Wolves very excited prior to feeding (deer in wheelbarrow at gate waiting to be wheeled into enclosure). Mackenzie guarded gate with full body contact, growls and charges to other wolves including the pups. Malik zipped in and bit Mackenzie in the rear once, but Mackenzie retaliated. Pups jumping high against the fence with Lakota getting chased by the pups, but it was clear that Mackenzie was in charge. Lucas was involved, but not very aggressively. The feeding consisted of a 3 Beaver and 3 deer legs, so Mackenzie grabbed one and ran off with it, so we didn't see the carcass defense that we anticipated since the wolves didn't share a carcass, but we predict that the next time a whole deer is fed, that Mackenzie will dominate rather than the pups, as we have seen to this point.
Staff noticed some changes in dynamics last week between MacKenzie and Lakota. The changes were subtle; MacKenzie had a slight bite wound on her nose, not uncommon between animals that communicate with their mouths, but worth noting in the logs. Most interesting was the sleeping arrangements of the wolves. Sometimes sleeping arrangements can tell who's on the outs in the group dynamics. MacKenzie has had her favorite sleeping area since she entered the Retirement enclosure. She prefers the back corner, where she has a great view of the Exhibit pack as well as the pathway for any wildlife outside of the enclosure. Staff always make sure it has ample straw, is cleaned and prepared for her to be most comfortable. Last week during a wolf check, Lakota was laying in that bed and MacKenzie was looking a bit submissive in the center of the enclosure. There was no other sign of dominance between the females, but this subtle change in behavior was worth noting. Staff also thought MacKenzie was looking a bit thinner than usual. Curator Lori Schmidt, gave MacKenzie a special diet to watch her feeding response and scat analysis was completed. On Friday, MacKenzie was given a large deer leg with about 15 lbs of meat, which she readily ate. Her activity level is back up. She may have just had a few off days that were enough for Lakota to try to climb rank. Even at 12, the social order is important. Staff will continue to monitor the behavior of this pack and MacKenzie's attitude and activity.
Wolf Care recently received an extremely generous donation from Rene and Pat Woodworth. Rene was a Pup Nanny this summer and Pat Woodworth is on the Center's Board of Directors. The donation is designated for enclosure improvements to replace a temporary vestibule outside of the pup enclosure with a permanent fence complete with a 2 foot overhang. This enclosure improvement will greatly improve security when moving wolves between enclosures. The entire Wolf Care staff thanks the Woodworth's for this generous donation and we hope to start construction before the ground freezes.
August 28 – September 3: Staff continues to feed the puppies twice daily in the holding pen with meat consumption increasing to an average of 2.5 lbs per feeding with both pups eating equally. Handlers taught the pups to climb on the greeting rock this week. Shadow seemed more eager to get up on the rock, but exits off the rock need some work; Malik is not as coordinated and needs more assistance. The Pups continually interact with adults and Shadow is showing more interest in spending time with the wolves and less time with humans. Shadow tends to respond best to Mackenzie and Malik seems to interact with Lucas. Lakota's interactions with the pups tends to be end up in aggression toward the pups, which results in Lakota getting dominated by Mackenzie and Lucas. There seems to be a fine line of what's acceptable aggression toward the pups and Mackenzie seems to define that line.
In the last log, we reported that MacKenzie was showing subtle signs of illness. On Friday, we drew a blood sample on her and found a problem with her kidney function. We put her on a special diet and are monitoring her closely. She's still active and has regained her corner staw bed back from Lakota. We will take another blood sample this week to see how she's progressing. This week's photo was taken on Saturday night, as you can see, she's very alert and we still see good activity. Contrary to when Lakota was sick, MacKenzie has a good appetite.
Written by Paul and Chris Batiste This weekend program presentated a great opportunity to visit an old friend. A few more gray hairs but her regal alpha status remains to this day.
Dave Mech and Nancy Gibson were in Ely on Thursday October 5th, for a presentation to the US Forest Service. While in town, they spent time with the pack and fed the pups as scheduled for the Thursday night feeding. They had a great visit not only with the pups, but Dave Mech had great contact with Mackenzie, who can sometimes be rather reserved. This may be related to the status of her position as Alpha female which seems to have elevated since the pups introduction. Mackenzie has a significantly higher tail position in almost all behavioral interactions and her dominance over Lakota has increased as well. It will be interesting to monitor this heightened status as winter approaches. Even though these wolves are spayed and neutered, there are still heightened levels of aggression during the timing of the breeding season. This season could be interesting.
This has been a very uneventful week for the wolf care staff, Fall weather has been incredibly warm. The only indication that winter is approaching is the calendar that hangs in the wolf lab. For the first time since the pup introduction, Mackenzie has shared a deer torso with the pups on the 10/14/00 pack feeding. There appeared to be limited aggression from the pups to Mackenzie, in contrast, Shadow was observed driving Lucas away several times on the 10/18/00 when a Beaver was brought into the pen.
MacKenzie is doing very well, she seems to be less tense than in previous weeks. The wolf logs still comment on how alert she is to the actions outside of her enclosure. If there's a chase going on in the Exhibit Pack, she is right there to watch it. If a lab door opens up, she shows the same behavior.
Good interactions with all wolves, Mackenzie continues aggressive dominance to Shadow. Lori Schmidt brushed all wolves, Sherry Jokinen photographed. All very relaxed."
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