This will be the new format for wolf logs. Each individual wolf will have a status report on a weekly basis. Please be patient with us while we transition to these logs. The puppies take a lot of our time. Lucas is doing well in retirement. We did start him on a Cosequin supplement after staff and Veterinarian Dr. Chip Hansen noticed a slight sway to his walk and some stiffening of the hips when he lies down. MacKenzie is also on Cosequin and this is delivered through the fence in a meatball.
Lakota continues to show interest in the puppies, but as she acts more dominant, the other Lucas and MacKenzie remind her of her status in their retirement enclosure. In this photo, Lucas is doing a standover, an active dominance posture showing Lakota that she is still lower ranking. From the look on Lakota's face and the submissive ear posture, she accepts this position.
Lucas hasn't shown much interest in the pups, but he is very interested in the actions of the Arctics. As he ages, his activity level is slowing down. He still maintains his dominant status, but with more passive activity rather than aggressive. In this photo, he is doing a standover Lakota. Lucas exhibits this behavior frequently. Lucas's stiffness and limping we observed earlier seems to have subsided with the month long dosage of Cosequin. We will continue to keep him on a maintenance dose along with MacKenzie.
Lakota decides to share a den box with Lucas while their enclosure was being cleaned by staff member Damon Haan.She and Lucas have always had a great relationship as siblings, I guess they still do.
Shadow is very interested in the puppies. When he first met the pups through the fence, he regurgitated for them and both he and Malik bring bones, feathers and other treats to the pup pen. When the pups are a bit noisy in their dominance display, Shadow is the first to the edge of the puppy pen to whine at the puppies. On Tuesday morning, he started a howling bout with Maya and Nyssa immediately running to the fence. Since the pups arrived, Staff have noticed Shadow's status increasing. Often showing high tail posture and raised leg urination. It will be interesting to see the pack dynamics when the pups are introduced.
The day was a cool cloudy day. All of the retired wolves took a nap in the new straw. MacKenzie seems to avoid the direct sun but on overcast days like today, she will lay out in the open
People often wonder how to tell Malik and Shadow apart. On this photo, you can clearly see the raised hair or cowlick on the middle of his nose.
The introduction has shown initial signs of success. Shadow showed the most dominance toward the pups, mainly due to the nearly constant food begging behavior of the pups. Both Shadow and Malik regurgitated large quantities of food for the pups. Shadow's dominant growls and bites were controlled, with enough force to get the point across, but soft enough for the smaller puppy heads. Grizzer was the first to swim in the pond and explore without intimidation.
Shadow is really showing strong signs of acceptance towards these pups and dominance toward Malik. He was observed rolling over in the front of the exhibit with all 3 puppies climbing on him. Malik is more likely to attempt to steal food or try to playbow with the pups, but not take an active role in disciplining them. This audio clip demonstrates Shadow when he becomes very frustrated with the pups lack of cooperation to his directions.
Grizzer did a ride-up on Shadow, and initiated play behavior. He seems to be the most comfortable with the arctics. Today during wolf care, Grizzer climbed to the top of the Raven platform in his efforts to explore the Exhibit. The rain continued today so enclosure photos are limited. Everything is going well so far.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.