continuation of earlier log: At 8:30 am, Lakota was on the large rock in front of the observation window attempting to sit/lay down. She was a bit off balance, but mobile. Lori Schmidt arrived back on site at around 8:40 am and immediately put the Arctic wolves in the smaller holding pen and then Lakota and Lucas were placed in the pack holding pen with Mackenzie, separate from Shadow and Malik. Lakota was isolated in the enclosed holding pen with a straw bed. She immediately lay down and allowed Lori Schmidt to observe her wounds, but became aggressive to the touch of her neck. There were definite signs of bleeding on her neck, showing one puncture to the left side of her neck. The bite wounds were not as serious as her psychological state; she was extremely shaken by the incident and began showing signs of shock. Dr. Joyce Riveroll was on site as an Assistant Curator for the summer and monitored Lakota's respiration. Her respiration went as low as 12, but increased and steadied to 14 – 16 breaths per minute with stimulation. Her pupils were fixed and dilated. She became aggressive when a body temperature was attempted, so actual body temp was never recorded. She was covered with straw to retain body heat. Dr. Chip Hanson was contacted and immediately came to the center for an examination and discussion of Lakota's situation. Lori Schmidt attempted to give Lakota a subcutaneous antibiotic but found her neck muscles extremely rigid, due to intensive muscle trauma from the bites or possible trauma of internal bleeding. A subcutaneous injection (given toward the mid-back) of 100 mg of Baytril and 90 mg of Ketofen were given as antibiotic and anti-inflammatory. At about 10:40 am, she seemed to have calmed down and was resting comfortably.
Feeding program went well. Lakota was the only one who stayed near the carcass during the feeding. No one was really interested in feeding. The temperature is still extremely warm (over 85 degrees) even at the 7 pm feeding program. Mackenzie went into the holding pen and didn't want to leave, the flies are still very active tonight. Lured Mackenzie out with the wheelbarrow. Her eye continues to look red and irritated. Vitamins to all and Cosequin to Mackenzie.
CVC's to all wolves, replaced Lakota's water. Ivermectin for heartworm treatment. Lori Schmidt pulled Shadow and Malik into the pack holding area and gave them some extra time and grooming. The garage shell is finished and stained, so there should be limited work going on around Lakota's pen.
The plan to reintroduce Lakota back to the pack was implemented. First on the plan, was to place Malik in the holding pen with Lakota to see if there was any aggression. This went well with Lakota initially playbowing to Malik, but then later Malik stood over Lakota forcing her to submit. Lakota then retreated to the straw bed in the holding area. She was very defensive over her food cache and guarded it without trouble. Student enrolled in Vermilion's Wolf Ethology course spent the night monitoring the interaction in the pen.
Phase 2 of the Lakota reintroduction plan included the isolation of Shadow in the pack holding area while Malik and Lakota were released in the main enclosure with Mackenzie and Lucas. Lakota spent time swimming in the pond, running through the wooded enclosure and attempting to stimulate chase behavior from Lucas, and Malik. She was active throughout the day. Shadow was very uneasy in the pack holding area, and several times Lakota came to the fence to have a face to face interaction with Shadow. This seemed to agitate Shadow more, so Curator Lori Schmidt spent time with Shadow to attempt to distract him. Also, on the 6/23, staff, students and wildlife technicians from the USGS helped install a bathtub in the small pack holding area, to give the Lakota, and now Shadow a place to cool off on these hot and humid days. This kept Shadow distracted, also a new straw bed was placed in his holding pen. Shadow was very social with Lori Schmidt and wanted attention. Students who observed Shadow throughout the evening recorded Shadow sleeping on the straw bed all night.
Lakota appears to be doing well with limited dominance from Shadow and Malik. Although there have been bouts of interest in Lakota, they have been primarily after dark when temperatures cool off. Lakota remains active with the pack and shows no sign of retreating from Shadow and Malik." Curator's note: While this reintroduction may have appeared to be initially successful, staff and visitors should be realistic to the chance of similar dominance issues as last winter, as we get closer to the time of the normal breeding season for wolves. As discussed with Dr. Chip Hanson, any sign of aggression resulting in a bite wound to Lakota will be stopped and Lakota will be placed back in the pack holding area. It is the management team's objective to avoid a similar scenario to last winter.
Vermilion Wildlife student Damon Haan spent the day observing the pack. He observed the following interaction. For most of the day, while I've been out by Lakota's pen, I've noticed that Lucas has been watching Shadow like an eagle. Lucas will just stare at Shadow while Shadow seems oblivious to Lucas' stares. Also, most of the time, Lucas slept with Mackenzie while Shadow would sleep a distance away from the others.
Garage project has started adjacent to the wolf enclosure, in response; Lakota became slightly stressed and began compulsively licking her old foot wound. Students from Vermilion Community College, Natural Resource program, volunteered time next to the fence to calm Lakota down. She became much more relaxed later in the day and fell asleep while the construction workers were within feet of her enclosure.
Garage project has started adjacent to the wolf enclosure, in response; Lakota became slightly stressed and began compulsively licking her old foot wound. Students from Vermilion Community College, Natural Resource program, volunteered time next to the fence to calm Lakota down. She became much more relaxed later in the day and fell asleep while the construction workers were within feet of her enclosure.
Lakota is doing well. March temperatures remain cool at night, but the sun during the day feels warm on the old bones. All three wolves have taken to laying in the open area of the enclosure, getting direct sun on their straw beds. In this week's photo, Lakota was trying all attempts to stay awake in the sun, but she finally gave in and settled in for a mid-morning nap.
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.