Lucas seems more active today. He and Lakota both took turns chasing and biting Mackenzie in a recent play bout. Mackenzie continues to follow Shadow around the enclosure, enforcing her dominance. Mackenzie's right eye is bloodshot and appears irritated. Lucas appears to have a similar condition and is squinting allot. There were no signs of injury, but staff will monitor this for the next several days."
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
The pack holding area vestibule is being replaced to make it more secure for adult wolf transfer. Construction began today, with the wolves intently watching the contractor. A special thanks to Pat and Rene' Woodworth for funding this vestibule project. It is critical that the wolf care program has facilities to isolate individual wolves for medical care or behavioral reasons. This vestibule will replace a 5 foot fence of thin gauge chain link with an 8 foot heavy gauge chain link that also has a 2 foot 45 degree overhang at the top of the fence. This is much more secure for adult wolves who can climb or jump a 5 foot fence with ease.
The new Assistant Director of Center operations in Ely, Gretchen Diessler, met the wolves through the fence. All wolves intensively greeted through the fence except Lucas. All wolves were brushed and ointment applied. Very good interactions with staff. Dave Mech and Nancy Gibson visited wolves today. Yearlings very excited to see them and they always enjoy the treats Nancy brings.
Started Lucas on a multi-vitamin supplement, but will wait until medical exams and complete blood work to determine pigmentation loss on his nose. He received alot of attention from the staff and he continues to be irritated with the pups if they disrupt his time with staff. Mackenzie showed aggression towards Shadow, but Shadow is unwilling to readily submit. When the alpha's approach, Malik readily rolls over without dispute, but Shadow usually stands off and tries to return some aggression. Mackenzie appears to be more less aggressive if Shadow shows submissive body posture, but since that doesn't appear to happen often, we expect daily interactions between the Alpha female and Shadow. Shadow and Malik were placed in the small holding pen to prepare them for the medical exams, but they became very agitated at being held from the main pack. Dave Mech was on site today. All were happy to see him,especially the pups.
Prior to feeding, Malik was food begging from Lucas, maybe 25 times in over 30 minutes. Lucas barred teeth and growled, biting Malik's muzzle. Lucas spent allot of time on the large greeting rock to get away from Malik. The pups and Mackenzie claimed the carcass when it was wheeled in, but Mackenzie walked away after 2 minutes. She is somewhat intimidated by the crowd at the observation window.
Lucas guarding a cache, his eyes appear clear after earlier concern about a slight weeping problem. Mackenzie continues to have a bloodshot right eye, ointment is being applied as needed. Mackenzie's left ear has a bite wound on the tip, where her ear has been split (less than 1/4 inch). She is shadowing Shadow intently, possibly the cause of her bite wound. Mackenzie seems agitated and is whining frequently.
Two overall observations were made in the last month. Mackenzie and Lucas have been noticeably more aggressive to the pups, but the pups responses have been slightly different. Malik flattens his ears, lowers his tail and instantly drops to the ground in submission. Shadow is more defiant, even to the point of growling back to Mackenzie. This causes intense reactions from both Mackenzie and Lucas, with Shadow being aggressively forced to submit.
Mackenzie's eye seems better, Lucas is still sensitive to light and appears to be listless. Their progress will continue to be monitored. Jen Westlund and Lori Schmidt were at the Wildlife Science Center for the past 3 days taking a class taught by Dr. Mark Johnson, from Wildlife Veterinary Resources. The course was entitled, Wolf Handling for Researchers and Managers. It was an excellent course and will be extremely valuable for the April 23rd medical exam scheduled for the Center's wolves.
Of all the wolves in retirement, Lucas looks like he is slowing down the most. He's noticeably slower to rise after sleeping and lets out a groan everytime he lays down. He does favor a den box to the open ground that his sister's frequent, but lately the draw of the warm sun has brought him more in camera view. Another Lucas trait is the changes to his pelage. Every week, he appears lighter and lighter in coloration, especially in his face. He is still a gentle animal, and prefers to avoid the overexhuberant behavior that his siblings (usually Lakota) portrays. He does fend well on a carcass and overall looks good.
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