The retired wolves continue to have a good, mild winter. Lakota had a bit more stimulus today as new handlers were entering the enclosure. She's known for checking people out and attempting to see what loose clothing she can take from the human. She also has a bad habit of sticking her cold nose under a coat or shirt in search for flesh. Even at the age of 13, these wolves still look for opportunities to take advantage of situations.
The weather turned a bit cooler here lately, with overnight temperatures nearing 0 degrees Fahrenheit. This prompted all wolves to increase their appetite. A deer was fed to the Retired Pack on Thursday night, but by the end of the day Friday, there wasn't much left. The same is true for wild wolf kills. The USGS biologist has been reporting kill sites observed from the plane, and sees nearly 100% consumption within a day of the kill. In this week's photo, Lakota is breaking open deer bones to get at the rich bone marrow, high in fat and critical to the wolves diet on a cold day.
Lakota was feeling and looking a bit off late last week, although she took her meds everday and showed no loss of appetite. The curator asked all staff to monitor her closely for any other symptoms. Today during wolf care, she was very active and seemed to be fine, but as with all the retired wolves, staff will be very diligent on checking on their status. With the colder weather predicted for the end ot fhe week, Beaver carcasses are being thawed for all the wolves. Beaver have a higher fat content than deer and will offer a few more calories during the return of normal Northern Minnesota winter weather – 30 below zero.
Lakota is feeling better after her self-prescribed diet of raspberries. She's been observed in more active behavior, assisting MacKenzie with the woodchuck removal process (see MacKenzie's logs). We always know when Lakota is feeling better by her tendency for displaying playbows and her climbing on the denbox. Her and Mac were observed in several dominance bouts as well.
Again, we apologize for the delay in wolf logs, our intent is to post once a week, but wolf care is always the priority over every other job. These past few weeks, the facility and grounds area of wolf care has needed our attention. This season is best known as the ice season, when daytime temperatures create melting, but nighttime temperatures revert back to freezing. Conditions are slippery and hazardous, not only for the staff, but the wolves as well. Thanks to the kind donation of straw from Theresa Williams, the enclosures are getting a fresh layer of straw to increase traction. This is most problematic for the retired wolves, as any slip on the ice can affect older, more brittle bones and joints. The wolves are doing well, and are spending a significant amount of time sleeping in the sun. Lakota seems to have been up to a few other things, as she has a new canine bite on the nose. Staff seem to think the bite was from MacKenzie, but based on our interactions with Lakota, she pushes the limit with both Lucas and MacKenzie.
The only notable issue in the logs the past few weeks, was the bite wound under Lakota's left eye. Staff observe Lakota's exciteable behavior that has her racing around the enclosure, jumping on denboxes and her packmates. Lakota clearly is the only retired wolf that doesn't have joint issues. When this behavior gets a bit to much, MacKenzie and Lucas may put her down. From the scar on her face, someone said enough already, but neither MacKenzie nor Lucas showed aggression toward Lakota during the wolf checks or observation periods. The scar is healing well, but is a reminder of the day to day rank order issues inherent to even a pack of 13 year olds. When we finished wolf care today, Lakota was sleeping in the sun atop a den box, the only wolf that can actually climb on top of a box in the Retired Pack.
Lakota seems to keep the Retired Pack stimulated. During this morning's wolf check, she instigated a chase behavior that even stimulated Lucas to run after her. While the warmer weather has been slowed down the younger wolves, there seems to be an opposite effect on the older wolves. They are all much more active, with very good physical activity.
Lakota has been enjoying the excess deer we have on hand. Thanks to Peg Callahan, director of the Wildlife Science Center, who donated a truck load of deer in October, we have a full freezer. Also thanks to Krisy Raines and Kim Wheeler who drove the truckload of deer to Ely, and willingly unloaded it in the freezer. The ability to feed a natural food supply keeps the wolves stimulated and as you can see by the photos, in good condition. Also, thanks to Pam Dolacheck, who provided a bag of pigs ears for all the wolves on Christmas Day. They enjoyed their treat.
During the medical exam for the arctics, the retired wolves watched intently on the action, with Lakota getting a view from atop the den box. Sorry, no photos, we were focused on the main pack today.
During the last program called the Workin'for Wolves weekend, one of the projects that participants performed was building benches in the retirement wolves' enclosure. A couple of the benches were strategically placed near the den boxes so that the wolves could climb on top of them. So far, Lakota has been the only one to use the benches to get on top of the den boxes. She seems to enjoy the view from above.
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.