Late in the evening (11:30 pm), Lucas brings a deer leg to Malik and Shadow, whining to the pups the whole time he is carrying it. Malik and Shadow approach him, but show no interest in the deer leg. Lakota comes over and carries the deer leg off. Lucas takes the leg back from Lakota and tries to bring it to the pups again. This sequence lasted 5 -6 minutes.
Much more relaxed greeting only minimal aggression observed between Lucas and Shadow. MacKenzie and Lakota received good attention from staff today. Lakota initiated play and MacKenzie joined in for a short bit. Less attention on the main pack between the fences."
When using holding pens to feed vitamins, Shadow was very reluctant to leave and had to be drawn out by the use of meatballs. Lucas had been startled by the gate when going into the holding pen last week and had been reluctant to go through them until today, when he entered willingly several times.
Lucas is doing well. The warmer weather last week seemed to put a spring in his step. He's the most frequent user of the den box, so regardless of the weather, he's always content.
Lucas is the wolf that seems to truly enjoy the comforts of a denbox. He's often seen curled up in the warm bed of straw provided by staff. He still comes out to greet, but as soon as staff are finished in the enclosure, it's back to the boxes for him. The depth of snow in the pen has made for a great wind block and the mid-day sun shining on his face seems to be an added bonus.
Board Member Nancy Gibson and Dave Mech were in town for a Board Meeting today, their log reads "Peed on by all except Lucas" In the wolf world, that means happy to see you again.
When Shadow came out of the holding pen, Lucas extended his hackles and growled and intently stared at Shadow, but did not physically dominate him. Shadow ignored Lucas and carried on with eating meatballs thrown over the fence. Lucas came over and was pushed out of the way by Shadow and backed off."
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…
Lucas is doing well. Every day, vitamins and cosequin are given in a meatball to keep him healthy. Lately, he's been eating all the meat and leaving a clean vitamin on the ground. Wolf Care Staff need to be extra vigilant to make sure he eats his vitamins. There is truth to the saying, the older you get the wiser you get… Lucas is proof of that.
Lucas termed the "old man" by wolf care staff continues to show the greying hide indicative of his age. He enjoys the warmth of the den boxes more than the other wolves, and will often be found curled up in the deep straw beds in the box. Staff has noticed Lucas becoming more social, actually greeting wolf care staff with a lick in the face. This was a rarity when he was younger; but he seems to enjoy the handler contact as he ages.
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.