Lucas is doing well; During Lakota's illness, he has been observed trying to play bow to her, but he is very tolerant of her condition and has shown no signs of being aggressive with her. A recent snowfall has led to more interaction between MacKenzie and Lucas. Their activity level has increased dramatically in the last few days. This may be in part due to the unusual number of wolf care and vet visits to Lakota in recent days, causing more stimulus.
The most significant item in the wolf logs this past week is Malik's dominance over Grizzer. When the pups were introduced, the theory is that pups are given a lot of latitude in their behavior because of their pup appearance and the increased level of prolactin hormone produced by the adults. As winter settles in and the pups size increases, the adults are starting to show the pups their place in the rank order. This week's photo shows Grizzer in the middle of a dominance dispute between Shadow and Malik, but he's no longer immune to the rank order behavior of the adults. Grizzer still shows his puppy mentality. On the 4th of December, Grizzer was chewing on tree bark near the den, throwing it up in the air as if he'd made a kill. Later, he and his pup mates watched a visitor through the window and played a game of chase (through the glass) with the visitor's scarf.
Lakota has been showing her tenacity in the retired enclosure. After a new delivery of pine bedding, she proceeded to mark MacKenzie's bed. MacKenzie hasn't slept in it since. MacKenzie's decided to sleep on the Cedar chips in front of the webcam instead.
Lakota is feeling better today after blood work confirmed an infection from a dog tick called Ehrlichia. She is responding to the antibiotics and is up and active again. Her appetite is still not 100%, but she eats the daily meatballs dosed with antibiotics and will take several cups of meat a day in a warm broth. Thank you to all who inquired about her status during the last week, we appreciate your concern. Lakota received great care from the Ely Vet Clinic, and with that great care comes a cost. 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.
During Lakota's illness, MacKenzie was not as social in interacting with Lakota, but she did refrain from her usual dominance over Lakota. There were only 2 or 3 observations were MacKenzie showed any dominance over Lakota and all occurred after Lakota was given an IM shot and she responded by running away from the staff. MacKenzie's eye condition seems to be greatly improved since the treatment in October, with no noticeable issues since the exam.
Lakota is doing very well and responding to the antibiotic treatment. Due to the nature of this tick infection, she will have an extended dose of antibiotics. She readily ate her bowl of meat gruel every day last week, and was actively feeding and defending a carcass on Friday. Lakota received great care from the Ely Vet Clinic, and with that great care comes a cost. 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.
MacKenzie is doing well. All the wolves received a visit from former Wolf Curator Janice Templeton today. They were all very happy to see her. MacKenzie still rules the enclousure. In this week's photo, you see MacKenzie using direct eye contact to remind Lakota, that she may be feeling better, but she should remember her rank.
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 seems to have her favorite spot in the far corner of the enclosure. Staff make sure she has plenty of straw to make her comfortable. She's still interactive with the other retired wolves, but staff have noticed her keeping to herself, more than usual. She does like to check out what the other wolves are doing, the photo for today shows her checking out the holes Lakota makes.
Malik's knee seems to be completely healed. A veterinary exam on November 11th revealed a strong knee with no clicking sounds associated with ACL or other knee conditions. His x-rays looked great. His weight was recorded as 85 lbs, just 1 lb heavier than Grizzer. Malik also had his ears cleaned and found to have ear mites as well. Due to close proximity of contact, the entire pack is being treated for ear mites.
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.