Wolves very excited prior to feeding (deer in wheelbarrow at gate waiting to be wheeled into enclosure). Mackenzie guarded gate with full body contact, growls and charges to other wolves including the pups. Malik zipped in and bit Mackenzie in the rear once, but Mackenzie retaliated. Pups jumping high against the fence with Lakota getting chased by the pups, but it was clear that Mackenzie was in charge. Lucas was involved, but not very aggressively. The feeding consisted of a 3 Beaver and 3 deer legs, so Mackenzie grabbed one and ran off with it, so we didn't see the carcass defense that we anticipated since the wolves didn't share a carcass, but we predict that the next time a whole deer is fed, that Mackenzie will dominate rather than the pups, as we have seen to this point.
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As the spring approaches, the pen is getting muddy and wet. The snow melt has filled the pond, but the frozen ground doesn't allow for drainage. So for the time being, the wolves have a half-filled pond that freezes at night and thaws during the day. Grizzer likes the mornings when he can walk on the ice and pounce on it, watching the ice move under the force of his full weight. He's not big on getting his feet wet, so he's usually a morning pond visitor. When the ground thaws and the snowmelt drains, the pond will be washed, filters and pumps installed and the waterfall from the upper pond will return. Grizzer was always a big fan of the waterfall, even sliding down the falls when he was first introduced into the pack.
Of all the wolves in retirement, Lucas looks like he is slowing down the most. He's noticeably slower to rise after sleeping and lets out a groan everytime he lays down. He does favor a den box to the open ground that his sister's frequent, but lately the draw of the warm sun has brought him more in camera view. Another Lucas trait is the changes to his pelage. Every week, he appears lighter and lighter in coloration, especially in his face. He is still a gentle animal, and prefers to avoid the overexhuberant behavior that his siblings (usually Lakota) portrays. He does fend well on a carcass and overall looks good.
Malik has shown that he's not convinced that Shadow should be running the pack. These brothers continue to posture with each other, showing high tails, growling and pushing each other around. There may be a possiblity that there's a truce to their dominance order. In the wild, where the struggle for survival is so much greater than captivity and the dominant pack members are usually the breeding pair, there wouldn't likely be this kind of uncertainty. In captivity, there's plenty of time to work out differences, and Malik is taking his time and shows very little sign of accepting the # 2 role.
Maya is truly the swimmer in the bunch. She doesn't care that the snowmelt water is barly above the freezing point. She willingly jumps in the pond and attempts to capture the debris floating in the pen. If you've ever had a dog and experienced the joys of being near that dog when they come out of water, you can appreciate the wolf care staff's job. As Maya comes out of the pond, she comes over to the wolf care staff and does a full body shake or puts a wet, muddy paw on the staff. Spring is a time of new growth, but it's also a time for mud and surprises coming out of the snow. Maya is good at finding those surprises, old bones, hides, sticks from a tree severed in January, whatever the debris, she finds it and brings it to our attention.
The first snow of the year brought some playfulness to the retired pack. Lakota was playing with the straw that wolf care staff dispersed in the enclosure. She did several play bows at Mackenzie and Lucas, trying to instigate a chase. It didn't take too long for them to run after her. Quite a different behavior from the one they have in summer.
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
Lucas sleeping on carcass, barely moving all day. Lakota licking Shadow's face a lot more than usual. Mackenzie disciplined pups if they came near staff while picking up scat. Mackenzie also charged Shadow if he approached Lori Schmidt, the curator. Lakota accepts attention from staff, but becomes nervous and jumpy after a few seconds. Mackenzie is clearly in charge.
This week's photo shows the most puzzled look from Lucas. Curator, Lori Schmidt was in the enclosure checking on MacKenzie when Lucas came by to investigate. I'm not sure what he saw, but it sure confused him.
Malik is doing well. He and Shadow still have a bit of dominance posturing, but these are calming down with the onset of spring. In this week's photo Malik provides a young man and opportunity to look in the eyes of a wolf.
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