Ear mites, ear mites, ear mites. It's not that I expected them to be gone at this point but there's hardly anything else to do but watch the pack suffer with them. Alpha Itai caught them again early this month and wasn't able to hunt with the younger memebers of alpha team. They did their best without him and even managed to take down a small deer on their own. Arun also did his best hunting alone with the rest of beta team ill and was able to harry down a porcupine not once, but twice--pretty impressive for a new hunter!
These last couple of weeks only Simran has been able to hunt, although he is still suffering from distemper. Results were mixed but he did manage to take down a blacktail deer on his own--also a very impressive achievement. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to feed the entire pack but I can't say he isn't trying.
Mid Autumn (Month 2)
The pack has barely been scraping by this month. Simran and Yash were able to take down a moose which proved an ample meal for the pack but they quickly devored it in it's entirety and were back to being hungry only a week later.
Any member free of ear mites is doing their best to provide food for themselves and their family but the chaos means the hunting teams are never really able to work with the same member twice and the experience needed to make up an entire team just can't be covered by one or two wolves. Simran continues to work as hard as he can--apparently his distemper makes him a poor target for the ear mites--but he can only do so much on his own.
Late Autumn (Month 3)
There was a miraculous rush of recovery early this month with several of alpha team's members free of ear mites. Their hunt in the first week was a disaster but by the second week they were working well together again. A moose was their reward and again the pack devoured it in its entirety.
Unfortunately we lost Simran. I'd stopped monitoring his symptoms as closely--I suppose I thought his youth would keep pulling him through until he recovered like his other family members. In truth, he might have but ... he was injured in late autumn and I suspect that the wound on top of his sickness was just too much for his body to take. After all his hard work and endless effort through this impossible infestation ... I honestly thought he'd be the one to take over the pack when it was time. Certainly he'd earned the respect of his family. The pack seems as lost as I am over his death but their struggle is far from over.
Truly, with him gone, the last couple of weeks have been brutal. The entire pack is infected with the mites leaving none to hunt. They were able to return to their moose kill from a couple weeks ago for scraps but that quickly disappeared and have since had no option but to be hungry.
Start of Autumn(Jan 21)
Puja, Deep, Yash and Arun are free of ear mites however they spread to Ejiro and Itai.
Hunting
Week 1: Without Alpha Itai, the team lost track of their prey during the chase but cornered a grouse on the way home. Arun hunts a porcupine on his own. 1 leftovers.
Week 2: Without Alpha Itai, the youngest team is able to take down a small deer. Arun hunts a porcupine on his own. 5 leftovers.
Week 3: On his own, Simran lost track of his prey during the chase. No other wolves are able to hunt. The pack returns to last week's kill to feed.
Week 4: On his own, Simran is able to take down a blacktail deer. There isn't quite enough for everyone, but no other wolves are healthy enough to hunt.
Week 5: Together, Simran and Yash are able to take down a moose. 8 leftovers.
Week 6: Simran and Yash were successful in chasing but unfortunately Simran let the prey slip away! No other wolves healthy enough to hunt; the pack returns to last week's kill to feed. Some members remain hungry.
Hira and Raman are free of ear mites however they spread to Yash.
Hunting
Week 7: On his own, Simran takes down a whitetail deer. Still hungry, Raman also attempted to hunt on his own but failed to take down his prey.
Week 8: On his own, SImran is able to take down another whitetail deer. Still hungry, Raman attempted to hunt on his own but was only able to find a hare. Gemma remains a little hungry.
Alpha Itai, Deep, Puja and Yash are free of ear mites however they spread to Hira and Raman.
Hunting
Week 9: Alpha team lost track of the prey relatively early on but managed to corner a grouse on the way back. No other pack members are able to hunt and most remain hungry.
Week 10: Alpha team takes down a moose. 5 leftovers.
This first month of winter has not gone any better than the last week of autumn. Whichever pack members are able to hunt are doing their best but the constant illness and lack of synergy, or even completeness, of the hunting teams is taking a heavy toll. The best meal the pack saw this month was an elk taken down by Alpha Itai and his young daughter Puja, but like their larger meals in autumn, it was quickly devoured and clearly not enough for the hungry pack.
Mid Winter (Month 2)
Mid winter has been worse for the pack. They are looking very hungry and the only successful hunt I've seen was Sanji killing a porcupine--not enough food for a hungry pack. I've seen bad ear mite infestations in the pack before but none have ever seemed to leave the pack this hopeless in terms of food. They appear to be genuinely starving and I'm worried we'll lose some of the pack before spring.
Late Winter (Month 3)
Raman and Gemma are gone. They were two of the smaller wolves of the pack and possibly were suffering from lack of food more than the rest of their family. I'm unsure whether they collapsed from starvation or left out of desperate need but I have not seen them in the last couple weeks. I'm particularly sad about Gemma--she was adopted into the pack as a part of one of Alpha Itai's litters and I would have truly liked to see her succeed. Spring is just around the corner though and I'm hanging all my hopes on the easier hunting that comes with the passing of the snow. It is so hard to watch them suffer like this. I feel fears that they may not pull through beginning to creep into my heart but all I can do is pray spring arrives soon and hope for the best.
Start of Winter(Jan 27)
Ejiro and Arun are free of ear mites.
Hunting
Week 1: Arun attempts to hunt on his own but is unable to take down his prey. Ejiro is able to take down a beaver but it isn't enough for the whole pack.
Ear mites continue to plague the pack but members that are well enough to hunt are having an easier time in the warming weather. The resulting prey has been life saving for the pack but we still lost Arun to starvation early in the season.
I have seen remnants of kills left behind for scavengers which means the pack is finally able to fill their bellies and keep them full. For a few weeks, at least, food should no longer be a concern. The remaining presence of the ear mites, however, is a problem.
I don't think I've ever seen ear mites affect a pack so significantly, and I'm certain I don't remember a pack member being lost to starvation; certainly not three in just a few months! I'm a little horrified that the ear mites did not clear up this spring--it could mean another full year of struggle for them and I'm not sure the pack could survive another winter like the last one.
Start of Spring(Feb 2)
Yash and Hira are free of ear mites however they spread to Puja and Deep.
Starving, Arun disappears from the pack.
Hunting
Week 1: On his own, Yash is able to take down a deer doe. Hira is able to take down a blacktail buck.
Week 2: Yash takes down a blacktail buck. Hira is also able to hunt a blacktail on her own.
Level-ups
Level 11 - Hira
Level 8 - Yash
Illnesses
Ear Mites (Can't Hunt) - Ejiro, Sanji, Itai, Puja, Deep
Early Spring(Feb 3)
Alpha Itai, Puja and Deep are free of ear mites however they spread to Hira and Yash.
Hunting
Week 3: Alpha Itai, Puja and Deep are able to take down a moose bull. 8 leftovers.
Week 4: Alpha Itai lost track of the prey early on. The pack returns to last week's kill to feed.
Illnesses
Ear Mites (Can't Hunt) - Ejiro, Sanji, Hira, Yash
Mid Spring(Feb 4)
Sanji, Ejiro and Hira are free of ear mites.
Hunting
Week 5: On his own, Deep is able to take down a bison. 21 leftovers.
Week 6: Deep hunts a small deer doe. 1 leftover.
Level-ups
Level 11 - Sanji
Illnesses
Ear Mites (Can't Hunt) - Yash, Puja, Itai
High Spring(Feb 5)
Ear mites spread to Ejiro and Sanji.
Hunting
Week 7: On his own, Deep is able to take down a whitetail buck. 3 leftovers.
Week 8: Deep lost track of his prey early on but Hira is able to take down a deer doe. 5 leftovers.
The ear mites are finally gone! I almost can't believe it. The spread slowed at the beginning of summer and within a few weeks the entire pack was free of them. Without the mite as a constant nuisance it almost feels as though nothing at all is happening within the pack. Hunting, of course, is going far better, and there have been a couple of injuries (Yash is still suffering from a wound but I expect a full recovery soon) but nothing significant to note. It's such a relief to have nothing worthwhile going on. Ha ha.
Now that the immediate threat is gone I feel like I can finally focus on a slightly more distant future for the pack. Itai is getting older and it seems that his daughter Hira holds the dominant place among his children though he seems to favor his youngest daughter Puja for reasons I can't quite determine. He's old enough now that I expect he'll be retiring from hunting soon, though I have seen alphas continue to hunt right through old age in the past. The pack has grown small again and I'm sure they are all feeling the need for pups.
Start of Summer(Feb 8)
Itai and Sanji are free of ear mites but they spread to Puja.
Hunting
Week 1: Alpha Itai and Yash lose track of their prey early on. Ejiro and Hira take down a blacktail. 5 leftovers.
Week 2: Alpha Itai and Yash take down an elk. 13 leftovers.
Level-ups
Level 20 - Alpha Itai
Illnesses
Ear Mites (Can't Hunt) - Deep, Puja
Early Summer(Feb 9)
Deep and Puja are free of ear mites.
Hunting
Week 3: Alpha team was successful in chasing down their prey but failed to take it down. Beta team hunts a moose. 17 leftovers.
Week 4: Alpha team takes down an elk. 13 leftovers.
Level-ups
Level 9 - Yash
Mid Summer(Feb 10)
All is quiet.
Hunting
Week 5: Alpha team takes down an elk. 10 leftovers.
Week 6: Alpha team fails to take down their prey. Beta team hunts a moose. 17 leftovers.
High Summer(Feb 11)
Deep is injured and has an open wound.
Hunting
Week 7: Alpha team hunts down an elk. 13 leftovers.
Week 8: Alpha team takes down a blacktail deer. 5 leftovers.
Level-ups
Level 9 - Puja
Late Summer(Feb 12)
Hunting
Week 9: Alpha team hunts down an elk. 13 leftovers.
Week 10: Alpha team fails to take down their prey. Beta tan takes down a moose. 17 leftovers.
Level-ups
Level 12 - Hira
End of Summer(Feb 13)
Deep recovers from his injury.
Yash is injured and has an open wound.
Hunting
Week 11: Alpha team takes down an elk. 13 leftovers.
Week 12: Alpha team hunts another elk. 13 leftovers.
Now here's some exciting news. The pack has welcomed another wolf and my goodness is he a big one! Coming in at nearly Alpha Itai's size, this new male towers over the rest of the pack. It's fascinating to me to see Itai welcome a stranger of such stature into the pack--were it me, I think I'd be a little wary of the danger he might pose, particularly because his personality seems a bit on the aggressive side--but I suspect Itai sees some potential in him.
Yash recovered from the wound he received in summer and the pack's hunts continue to result in a surplus of food; so much so that they were able to gorge themselves on a single kill and went a whole week without bothering to hunt! It's good to see them doing so well and I'm sure the new male (I'm calling him Lykos) is feeling quite fortunate to be a part of the success.
Mid Autumn (Month 2)
Oh boy, Yash is injured again after spending just a couple weeks recovered from the last wound. An injury is a little more concerning later in the year but I think chances are good he'll be okay.
Hira appears to have picked up some ... bowel troubles. She's squatting a lot, with no results, and doesn't seem to have much of an appetite so I suspect she might be a bit blocked up. I don't think I've ever seen this particularly affliction among the pack before, at least not to such a degree, but hopefully it clears up with a little time.
The new male, Lykos, and Puja are getting along surprisingly well. Again, I would have thought Hira would have made a more attractive prospect but there must be something I'm missing.
Late Autumn (Month 3)
This last month has been very eventful! I was glad to see Hira recover her appetite and so I assume she's recovered from her particular affliction. Unfortunately she departed the pack not long after. I suspect she felt a bit shunned; I hope she wasn't chased off, because Lykos and Puja are mated!
It's a surprisingly early point in the year for this to happen, but it seems the bond is at least under Itai's blessing. I suppose since, given his age, he's unlikely to have another mate or more pups, he recognizes it's what's best for the pack, though winter pups face much steeper odds for survival.
Puja also suffered an injury early in the month though she recovered quickly. Her brother Yash is still dealing with an open wound. I'll be keeping an eye on him through winter. And, of course, we're now expecting puppies! Fingers crossed for them.
Start of Autumn(Feb 14)
An unfamiliar wolf enters the territory. The pack welcomes Lykos.
Hunting
Week 1: Alpha team takes down an elk bull. 13 leftovers.
Week 2: Alpha team hunts a moose. 17 leftovers.
Level-ups
Level 12 - Sanji
Level 10 - Yash
Illnesses
Open Wound - Yash (20 HP)
Early Autumn(Feb 15)
Yash recovers from his wound.
Hunting
Week 3: Alpha team takes down a moose. 17 leftovers.
Week 4: Alpha team lost track of their prey early on and beta team lost track of their prey during the chase. The pack returns to last weeks kill to feed.
Level-ups
Level 10 - Deep, Puja
Mid Autumn(Feb 16)
Yash is injured and has an open wound.
After feeding from an old carcass, Hira is showing signs of constipation.
Hunting
Week 5: Alpha team takes down a bison. 21 leftovers.
Week 6: Neither alpha nor beta team were able to take down their prey. The pack returns to last week's kill to feed.
Illnesses
Open Wound - Yash (20 HP)
Constipation (No appetite) - Hira
Deep Autumn(Feb 17)
Hunting
Week 7: Alpha team hunts down a moose. 18 leftovers.
Week 8: Alpha and beta team both fail to take down their prey but beta team manages to corner a merlin on the way home. The rest of the hungry pack returns to last week's kill to feed.
Illnesses
Open Wound - Yash (13 HP)
Constipation (No appetite) - Hira
Late Autumn(Feb 18)
Hira recovers from constipation.
Lykos and Puja are pair bonded. Hira departs the pack.
Puja is injured and has an open wound.
Hunting
Week 9: Alpha team loses track of their prey early on but manages to corner a Pheasant Rooster on the way home. Beta team hunts down a moose. 19 leftovers.
Week 10: Alpha team takes down another moose. 18 leftovers.
Level-ups
Level 11 - Yash, Deep
Illnesses
Open Wound - Yash (40 HP), Puja (20 HP)
End of Autumn(Feb 19)
Puja recovers from her open wound.
Hunting
Week 11: The pack takes down a bison. 20 leftovers.
Week 12: The pack loses track of their prey during the chase and return to last week's kill to feed.
I see signs of puppies! Puja has been secluded in her den as of mid winter (oh, so early for pups) and her mate, Lykos, lingered nearby rather than hunting with the rest of the pack for most of the rest of winter. I'm not certain if it's because of the injury he was suffering from (of which he is now thankfully healed) or a greateer-than-usual curiosity/interest in the pups.
Unfortunately the arrival of the pups is accompanied by the loss of some of the pack wolves. An injury Deep received at the start of winter proved too much for him to recover from and our Elder, Ejiro also passed away--I believe due to old age. As Itai's brother, Ejiro's passing reminds me that Itai's time is probably not far off.
Although busy with the pups now, I believe control of the pack's territory will likely pass smoothly to Puja and her mate, Lykos. Despite his injury Lykos has proven to be quite capable--easily the best hunter of the pack--and I hope he passes on his skills for the betterment of the next generation. It seems Itai's instincts were right when he let the new male in--let's hope, at least!
Start of Winter(Feb 20)
Deep is injured and has an open wound.
Hunting
Week 1: Alpha team takes down a beaver.
Week 2: The pack takes down a moose. 17 leftovers.
Illnesses
Open Wound - Yash (27 HP), Deep (20 HP)
Early Winter(Feb 21)
All is quiet.
Hunting
Week 3: The pack hunts down a moose and gorges themselves. 9 leftovers.
Week 4: The pack remains full from last week's kill.
Illnesses
Open Wound - Yash (21 HP), Deep (14 HP)
Mid Winter(Feb 22)
Lykos is injured and has an open wound.
Ejiro passes from old age. Rest in peace.
Puja and Lykos' pups are born!
Deep succumbs to his wound and passes away. Rest in peace.
Hunting
Week 5: While Puja and Lykos remain at the den the rest of the pack hunts a moose. The wolves gorge themselves. 11 leftovers.
Week 6: The pack remains full and does not hunt this week.
Illnesses
Open Wound - Yash (14 HP), Lykos (20 HP)
Deep Winter(Feb 23)
Yash recovers from his open wound.
Hunting
Week 7: No data
Week 8: No data
Illnesses
Open Wound - Lykos (14 HP)
Late Winter(Feb 24)
All is quiet.
Hunting
Week 9: No data
Week 10: No data
Level-ups
Level 12 - Yash
Illnesses
Open Wound - Lykos (8 HP)
End of Winter(Feb 25)
Lykos recovers from his open wound.
One of the puppies is lost to an infection.
Hunting
Week 11: With Puja in the den with the puppies, the pack is only able to find a stoat.
Week 12: Without Puja, the pack is only able to catch a merlin.
We lost Alpha Itai at the turn of spring and as expected, Puja and her mate Lykos stepped into the leadership roles for the pack. It's rare to see the transition of leadership happen with an alpha pair already established but I think thte pack will be all the stronger for it. Lykos is a capable male and Puja's brothers seem more than willing to follow the two.
I got a glimpse of the puppies in mid spring after they weaned and started adventuring from the den--four of them! It seems we have a runt in this litter but I'm so impressed the little female survived her early months in the cold of winter!
I haven't gotten around to naming them yet (I'm open to suggestions!) so they're just numbers for now, #90-#93, based on the order I saw them in. There are three females and a male and most have taken on brown tones from their father though the little runt female has quite a dark coat from her mother.
Start of Spring(Feb 26)
Alpha Itai passes from old age. Rest in peace.
Puja and her mate Lykos take up the mantle of alphas for the pack.
Early Spring(Feb 27)
All is quiet.
Hunting
Week 3: The pack loses track of their prey during the chase.
Week 4: The pack takes down a whitetail buck.
Mid Spring(Feb 28)
All is quiet.
Hunting
Week 5: The pack hunts down an elk and gorges themselves. 6 leftovers.
Week 6: The pack remains full and does not hunt this week.
Level-ups
Level 14 - Sanji
Level 12 - Puja
High Spring(Feb 29)
All is quiet.
Hunting
Week 7: The pack hunts down an elk and gorges themselves. 8 leftovers.
Week 8: The pack remains full and does not hunt this week.
The pups continue to grow this summer and they're all doing so well! The pack is beautifully committed to teaching them and it's wonderful to see such a tight-knit little family working together to raise these pups. One of the females (her mother's black coat with her father's cream unders) is growing leaps and bounds beyond her siblings! I suppose with a runt in the litter it makes sense that one of the pups should be a good deal larger, as well.
Still no names, I'll get around to it, I promise! I haven't had as much time for observation these days (and I'll admit to doing most of it remotely through trail cameras) so I don't have data on their hunts but I can pretty confidently say the pack and the pups are looking well-fed and I have no concerns.
Actually the pups have finally grown big enough to start accompanying the adults on hunts. They grow so quickly! I've noticed they seem a bit more aggressive, like their father, than Greyfeather pack wolves have traditionally been, but they're still young and there haven't been any problems. I do wonder how they'll do for pack cohesion once they're grown but of course I'm hoping for the best.
Start of Summer(Mar 3)
All is quiet.
Early Summer(Mar 4)
All is quiet.
Level-ups
Level 13 - Yash
Mid Summer(Mar 5)
The pups grow to adolescents and begin accompanying the adults on hunts.
The pups continue to grow this autumn and I've finally given them names! The largest female is Kallisto, and the runt I named Phile. Their siblings are Kleia and Aristo. They are all growing strong--even little Phile, though I doubt she'll ever catch up in size to her siblings. It's actually a little unusual not to see significant lagging in growth among any of the pups in the litter--there's usually a few who just keep falling behind their stronger siblings but I'm impressed at the progress of all four pups!
We did have a couple injuries this season. Both Yash and Sanji are dealing with wounds from the second month of autumn and unfortunately it looks like we're going to lose Sanji. He took a drastic turn in the last couple of weeks and I don't think he will recover. Yash, though still injured, is exhibiting a fair amount of energy and appetite and I think his chances of recovery are looking a little better. We ought to know for sure next season.
The first litter will be grown come winter and if Puja's cycle follows suit we may see another litter of winter pups. Although, with the impeding loss of Sanji, the adults of the pack are dwindling, the growth of the pups should add some new life and vigor to the pack.
As I feared, Sanji didn't make it to see the snow melt but his younger sibling Yash did recover early in the season. Fleas have been passing among the pack since mid-winter but they don't appear to have gone out of control and I've certainly seen the pack get through worse.
The adolescents are officially yearlings as of about two months ago! The usual re-arranging of hunting teams occurred, with the alphas taking on the strongest of their latest litter and the other pack members forming up a secondary team. With so few wolves this has left Yash and the runt of the litter, Phile, forming up a second team.
Lykos and Puja appear to be favoring their daughter Kallisto (no surprise there as she remains the largest of her litter) and the young female is studying closely with her mother to learn the art of stalking prey.
And, with a little bit of delight, I'm happy to say Puja has had another litter of pups this winter! Well, okay, more than a little bit--I love seeing new pups in the pack--but another winter litter isn't ideal. On the bright side, this litter came very late this winter, only a couple of weeks ago--and while it still means the pups are living out their early days in the harshest of weather--but this gives me hope that our alphas may be making an effort to target spring for their future pups.
Start of Winter(Mar 15)
Sanji succumbs to his wound. Rest in peace.
Yash recovers from his wound.
Early Winter(Mar 16)
All is quiet.
Mid Winter(Mar 17)
The first litter graduates to adults and begins hunting. Hunting teams are rearranged.
Level-ups
Level 3 - Kallisto, Aristo, Kleia
Level 2 - Phile
Deep Winter(Mar 18)
Yash picks up fleas.
Level-ups
Level 5 - Kallisto, Aristo
Level 4 - Kleia
Level 3 - Phile
Illnesses
Fleas - Yash
Late Winter(Mar 19)
All is quiet.
Level-ups
Level 14 - Alpha Puja
Level 5 - Kleia
Level 4 - Phile
Illnesses
Fleas - Yash
End of Winter(Mar 20)
Yash is free of fleas but they spread to Alpha Puja.
