MacKenzie is doing well. All the wolves received a visit from former Wolf Curator Janice Templeton today. They were all very happy to see her. MacKenzie still rules the enclousure. In this week's photo, you see MacKenzie using direct eye contact to remind Lakota, that she may be feeling better, but she should remember her rank.
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…
MacKenzie seems to have her favorite spot in the far corner of the enclosure. Staff make sure she has plenty of straw to make her comfortable. She's still interactive with the other retired wolves, but staff have noticed her keeping to herself, more than usual. She does like to check out what the other wolves are doing, the photo for today shows her checking out the holes Lakota makes.
While the rest of her pack is romping around, Mackenzie seems content to just lay in her pile of straw and watch. She spends most of her time sunbathing, stretching out on her back and soaking in the rays. When she does get up and play, however, there can be no doubt as to who is in charge.
MacKenzie is doing well despite the previous cell growth on her right cornea. The October medical exam will include a treatment of this condition to hopefully reduce the tissue or at least stop the advancement of further tissue. MacKenzie continues to be the dominant force in the Retired Pack. The more playful Lakota gets, the more serious MacKenzie is about reminder her of her lower status. MacKenzie enjoys the daily staff visits, and can be found in full submission, letting staff check her body for any lumps, bumps or abnormalities. But, staff need to be conscientous of the other wolves as MacKenzie won't stay down for long if Lakota walks by.
MacKenzie somewhat jumpy/snapping at Assistant Director, Gretchen Diessner (GD). MacKenzie's eye trouble sometimes affects her attitude. GD left the enclosure and Curator Lori Schmidt continued the scheduled wolf check without incident, continued eye drop treatments for MacKenzie.
Mackenzie and Lakota's first day in retirement went well. They were very eager to investigate their pen and settled into comfortable sleeping areas under the balsam trees.
Pack extremely calm today after feeding on Saturday night. A local trapper provided 5 beaver for the pack, a welcome break from the previous ground turkey meals they had earlier in the month." Pack dynamics is good in all enclosures, fundraising continues to build the retirement enclosure for MacKenzie and Lakota.
The following was written by Lori Rhodes, a participant in the Workin' for Wolves weekend – October 2004. Although MacKenzie is no longer part of the Exhibit Pack, she continues to be one of the most talked about wolves. Even though she tends to be a bit reserved and keep to herself throughout the weekend, she did come up and check things out as work was being done in the Retired enclosure. As a long time admirer, I was thrilled to be able to be a part of her world if only for a short time. Thanks for a memorable weekend.
Written by Wolf Ethology student-Christina Meyer: Earlier this week, the weather was hot and muggy, which makes for perfect conditions for bugs. During this time, Mackenzie would come to briefly greet the wolf ethology class, but would return to the back of the enclosure to seek shade. This allowed Lakota to greet the students for more time at the fence. This was followed by a few days of rain, where Mackenzie could be found waiting out the rain in her box. Once the rain passed, she greeted the wolf ethology students more quickly than in previous days.
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.