The Laughing Wolf

Friday Wolf Blogging

You never know quite what to expect out of the wolves. Exuberant, quiet, grumpy, happy: they run the range. This picture captures one part of the spectrum, which could be either checking something out in the distance or a bit of introspection...

And then there is this one. Normally I try to show just wolves, and don't post any with people in them. This one, however, was just too good to pass up. Anyone with a dog, or has just spent time around them, has probably seen scent rolling -- usually on something nasty and smelly. The shoulder drops and the shoulders, neck, and even up to the jaw are rubbed in the source of the scent. The new wolf I met a couple of weeks ago, Karin, has the interesting habit of scent rolling -- on women's hair.

Like I said, too good to pass up.

I do, however, have some sad news to share: Deneb, the reigning matriarch of Wolf Park, passed away just shy of 17.5 years of age. The last time I worked it out using the 7-year conversion, she was somewhere around 142 human-years old.

She was also the first wolf I ever met. Because she had mellowed with the years, and was very tolerant of mistakes, she was used to evaluate new people. As a result, before I could go in with the main pack or anyone else, I had to pass the Deneb test. She was, as always, a sweetheart, with the softest fur and the most gentle contact. At least with most people...

You see, Deneb had a passion for turning summersaults. Now, the theory is that she was doing them to pop her spine, and used it to supplement some massage therapy she received. Her standard mode was to go up to one particular staff member, lower her head, raise her rump, and get the help needed to do this. Sometimes, however, things went awry and I got a great laugh one morning when I looked up to see the staff member on their back on the ground, and a very happy Deneb on her back on top of them, doing a shimmy.

I was very lucky in that I got to go out to the park one evening a few days before she died. I got to go in with the staff to take her her medicine, and so got to spend some time with her. About three days later, she passed away peacefully in her sleep. Rest in the light dear lady.

In interesting news, Basil the Fox has broken his leg. Basil is elderly for a fox, being (best guess) 10-years-old, but still quite spry and active. The theory is that he just jumped wrong, but if you are playing Wolf Park Clue at home my vote is for Ember the Fox in the Front Enclosure with a baseball bat because she wanted his caches. *G*

The interns spotted that something was wrong and got the staff, who realized when they went in the enclosure that something was indeed wrong since fox legs don't have extra joints in that location. A trip to the vet revealed a broken leg, so surgery took place and Basil is now in sickbay sporting a purple cast. He has the pathetic look down:

He will, unfortunately, have lots of time to use it as he is looking at some 16 weeks of treatment and recovery. While Basil is very good at caching for a rainy day, it tends to be treats and rabbit parts rather than money. If you would like to help Basil pay his medical bills, you can go to Monty Sloan's Wolf Park's Photos of the Day site today (Friday) and he has not only pictures of the X-Rays (and a big surprise to one and all -- Double-O-Basil?) but ways to donate. You can also just go to the Wolf Park site and make a tax-deductible donation there, or just call them at 765-567-2265 to do it by phone. I will point out that you can sponsor Basil just like you would a wolf, but unlike wolves, people under 18 (but meeting other criteria) can meet Basil and/or the other foxes.

So please help. How can you resist a face like this:

LW