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Shadow survived another program in the wolf yard. This past weekend, we held our first Wolves at Two years program. The group did some work in the pack holding area, removing some hardware cloth that became a safety hazard for the wolves. Participants also assisted with the pond cleaning, a less than desirable job in the summer heat and algae. Shadow did extremely well, with only limited bark howling, expressing dislike of any activity around his pack. He is a strong and confident leader, the pack is lucky to have him. In this week's photo, he shows that confidence after a morning swim, scraping the ground to spread his scent and heading up to the hill with a high tail.
The weather turned a bit cooler here lately, with overnight temperatures nearing 0 degrees Fahrenheit. This prompted all wolves to increase their appetite. A deer was fed to the Retired Pack on Thursday night, but by the end of the day Friday, there wasn't much left. The same is true for wild wolf kills. The USGS biologist has been reporting kill sites observed from the plane, and sees nearly 100% consumption within a day of the kill. In this week's photo, Lakota is breaking open deer bones to get at the rich bone marrow, high in fat and critical to the wolves diet on a cold day.
MacKenzie would like to thank Dee Robb for adopting her and for the journal entries from the A-3 class at the Steele School in Galesbur Illinois (of course, the Curator read the logs as MacKenzie doesn't see so well anymore)… Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your days:; And a special note to Todd M. – we're glad you went to the zoo and saw wolves and a Ram. We're also glad you were willing to go on the merry-go-round with your brother, even though people stared. It's very important to be nice to your brother and don't worry too much about what other people are staring at.; Also, to Taylor B. We're so sorry to hear that your dog Balfazar was hit by a car, it is very sad to lose a friend. We hope your other dog Bitsy is doing well. ; One more note to Trinity H. It's exciting to see a Ptarmigan… Wild animals are fast and often zoom off when people try to catch them. Sometimes it's better to just see them wild. ; Well, take care and to all of you, thanks for the logs:; Todd M; Britney F; Alex T.; Sierra J.; David D.; Anton J.; Kevin H.; Braden M.; Taylor B.; Trinity H.; Tommy K.; Teresa R.; Will H.; Katie V.;
Lakota was feeling and looking a bit off late last week, although she took her meds everday and showed no loss of appetite. The curator asked all staff to monitor her closely for any other symptoms. Today during wolf care, she was very active and seemed to be fine, but as with all the retired wolves, staff will be very diligent on checking on their status. With the colder weather predicted for the end ot fhe week, Beaver carcasses are being thawed for all the wolves. Beaver have a higher fat content than deer and will offer a few more calories during the return of normal Northern Minnesota winter weather – 30 below zero.
Lucas doesn't have any deer heads to carry around or any other antics this week. He's showing more social interaction towards the newest wolf care staff member, Laurie Feela. Laurie commented that he seems to approach more when she's not standing next to the Curator. Lucas and the Curator had a very negative experience with a blood draw over 9 years ago and he's very suspect of being approached by the Curator. This is termed negative conditioning, wolves have a great memory for a negative event. If the curator wants to approach Lucas, it needs to be on his terms.
Maya has been quite interactive with staff lately. This may be a response to the males in her pack being preoccupied with each other. She's doing well, still taking every opportunity to stalk an unsuspecting raven or her brother Grizzer.
Maya gets right into the action of the male dominance role. She's usually observed stalking and pouncing on Grizzer when Grizzer's trying to chase Malik. She's extremely agile and usually gets what she chases. Maya and Shadow continue to have a special bond with each other, while Maya and Grizzer continue to wrestle just like when they were pups. Lori Rhodes visited the Center on November 11th and 12th and contributes this week's photos of the Exhibit Pack.
As was noted last week, Malik seems to be trying to maintain status with Maya and Grizzer when Shadow is not reigning him in. This week found Malik attempting the same behaviors, but as the photo shows, he often found the tables turned. Notice the high tail posture that Grizzer is displaying and the intense eye stare from Maya.
A face like no other
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