Lakota is back to her old, playful self. With two doses of antibiotic a day, she seems to be more active and has resumed being the joker of the retired pack. She has been observed spending her time either gnawing on a tasty bone or frozen beef block or playing a game of chase with Lucas around the pen. If anyone is interested in donating to Lakota's vet care bill, please feel free to submit a check to the International Wolf Center 1396 Hwy 169, Ely, MN 55731. Put "Lakota's Vet Bill" on the envelope address as well as on the memo line of the check. Thanks, the retired wolves appreciate your help…So does the Curator.
Of all the wolves in the exhibit pack, Nyssa seems to be enjoying the snow the most. She has been observed in the last week rolling on her back in snow piles, jumping up, play bowing to whichever wolf seems to be nearest and running at breakneck speed toward the den. Her enjoyment of snow usually causes her to have interesting white patterns on her fur, much to the amusement of the Wolf Center visitors.
Grizzer has been spending a fair amount of time watching the Center staff work within the building. He is very curious and wants to be included in all activities. He's a bit left out of activities in the enclosure. The females have their rank order issues to work out and often leave Grizzer standing on his own. He trys to get involved with the arctics when they have a rank order dispute, but he learns quickly that it's best to leave the big boys to their issues. So, Grizzer's next level of entertainment is the humans…. What are they doing and how can I bug them.
Lucas is doing well. Every day, vitamins and cosequin are given in a meatball to keep him healthy. Lately, he's been eating all the meat and leaving a clean vitamin on the ground. Wolf Care Staff need to be extra vigilant to make sure he eats his vitamins. There is truth to the saying, the older you get the wiser you get… Lucas is proof of that.
Maya and Nyssa continue to increase their dominance intensity. They seem equally divided as far as who's on top, but Maya seems to be more focused than Nyssa. Some say that the direct eye contact of Maya is a reminder of the intense eye stare of a former wolf on site, Kiana. These dominance displays start quickly and often end just as quick. During a 1-hour wolf check today, Maya was on Nyssa 3 times, Nyssa was on Maya 4 times. With each time, Grizzer just tried to push his way in, but the females tended to ignore him. Shadow observed, but rarely got involved.
I hope you all had a great holiday season. The wolves weathered the holiday well considering the December 26th – 9 am wolf check was -34 degrees below zero. On New Year's day, nearly 10 inches of snow fell creating a great diversion for the wolves (the pups love fresh snow) and many hours of work for the curator. Enjoy the winter photos…
MacKenzie's favorite time of the day is when wolf care staff refresh her straw bed in the corner of the enclosure. She can curl up in a ball and keep an eye on not only the retired enclosure, but the Exhibit pack as well. Lately, staff have noticed more anxious behavior towards the exhibit pack. This might be due to the increased hormone levels or the increased activity in the Exhibit pack. Staff will watch these interactions to ensure that Mac doesn't get too excited. One thing about being up and monitoring the Exhibit pack, Mac gets lots of exercise and looks great.
Malik is an interesting wolf, he usually plays the 2nd male role to Shadow, but when Shadow's vulnerable or in a playful mood, Malik will step up and try to gain some status. Last week, Shadow was very timid and bark howled at a Behind the Scenes group. His tucked tail led Malik to do some grab biting and ride-up behavior. Shadow held his own, but it was a clear opportunity for Malik to take advantage of Shadow. It's true what they say, Wolves are Opportunists…
Grizzer is enjoying the cold, snowy weather, but as the others are sorting out issues he often finds himself a wolf without a fight. This week he was observed trying to take a deer leg from Shadow. Shadow finally decided to remind Grizzer who is the boss, and he physically made Grizzer go to the ground and submit. Of course, Grizzer popped back up and ran off, unphazed.
There are no significant behavioral issues to report this week. All wolves seem to be enjoying the fresh snow which seems to fall daily. The only issue is the depth of snow and the height of fences (especially the retired enclosure). The wolf care staff are continually shoveling the winter waterers, paths and gates to ensure that day to day operations can continue. This week's log photos are reminder's of the days, months and years of care that's been delivered at the IWC. When winter arrives (as it has this year), the work can sometime seem overwhelming. Staff often talk about the good old pup days (we forget how much work pups are when the snow flies) Enjoy the pup pictures…
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.