Typical to Northern Minnesota, the weather has once again turned to snow, wind and cold. Now I see why wolves don't shed their full undercoat until June. It's hard to believe that a few short weeks ago it was 80 degrees and the wolves were panting. I cleaned the pond and filled it, and Grizzer seemed to be the most help. He continues to entertain himself with pine needles pushed into the lower pond by the waterfall.
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Lucas is doing well. He turned 12 on the 28th of April, and actually got to eat before Lakota since we fed Beaver (each wolf had a beaver). Lakota decided to snooze on her Beaver before eating it, Lucas decided to take advantage of the fact that he didn't have to share, and had a good meal. Today, Lucas was observed chasing Ravens for most of the day.
PART ONE Written by Pups at One Year program participant: Pam Dolajeck My memory of Nyssa was this tiny, fragile-like wolf who seemed to win everyone over with her gentleness. As a pup, you just wanted to hold her and protect her. As she got older, you marveled at how regal she was, ever the princess. We will miss you. Your spirit will be forever free. Written by Pups at One Year program participant: Lori Rhodes My memory of Nyssa was her stunning black coat and intense eyes. It was as if she could look right through. I remember her as Shadow's shadow. You are forever in our hearts. Written by Pups at One Year program participant: Carol Mucha As a nanny, I must admit that my favorite pup was delicate but feisty Nyssa. I always enjoyed seeing her wake up from a nap and charge across the indoor enclosure to wake up her packmates. I miss her, but I am comforted in knowing she is at rest in a beautiful spot for our "Little Princess". Written by Pups at One Year program participant: Patty & Kate Kierski We will always remember her as a little black ball of fur constantly teasing and playing with her littermates. Written by Pups at One Year program participant: Johanna Goering May you be joyfully running with Kiana now in Heaven! Peace & love~Johanna
Written by Paul and Chris Batiste This weekend program presentated a great opportunity to visit an old friend. A few more gray hairs but her regal alpha status remains to this day.
Maya spent most of the day laying down underneath the bushes. She did came out when Malik was chewing on a cricket but went back to the shade when she received nothing from him. Summer is here, and this normal behavior prevents them from being overheated.
Shadow seems to be more successful in dominance sessions and Malik seems to be on the receiving end more often. Data from the new logs shows a 4 to 1 chance that Shadow will be on top in a dominance display. This will continue to be monitored throughout the winter. Although Lakota still gets mobbed by Mackenzie and Lucas, it appears that Malik is also on the receiving end of more chase scenes this week than last week. These interactions may even require Lakota or Malik to take refuge in the den to attempt to jaw spar with the pack. The chase scenes usually last less than 5 minutes before the pack is off chasing a squirrel or finding a deer hide to play with, but the addition of the pups was bound to change the dynamics of the Center's pack of three. It's always important to remember that wolf behavior is motivated by instincts that were selected for life in the wild. One of the most important behaviors to wolf pack dynamics is the social dominance hierarchy. These behaviors are alive and well in captivity and should be recognized by those who monitor their behavior. Jen Westlund and Kim Klosterman weighed the pups while they were in the holding area for the pups feeding on October 6th. The pups weighed 62 lbs. and were a handful to weigh. Weight data may continue, but it may be dependent upon the tenacity of the wolf care staff.
Dave Mech and Nancy Gibson were in Ely on Thursday October 5th, for a presentation to the US Forest Service. While in town, they spent time with the pack and fed the pups as scheduled for the Thursday night feeding. They had a great visit not only with the pups, but Dave Mech had great contact with Mackenzie, who can sometimes be rather reserved. This may be related to the status of her position as Alpha female which seems to have elevated since the pups introduction. Mackenzie has a significantly higher tail position in almost all behavioral interactions and her dominance over Lakota has increased as well. It will be interesting to monitor this heightened status as winter approaches. Even though these wolves are spayed and neutered, there are still heightened levels of aggression during the timing of the breeding season. This season could be interesting.
The Wildlife Science Center graciously donated some excess roadkill deer to the Center on Saturday October 7th. Vermilion Community College volunteers Damon Haan and Craig Merriman drove to the cities and picked up the deer. On Sunday October 8th, Vermilion Student, Jason Ziburski assisted the Wolf Curator with gutting the carcasses and storing the remains in the 2 chest freezers at the Center. They put 9 of the 14 deer in the freezer, one deer was fed to the pack even though there was a Saturday night "What's for Dinner" program, two deer were hung from a two-by four in the shaded area on the North side of the building for the 10/11 and 10/16 feeding. The two remaining deer were taken to a remote location east of Ely for local wildlife to scavenge.
With the arrival of the deer and the extra feeding, the pack was rather full for the week, but since Fall is in full gear, I think the extra calories will be used. There certainly seems to be adequate play behavior between the pups that can account for some caloric loss. Even with the three deer torso (legs of deer are removed and saved for smaller feedings) week on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday, the pups still voraciously consumed the 5 lbs. of meat fed on Monday, Thursday and Friday nights.
The concern over the omega position is on everyone's mind. Will Lakota fill that role based on Mackenzie's protection of the pups or will Malik become omega based on Shadow's tendency to end up the victor of dominance interactions? Only time and further observations will be able to answer that question. This week, Lakota was observed in extremely high tail during a Malik mobbing. The times when Lakota was the center of the pack's attention, she seemed to be the instigator of the attention by displaying a play bow in front of Mackenzie and Lucas, then making a dash for the protection of the den opening.
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