MacKenzie is doing well, this week's photo may show a slight eye irritation. This time of the year, she seems to get some weeping in her good eye (not the eye with the lipid deposits). The condition seems to be tied to the release of some of the catkins from the nearby aspen trees and assorted pollens in the air. It usually clears up with a topical treatment, but it makes her eyes a bit more glossy.
MacKenzie was very active during this morning's wolf check, and submitted for a full inspection of her body. The wolves show no signs of ticks or other ectoparasites, and will be soon receiving their treatment of frontline, thanks to Andi Nelson. MacKenzie still gets excited when Lucas shows interest in social interaction. But, the best Lucas could do today was a stand-over MacKenzie as shown in this week's logs.
If you had to ask MacKenzie about her favorite activity, our guess would be, laying in a straw bed (after eating a fresh deer and reminding Lakota who's in charge). The look of sheer comfort and relaxation is best shown in her photo this week. Staff are very diligent to ensure that MacKenzie is comfortable. As the saying goes, if the Alpha female isn't happy, nobody's happy.
MacKenzie is doing ok, despite the noise issue across the road. She stays on constant alert and doesn't seem to get much down time during the day, we assume from the signs in the bedding that they all rest well at night. Staff noticed MacKenzie walking a bit stiffer than normal this morning, likely due to the temperature dropping below zero. Staff make sure the straw beds are checked daily and that each wolf has a sufficient place to bed down. If Lakota continues to lay in MacKenzie's traditional corner, then a new placement will need to be made for MacKenzie, of course, MacKenzie would need to approve of it.
MacKenzie would like to thank Dee Robb for adopting her and for the journal entries from the A-3 class at the Steele School in Galesbur Illinois (of course, the Curator read the logs as MacKenzie doesn't see so well anymore)… Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your days:; And a special note to Todd M. – we're glad you went to the zoo and saw wolves and a Ram. We're also glad you were willing to go on the merry-go-round with your brother, even though people stared. It's very important to be nice to your brother and don't worry too much about what other people are staring at.; Also, to Taylor B. We're so sorry to hear that your dog Balfazar was hit by a car, it is very sad to lose a friend. We hope your other dog Bitsy is doing well. ; One more note to Trinity H. It's exciting to see a Ptarmigan… Wild animals are fast and often zoom off when people try to catch them. Sometimes it's better to just see them wild. ; Well, take care and to all of you, thanks for the logs:; Todd M; Britney F; Alex T.; Sierra J.; David D.; Anton J.; Kevin H.; Braden M.; Taylor B.; Trinity H.; Tommy K.; Teresa R.; Will H.; Katie V.;
Sorry for the lack of logs over the past week. The curator was at a State Wildlife Society meeting. It was a great meeting and one of the most important messages from this meeting is the need to preserve contiguous tracts of habitat for species. As the human population grows and land development occurs, we need to always plan for the greenspaces that keep wildlife populations viable. Even in a captive facility, we have a need to manage for vegetation and quality habitat. This weeks photos of Grizzer and Maya prove why this is a challenge, but the Workin' for Wolves programs and the Adults at Two Years programs that are offered this summer, will aid in the endeavor of planting more trees. So, in the interest of getting photos up on the log, all the text will be the same. For each log, all wolves are healthy and during the curators absence, they were in the capable hands of wolf care staff Jen Westlund, Matt Fetterer, Jess Edberg, Andrea Lorek Strauss and Laurie Fella.
MacKenzie has been having a bit of stress from the construction across the road. With colder temperatures and no leaves on the trees, sound travels well from across the road. She's had a bit of nervous pacing, but settles down when staff come in or when she has a few bones to chew on. There's been extra feedings of deer scraps to keep her focused on the food rather than the noise. It's probably harder on her since her eyesight is limited, hearing something, but not being able to see it seems to be stressful. We look forward to the completion of this project.
The woodchuck safely on the fence, after waiting for the afternoon nap to make the big escape.
MacKenzie has been much more relaxed lately… Construction across the road is ongoing, but she's become much more tolerant of it lately. Staff did notice some increasing hip issues with MacKenzie, her age is catching up to her. Thanks to Pam Dolajeck for the pigs ears, MacKenzie tried to gather up 4 of them from her packmates, but the warm snow conditions sent the pigs ears sliding like a hockey puck. She did manage to eat 3 of them.
During the medical exam for the arctics, the retired wolves watched intently on the action, MacKenzie was probably glad it wasn't her. Sorry, no photos, we were focused on the main pack today.
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.