Emergency call for Lakota, IWC staff observed her being intensively mobbed by yearlings, specifically Shadow. Multiple puncture wounds on inner thigh, right flank and top of her head. Upon examination, curator Lori Schmidt found fluid in Lakota's inner ear, indicating a bite to the cartilage. Lakota was started on a 7 day series of antibiotics, and all wounds were treated topically. Staff is encouraged to document any further interaction and to page the curator immediately. This is normal wolf interaction for yearlings to climb social rank, the challenge is to give Lakota a safe place to defend herself. A new den will be constructed in September that will provide this safe haven. Staff and Lakota are anxiously awaiting this construction.
Lakota came to fence by the office whining when staff did an outside enclosure check. She layed by the gate for 10 minutes with both front legs extended under the gate for the staff to rub her paws. Later, wolf care staff entered the enclosure and found Lakota to be a bit excitable, grabbing Curator Lori Schmidt's pant leg when she tried to exit the enclosure. Staff stayed in a bit longer and spent more time with Lakota, within 30 minutes everyone settled down.
Medical exams began at 10 am and were completed by 2 pm. Everything went extremely well. The main tasks during the exam included: – Complete blood chemistry – Extensive physical examination – Dentition examination – Body weights and measurements – Determination of the pigmentation loss in Lucas's nose, lips and pads – Shadow and Malik were neutered Everything went extremely well, we even had enough time to get hip x-rays on Lucas and Mackenzie, as their hips seem to be more troublesome with age. A detailed analysis of the exam will be presented in the Fall issue of International Wolf Magazine. The weights of the pack are as follows: Alpha Male – Lucas 93.2 lbs Alpha Female – Mackenzie 95.2 lbs Omega Female – Lakota 92.0 lbs Yearling Male – Malik 86.5 lbs Yearling Male – Shadow 87.3 lbs
Lakota has a full winter coat, with not much shedding. Fortunately, it's been cooler, but any temperature over 70 degrees makes her pant excessively. It's no wonder she's excavated a tunnel underground. With a coat that thick, cooler soil must feel good. As staff continue brushing her, it should stimulate her to shed.
It has been hot, and like the other wolves, Lakota has been bothered by the nasty flies. She's spent quite a bit of time in her den box or in the tunnels she dug to escape the little beasts. This morning, however, with the cooler temperatures, she came out to lounge in the pine bedding.
The first snow of the year brought some playfulness to the retired pack. Lakota was playing with the straw that wolf care staff dispersed in the enclosure. She did several play bows at Mackenzie and Lucas, trying to instigate a chase. It didn't take too long for them to run after her. Quite a different behavior from the one they have in summer.
The retired pack turned 12 yesterday. I noted their special day with a feeding of the first beaver for the season. The wolves were excited to have a change from deer and Lakota was observed sleeping with her beaver on the webcam.
Staff have been commenting on how well Lakota looks. When the retired wolves are checked, she's always excited to see the staff and races around the enclosure grabbing a low hanging branches. Staff have noticed some change in dynamics between MacKenzie and Lakota. Late last week, MacKenzie had a small bite wound on her nose likely from a dominance display with one of her siblings. Coincidentally, the same day, Lakota was observed laying in MacKenzie's favorite bed in the corner. MacKenzie didn't seem to challenge the take over of the corner bed, combined with the bite on the nose, we wonder if Lakota didn't gain a bit of status. So far, no other signs of issues between them, but sometimes it's the subtle behaviors that tell the story.
Lakota quicky greets Curator, Lori Schmidt and allows her to physically exam her hind quarters for bite wounds before Mackenzie chases Lakota away from Lori. Malik attempts to greet Jen Westlund at the large rock, but Mackenzie pulls Malik off the rock by his tail. While this is not uncommon to see Mackenzie do this to Lakota, it is the first time that anyone observes this behavior toward the pups.
Lakota is doing very well, she races around the pen like a two year old. Staff often discuss how active she is compared to the other retired wolves. Her favorite activity is grabbing fresly laid straw and spreading it thoughout the enlosure. As the weather gets colder, weekly straw will be added giving her many hours of enjoyment.
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