with garlic in hopes of providing some natural repellent. This gift of garlic as well as a long list of other treats and equipment was generously donated by Miss Susan Sweeney's Biology I class – period 2+3; from Pennsylvania…
The biggest concern over last week's immobilization of the arctics was the influence on Shadow's status. Staff are always aware of the vulnerability of the dominant wolves during any activity. Shadow seems to have had no problems maintaining his status. In fact, the overnight observations by the wolf watch team on Thursday May 5th observed Shadow in high spirits, actively playing with the Grizzer and Maya. It may have been the good feeling of having clean ears or a response to the separation from them, but either way, he holds his tail high, looks alert, led the pack in howls and has a lot of social contact with the pack. In the wild, dominant wolves seem to hold the pack together with this type of interaction.
MacKenzie is doing very well. She had some trouble with the noise that summer traffic brings to Ely and the increased traffic to the wolf yard due to summer programs. In response, Dr. Chip Hanson at the Ely Vet clinic recommended that we try a light dose of Chlomipramine, which worked well for MacKenzie in the past, when we had large construction projects such as the pond project. During the heat of summer, and while the wolves haven't completed the shedding process, we are very concerned when a wolf expresses anxiety. Risk of heat stroke if very high under these conditions and at the age of 13, we can't take any risks. Chlomipramine is not a sedative, it is a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, that allows for higher levels of serotonin in the brain. According to the www.marvistavet.com website, The precise mechanism of action (i.e. exactly how these drugs work) is not known fully but it is believed that they act by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter “serotonin in the brain. Serotonin, in simple terms, is associated with the cozy, happy feelings of comfort. Clomipramine inhibits the removal of serotonin in the brain so that the serotonin present is present for a longer time. Clomipramine is thus classified a “selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor or “SSRI. The response in MacKenzie shows a calm, confident wolf, that is much more inclined for social interactions with her fellow wolves and staff. When she's stressed, she becomes more irritable and nervous about anyone or thing approaching her, with a light dose of clomipramine, she's relaxed, allows for full body massages and inspections for ticks, and brushing of excess hair. Her loss of vision most likely contributes to her anxiety, and she deserves to have comforts in the final years of her life. Her photo shows her slightly damp from sitting under the sprinkler hose and with a full dose of fly repellent on her ears. Not as aesthetically appealing as last week's photo, but comfortable.
Lakota continues to shed her fur, the help of daily brushing from the wolf care staff. This is one of the duties of the wolf care staff during the summer months. She did well with the introduction of new wolf care staff member, Bryn Fadum. Visitors often inquire how staff members become wolf handlers at the center. This is a long and timely acclimation process which, at first, involves being adjacent to the wolf enclosure then gradually being introduced, in short periods of time, inside the retired enclosure. New wolf care staff members work with the retired wolves first, as they are more tolerant of new handlers than the wolves in the exhibit pack. If all goes well, they will then progress to doing wolf care with the Exhibit pack. This is a process which takes many months and is dependent upon many variables, such as the interactions between handler and wolf, the comfort/confidence level of the handler, etc. Safety is always first and foremost when training new wolf care staff.
As usual, during the summer months in northern Minnesota, the biting flies have been out. During daily wolf care, we have been applying fly ointment to the tips of the ears and legs of the wolves. Lucas always seems to get the worst of the flies. In this photo, he is seen shaking his head to rid himself of the flies that have landed on his ears.
The following log was written by Ethology students: Casey Eganey; Pat Middleton; and Crisanne Werner. For the first part of the week, activity amongst the wolves was slow and minimal due to the heat. As soon as the rain came and the temperature cooled down, Grizzer showed much more energy. They had an unexpected treasure hunt consisting of their favorite foods. Grizzer displayed the most intense and persistent investigative efforts, was successful in his findings, and was the last one to give up the hunt.
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