Andrea Lorek Strauss and Jen Westlund went in with Mackenzie and Lucas. It started to lightening and needed to cut the visit short, since a chain link fenced area is not a safe place to be. Mackenzie and Lucas both got ointment and were brushed. Mackenzie snarled a little at Andrea when bug ointment was applied, but later was more relaxed. Mackenzie again holding eye fully closed. Will contact Vet to determine additional treatment.

Evening Feeding Program – Lucas, Malik and Shadow on carcass. Lucas showing a preference to Malik allowing Malik to feed, but barring his teeth at Shadow when Shadow is on or near the carcass.

Assistant Director, Gretchen Diessner, delivered CVC's and monthly heartworm treatment, Ivermectin to the wolves. Good use of auxiliary holding pens, all wolves well. Mackenzie was chemically immobilized to draw blood and test for a thyroid condition and exam her right eye. In the last few weeks, there has been an increasing amount of lipid deposits at the center of her cornea. Mackenzie will receive eye drops daily to alleviate any irritation or pain. Annual vaccinations to all wolves, except Lucas, who was reluctant when approached with a syringe. Rather than force him, the staff will wait and administer at another time.

Nancy Jo Tubbs vaccinated Lucas today, no problems with injection. Malik had a negative experience in the holding pen near the garage construction project. Staff need to be very careful when isolating the wolves around the garage, the holding pens are needed for daily maintenance and medical care, so the wolves need to have a positive experience in the holding pens.

Lucas is growling and showing dominant body postures and high tail positions towards Shadow, but is still jumping away from Shadow. Lakota gets a meat slurry broth due to colder temperatures to encourage her to drink. Feeding program – Malik, Shadow and Lucas on deer initially, Lucas growled and teeth barred when Shadow fed near him. Shadow barred his teeth slightly and Lucas left the carcass without further interaction.

Upon release, from the pack holding area today, Lucas and Mackenzie aggressive dominance toward Shadow. Shadow growling back in response and snarling, puts a paw on Lucas' back. Lucas aggressive dominance in response, Shadow pulled paw off and walked away." Lucas appears more confident in his ability to respond to Shadow, but seems to be slowing down. His energy level is decreasing.

When in the main pack, Lucas and Mackenzie aggressively dominate Shadow when he receives any attention. So, the Wolf Curator, Lori Schmidt, spent time with Malik and Shadow in the small holding area to give them some additional attention. Good interaction with both although Shadow is much more interested in interacting with the Curator than Malik who seems more timid and has some avoidance behavior when interacting.

As the weather warms, the wolves have been spending more of their time sleeping during the day. They have not begun to shed their winter coats and even daytime temperatures of 50 degrees make for uncomfortable conditions. Since wolves have a fur coat instead of sweat glands across their body, they avoid overheating by remaining inactive or by panting to evaporate heat off their tongue. Today, all wolves are sleeping when staff enters the enclosure. Lucas got up and was observed limping on his front left leg, but that diminished during the staff visit, another sign of being 9 years old (Mackenzie, Lucas and Lakota turned 9 on April 24th). All wolves were calm with good interactions.

Meds to all; arctics bouncy and good greeters to staff today. Lucas was dominating MacKenzie with high tail and riding up on her twice and shadowing (following her extremely close) for approximately 2 minutes. MacKenzie submissively rolled over for Lucas. All retired wolves submissively rolled over for greetings from handlers. Tension between MacKenzie and Lucas subsided as the wolf check went on. Curator's note: Even though the Center's wolves are spayed and neutered, there's still chemical cycling during the breeding season that results in pair bonding behavior (between MacKenzie and Lucas) as well as assertion of dominance (Lucas over MacKenzie and MacKenzie over Lakota). This is the time of the year that staff increases their awareness of wolves' daily interactions.

Wolf care staff always comment on the calm personality Lucas demonstrates. Maybe, it's been the nearly 12 years of living with his sisters that has taught Lucas that it's better to give in than cause a fuss. He continues to be the easiest wolf to administer any type of treatment. There is certainly a contrast between the retired wolves and the Exhibit pack