Lakota has been the center of the yearlings attention again, she is back on antibiotics for a recent bite wound. The yearlings are testing their status with regularity. Mackenzie seems to focus on Shadow when he becomes too intense and actively pursues him to make him submit. Lakota immediately takes advantage of this situation and approaches with high tail looking to get a bite out of Shadow.
Temperatures have been extremely high for Northern Minnesota, often reaching the high 80's (even 90's) and rarely cooling to the 70's at night. The wolves have been attempting to deal with the heat, by panting (evaporating heat and moisture off their tongue), by digging a hole in the dirt to lay on bare ground and by remaining inactive. So, if you visit the Center, your best bet of seeing them active is during the late afternoon, 5 – 7 pm or try one of the evening programs. If you watch the wolves on the web cam, try viewing by 7 am Central time, staff usually sees one if not more wolves on the greeting rock before the sun rises over the building.
Sandflies and mosquitoes were fierce. All wolves ran into den to get away. Often with tail tucked. Lakota submitting readily to Shadow. Shadow and Malik were isolated in holding pen for brushing. Wolves were panting at 7 am due to heat, humidity and increased activity to escape bugs. Malik and Shadow spending allot of time underground in a sandy hillside in the upper enclosure.
Good interactions with all – Brushed all wolves who are in full shed. Applied fly ointment to all and fed vitamins to all. Jen Westlund noticed small spots on Lucas's nose, similar to the earlier problem with Vitaligo. We will photograph the spots and monitor the condition.
Hot weather has been making the wolves retreat to underground holes to keep cool. Interns gave a little bit of meat to each wolf to entice them to come down for programs. Applying fly ointment daily usually keeps the bugs off so the wolves will stay in front of the observation windows, but there isn't anything we can do about the heat.
Den dismantled today due to yearling wolves being extremely destructive during the night (den had become a safety hazard). The den was built in 1991 as a temporary structure for the seasonal wolf center exhibit. It lasted a long time for a temporary structure. Lori Schmidt, Jen Westlund, Andrea Lorek Strauss and Nancy Jo Tubbs spent several hours removing the wooded portion of the structure and a heavy equipment operator will be hired to do the rest." Curator's note: Before removing the den, there was a search of the enclosure to ensure that there were adequate alternatives for the wolves to retreat for behavioral or physical needs, especially Lakota. The staff found several dug dens at the top of the exhibit that are suitable for all wolves to use. In addition, I had a concern that Lakota wouldn't be allowed to access the upper enclosure since she was clearly restricted to the lower pen this winter by all the other pack members. However, since early June, Lakota has had more freedom of movement in the pen, allowing her to use the upper dug dens. This was reassuring, since the new den construction will not occur until September.
Vitamins to all, Fly ointment easily applied to all adults, but the yearlings continue to be problematic. Malik stole fly ointment container from Lori Schmidt (LS). LS put yearlings in holding pen and fed kibble to get ointment container back from Malik. LS applied the ointment to Shadow and Malik while they were in the holding pen, but staff need to work on getting the yearlings to receive brushing and handling. It's not that the yearlings are skittish, they just seem to want to grab everything, brushes, fly ointment, anything in your pockets etc… LS remembers the same thing with Mackenzie, Lucas and Lakota when they were yearlings… It must be a teenage wolf thing.
Shadow chased by Malik, with Mackenzie and Lakota joining in. Later, Shadow observed dominating both Malik and Lakota. Staff began giving daily vitamins to all the wolves. Staff seem to notice a correlation to Lucas' activity level and regular vitamin doses. While there is not physical evidence to support this correlation, the vitamins are easy to deliver and will become a daily routine for the center."
Mackenzie is very aggressive toward Shadow. LS noticed a bite wound, scab on Mackenzie's abdomen and a patch of missing hair on her upper chest. Shadow also had a patch of missing hair on his right shoulder. LS applied antibiotic ointment to both Shadow and Mackenzie's skin irritation. Lucas appears to have full pigmentation regained on his nose. The medical reports indicated a possible auto immune condition causing the pigmentation loss, so this new development is of interest. What triggered him to lose the pigmentation and now gain it back?
Mackenzie and Lucas are showing more classic pair bonding behavior as the alpha pair. Even though they are spayed and neutered, they still show a hormonal response during this time when wolves would normally breed (January-February). They have been observed sleeping close together, pawing each other and running along side one another with high tails, licking each others faces. The yearlings attempt to keep up, but they generally get rolled over on their back by the alphas and are left behind. The one noticeable issue for staff is that the yearlings are playing a lot more since they were placed on Chlomipramine. They seem to be less obsessed with dominating Lakota and more interested in participating in pack activities or play bouts. Shadow is frequently observed throwing bones into the air, only to have Malik take them and run. Lucas was even observed initiating a game of chase with the yearlings.
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.