Written by Tina and Ed Stimpson: Nyssa taught me that every living thing on this earth can make a difference and have an impact no matter how long of a time we have.
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Written by Theresa Williams and Darin Groeneveld: What can you say except she was a wolf with a very special presence about her that will be missed greatly. For those of us who got to spend time with her, we will always hold a piece of her deep in our hearts and miss her in our lives.
Nyssa observed in a stalking and lunging behavior on Tuesday morning may 10th, as she waits to grab Grizzer as he runs by.
Lakota has a full winter coat, with not much shedding. Fortunately, it's been cooler, but any temperature over 70 degrees makes her pant excessively. It's no wonder she's excavated a tunnel underground. With a coat that thick, cooler soil must feel good. As staff continue brushing her, it should stimulate her to shed.
The new Assistant Director of Center operations in Ely, Gretchen Diessler, met the wolves through the fence. All wolves intensively greeted through the fence except Lucas. All wolves were brushed and ointment applied. Very good interactions with staff. Dave Mech and Nancy Gibson visited wolves today. Yearlings very excited to see them and they always enjoy the treats Nancy brings.
Warmer weather has increased sand flies, applied ointment on all wolves. Malik and Shadow were still feeding on remaining carcass. Mackenzie aggressive dominance toward Shadow, Shadow displayed very intense resistance to the dominance. He was observed snapping, lunging and biting at Mackenzie's face, Mackenzie continues to follow Shadow.
Started Lucas on a multi-vitamin supplement, but will wait until medical exams and complete blood work to determine pigmentation loss on his nose. He received alot of attention from the staff and he continues to be irritated with the pups if they disrupt his time with staff. Mackenzie showed aggression towards Shadow, but Shadow is unwilling to readily submit. When the alpha's approach, Malik readily rolls over without dispute, but Shadow usually stands off and tries to return some aggression. Mackenzie appears to be more less aggressive if Shadow shows submissive body posture, but since that doesn't appear to happen often, we expect daily interactions between the Alpha female and Shadow. Shadow and Malik were placed in the small holding pen to prepare them for the medical exams, but they became very agitated at being held from the main pack. Dave Mech was on site today. All were happy to see him,especially the pups.
Medical exams began at 10 am and were completed by 2 pm. Everything went extremely well. The main tasks during the exam included: – Complete blood chemistry – Extensive physical examination – Dentition examination – Body weights and measurements – Determination of the pigmentation loss in Lucas's nose, lips and pads – Shadow and Malik were neutered Everything went extremely well, we even had enough time to get hip x-rays on Lucas and Mackenzie, as their hips seem to be more troublesome with age. A detailed analysis of the exam will be presented in the Fall issue of International Wolf Magazine. The weights of the pack are as follows: Alpha Male – Lucas 93.2 lbs Alpha Female – Mackenzie 95.2 lbs Omega Female – Lakota 92.0 lbs Yearling Male – Malik 86.5 lbs Yearling Male – Shadow 87.3 lbs
Medical exams began at 10 am and were completed by 2 pm. Everything went extremely well. The main tasks during the exam included: – Complete blood chemistry – Extensive physical examination – Dentition examination – Body weights and measurements – Determination of the pigmentation loss in Lucas's nose, lips and pads – Shadow and Malik were neutered Everything went extremely well, we even had enough time to get hip x-rays on Lucas and Mackenzie, as their hips seem to be more troublesome with age. A detailed analysis of the exam will be presented in the Fall issue of International Wolf Magazine. The weights of the pack are as follows: Alpha Male – Lucas 93.2 lbs Alpha Female – Mackenzie 95.2 lbs Omega Female – Lakota 92.0 lbs Yearling Male – Malik 86.5 lbs Yearling Male – Shadow 87.3 lbs
Prior to feeding, Malik was food begging from Lucas, maybe 25 times in over 30 minutes. Lucas barred teeth and growled, biting Malik's muzzle. Lucas spent allot of time on the large greeting rock to get away from Malik. The pups and Mackenzie claimed the carcass when it was wheeled in, but Mackenzie walked away after 2 minutes. She is somewhat intimidated by the crowd at the observation window.
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