Lakota still has moments where she is driven to the den by Mackenzie, but her behavioral displays have included more play bowing, and she appears to initiate some of these chase scenes. She's been subject to far less pack mobbing in recent weeks and has interacted with handlers more frequently and has been observed with an extremely high tail position for a Beta female.. Overall pack dynamics has settled into a quiet routine. Certainly, this may change as the pups reach maturity, but so far, Mackenzie is clearly the alpha female with Lakota as Beta. Lucas maintains alpha male status by default. The pups are primarily interacting with each other with Shadow more dominant than Malik. The pups are generally not dominated by the adults unless Lucas or Mackenzie are laying down and the pups come over and attempt to sit on them, then the irritation factor kicks in. Lucas especially, growls and snaps at the pups, but generally ends up running away leaving the pups as they stand. Occasionally, Mackenzie gets mobbed by the pups and Lucas joins in, initiating a chase scene, but usually Lakota stays out of the interaction. Mackenzie's response has been one of high hackles, tucked tail and lunging snaps until the interaction stops. She doesn't appear too conformable on the receiving end of this attention, actually, Shadow and Mackenzie have allot in common that way.
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The isolation of pups in small holding kennel for daily feedings has been successful. The pups are becoming conditioned to the routine and run to the gate when a handler approaches the kennel. The adult wolves attempt to enter the kennel with the pups, but fortunately, the pups are small enough where they can squeeze under a 1/2 opened gate and the adults can't. The hope is that the time the pups become too big to fit under a half open door, the adults will be familiar with the routine of pups-only isolation. There have been no negative affects associated with the pups removal and subsequent return to the main enclosure. Feeding and socialization time for the pups can last anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour with no significant interaction from the adults. During these first few weeks of the introduction, Malik seems most interested in returning to the pack, whereas Shadow would rather stay with the human handlers in the holding pen. Pup food consumption ranges from 1-2 lbs. of meat per feeding and the pups are fed twice a day. Malik and Shadow eat equally as well and food is split into two bowls to ensure sufficient amount for both.
Shadow had a great visit with staff last Friday. Some days, he seems so focused on running the pack and making sure Malik doesn't hold his tail too high, other times, the two of them are observed sleeping together on the top of the den. Brothers can be a mystery sometimes. One thing for sure, Shadow will always raise leg urinate the trees in the front of the exhibit and do a full body scratch of the ground to broadcast his scent, letting anyone around him know that he's in charge. If you happen to be a wolf or wolf care staff and you're standing behind him when he marks, be prepared to get a pile of debris kicked up in the air at considerable force. It happened to Maya the other day.
Lori Schmidt (LS) entered wolf enclosure and isolated Lakota in a small holding pen for further examination of area described as wet spot. LS discovered a 1" bite wound matted with blood and hair (the wet spot was where she had been licking the wound). The wound was tender to the touch and resulted in Lakota growling, barring of teeth and two short barks while being examined. After several attempts, LS was able to clean the wound with Novasan and apply a topical antibiotic. Lakota was very hesitant when LS examined Lakota for additional bite wounds especially when examining Lakota's hind quarters, but no further signs of injuries were noted. When LS released Lakota from the holding pen, Shadow quickly entered and immediately grabbed at Lakota's wound, Lakota guarded herself with tucked tail. Shadow then drove Lakota out of holding pen and chased her to the den. No other wolves investigated the wound, nor followed Shadow in the chase to the den. Dr. Chip Hanson, the Wolf Center Veterinarian, was contacted and Lakota's condition and treatment were discussed. There was also a discussion concerning the possible cause of this bite wound. It appears that Shadow is becoming far more intense in his climb for rank order and he has become more aggressive in mobbing Lakota as the omega of the pack. This is natural wolf behavior that ensures their survival in the wild, but make wolves in captivity a challenge."
As winter approaches, staff need to begin acclimating the wolves to winter clothing. The pups have been especially interested in the rag wool fingerless gloves worn by some of the staff. The acclimation process will be ongoing until the pups begin to associate the gloves as part of the handlers "hide". This process may take a few weeks. The wolf curator has begun more detailed physical exams on the pups to get them conditioned to paw inspection for winter ice buildup, hide and undercoat inspection for any signs of bite wounds and mouth/teeth inspection for evaluation of general physical condition. Both pups are developing well, but during the 10/30 wolf check, Malik was observed to be favoring his rear left leg. He showed no sign of tenderness with intense manipulation of the leg, but he avoided full weight on the leg. Given the high energy level and spirited play bouts between the pups, the limping was considered to be minor, possibly a pulled muscle or bruise, but it was noted in the log to be monitor by staff. After the second day with no improvement, the wolf curator phoned Ely Veterinarian Chip Hanson for a site visit and consultation. A preliminary exam showed no definite diagnosis, but the possibility of an injury to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) based on the way he was walking and standing. Dr. Hanson prescribed a five day dose of anti-inflammatory drug and Malik was to be observed for changes in his condition. The staff is currently monitoring his condition and will report back to Dr. Hanson by November 6th at which time, he will re-examine to attempt to confirm a diagnosis.
Lakota's wounds have all healed and she appears to be relaxed and approaching the handlers more often. Janice Templeton, the former wolf curator spent some time with the wolves over the Christmas break. All wolves were very receptive to her visit and they all received a significant amount of her attention. Overall, the pack has been really calm since the Christmas day incident.
August 28 – September 3: Staff continues to feed the puppies twice daily in the holding pen with meat consumption increasing to an average of 2.5 lbs per feeding with both pups eating equally. Handlers taught the pups to climb on the greeting rock this week. Shadow seemed more eager to get up on the rock, but exits off the rock need some work; Malik is not as coordinated and needs more assistance. The Pups continually interact with adults and Shadow is showing more interest in spending time with the wolves and less time with humans. Shadow tends to respond best to Mackenzie and Malik seems to interact with Lucas. Lakota's interactions with the pups tends to be end up in aggression toward the pups, which results in Lakota getting dominated by Mackenzie and Lucas. There seems to be a fine line of what's acceptable aggression toward the pups and Mackenzie seems to define that line.
Grizzer has taken to the idea of being brushed to remove his dense undercoat. He's even pushed other wolves out of the way to get his turn. The warmer weather has calmed everyone and staff find a different environment in spring than in winter. Grizzer continues to harass the vegetation in the enclosure. The program participants enrolled in the Pups at One Year program will likely be assisting with tree planting and other stimulus projects to keep Grizzer occupied.
In the last log, we reported that MacKenzie was showing subtle signs of illness. On Friday, we drew a blood sample on her and found a problem with her kidney function. We put her on a special diet and are monitoring her closely. She's still active and has regained her corner staw bed back from Lakota. We will take another blood sample this week to see how she's progressing. This week's photo was taken on Saturday night, as you can see, she's very alert and we still see good activity. Contrary to when Lakota was sick, MacKenzie has a good appetite.
Sorry for the delay in posting logs, staff have been doing spring cleanup in the Exhibit pack including cleaning the deer hair from the pond drain. Lakota has had a good week, especially now that the weather is cooler. Last weekend (4/15) temperatures neared 80 degrees and the dense winter coat of the wolves made them very uncomfortable. Wolves have evolved to have the long permanent guard hairs the determines the color of their pelage and the dense thick undercoat that they shed in the spring. They do not have sweat glands like humans, so their mechanism for cooling themselves is to remain inactive and to pant, attempting to evaporate heat off their tongue.
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