MacKenzie was one of those wolves that was born a leader. Even in aging years, she still controls the pack structure of the retired pack, and sometimes with intensity. In this week's photo, Lucas came out of the den box and did a stand-over as a show of dominance. MacKenzie continued to tolerate Lucas's passive show of dominance for a minute or two, but when Lakota came over to see if she could try, MacKenzie reminded both of her packmates about who they were dealing with. Muzzle biting, which MacKenzie demonstrates in this week's photo, is a common form of wolf communication when an individual needs to make sure their packmates understand the message.
Written by Workin' For Wolves program participant Andi Nelsen: During the Workin' For Wolves program, participants cleaned the straw out of the enclosure, leveled off the main pathways, cleaned den boxes, spread cedar chips, planted grass seed, and set up the overhead mister for warmer weather. Mackenzie showed signs of stress by not wanting to go into the holding pen then pacing once there. At 14 years of age, her body shows increasing signs of age, both in her eye and weakness in her hind limbs. Potentially, the weather played a part in her mobility issues , being warm on Friday but cold and damp Saturday into Sunday morning. Observations will be important to monitor her mobility issues.
In the interest of saving time, all wolf logs will be the same today. Most of the wolf care staff time is spent attempting to keep the wolves cool during an unusually warm stretch of weather. The temperatures over the Memorial Day weekend soared to 90 degrees with high humidity. This is problematic weather for wolves that have not completed shedding, and who's primary method of cooling is through panting. Wolves pant to evaporate heat from their system, when the humidity is high, little evaporation occurs. This is why wolves in the wild are commonly termed nocturnal animals, meaning they are active mainly at night. Here at the Center, sprinkler hoses were installed to keep the temperatures cooler. In the retired enclosure, modifcations to the hose installation were made, when MacKenzie became anxious about the hose over her head. Her vision is declining, and the hose over her head must have been too much. The hose was re-installed to follow the north fence line, which will also spread a nice layer of water over the newly planted vines. To add another summer task, biting flies hatched over the weekend, requiring the first application of fly ointment. All wolves were treated, except of course, Shadow, who heads for the hills when fly ointment appears. The arctics were started on a dose of brewer's yeast with garlic in hopes of providing some natural repellent. This gift of garlic as well as a long list of other treats and equipment was generously donated by Miss Susan Sweeney's Biology I class – period 2+3; from Pennsylvania…
Written by Planning for Pups program participants, Kelly Godfrey and Ed Stimpson: "After Lakota and Mackenzie wre fed a 2 beaver carcass, Mac took her carcass to a corner of the enclosure to eat later. Lakota tried to take her beaver, but Mac was ablto to keep Lakota away from her food. Mackenzie seemed to be moving around well, with little stiffness."
Whenever we get the bright sunny days of spring with the intense reflection in the snow cover, we worry about MacKenzie's eye condition. This year, we've observed none of the squinting and painful response to light that we've identified in previous years. MacKenzie still has some lipid deposits covering her right cornea, but her attitude, interest levels and visual tracking seem to be good. She is a bit overwhelmed by new sounds, so staff limit unnecessary traffic to the retired pack that doesn't have a direct benefit for the wolves.
Again, we apologize for the delay in wolf logs, our intent is to post once a week, but wolf care is always the priority over every other job. These past few weeks, the facility and grounds area of wolf care has needed our attention. This season is best known as the ice season, when daytime temperatures create melting, but nighttime temperatures revert back to freezing. Conditions are slippery and hazardous, not only for the staff, but the wolves as well. Thanks to the kind donation of straw from Theresa Williams, the enclosures are getting a fresh layer of straw to increase traction. This is most problematic for the retired wolves, as any slip on the ice can affect older, more brittle bones and joints. The wolves are doing well, and are spending a significant amount of time sleeping in the sun. Lakota seems to have been up to a few other things, as she has a new canine bite on the nose. Staff seem to think the bite was from MacKenzie, but based on our interactions with Lakota, she pushes the limit with both Lucas and MacKenzie.
Much to our suprise, MacKenzie is doing very well with the start of the construction season of the new Forest Service complex across the road. The noise levels have been increasing, but she's not showing signs of anxiety. She's been eating well and we even saw her defend her deer leg from Lakota, something she doesn't normally do. We would also like to take this time to thank Jen and Betty Magnuson for their recent donation of vitamins. At 13 years of age, the nutritional supplements provided on a daily basis help to strengthen the immune system and results in a good quality of life in these later years.
MacKenzie continues to surprise the staff in her tolerance of the warm season noises: construction, increased traffic, motorcycles, and humans going for walks on the adjacent road. With the leaves about 3 weeks from emerging, the sound will continue to carry through the woods until a thick layer of green vegetation appears. Staff are spending a lot of time around the retired pack to reinforce more relaxed behavior. Assistant Curator, Donna Prichard is here for the month assisting the wolf care program and she spends many hours in the lab and adjacent wolf yard. The wolves welcome her back to the enclosure and look forward to the day when she may make her move to Northern Minnesota.
Of all the Retired Pack members, one would think that MacKenzie would have the hardest time dealing with heat due to her dark coat. But, MacKenzie has a system, she burrows down into the bottom of the remaining staw beds, and finds the moist wet soil that has been insulated from the drying heat. This keeps her cool and relaxed. So, far, none of her siblings have picked up on her system, and she continues to dominate her space. The Retired Pack will be getting their stock tank filled on tuesday.
This week, all the wolves will have the same log text, although the photos will be different. We conducted an enclosure enrichment project, where a variety of unusual food scraps such as hamburger patties, frozen meat balls, fish and a few other food items were scattered throughout the enclosure. The wolves had a variety of responses to the items. Grizzer ran around and ate everything he could find, Maya scent marked, Shadow scent rolled, Malik investigated every spot with a high tail and excitability, Lucas food guarded, MacKenzie actually caught a burger in midair, and Lakota cached what she could take from Lucas. This type of stimulus creates high activity, a chance to use their sense of smell, and overall curiosity. Today was an overcast, cooler day, perfect for this type of high end stimulus.
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.