Happy early spring everyone.  Normally this time of year we are still buried under several feet of snow.  Not so this year.  The ground is bare!  Fortunately, the mountains have good snow pack so skiing continues to be good, and water for the summer looks like it will be about average.

In the sanctuary, not a lot has changed.  The grumpy old men are still grumpy old men.  Chief has had another mild “episode” that made him a little confused and unstable for a day or so, but he bounced right back and continues on his way.  Mohawk gets deafer by the week.  Recently Chris went into the enclosure to look for him because we had not seen him all day.  He was sleeping under a tree at the back of the enclosure and did not hear us calling.  When he finally woke up Chris was about 6 feet away which scared the pants of poor Mohawk and he jumped up and ran for all he was worth.  We haven’t seen that much movement, that fast, out of him in years!

In the younger pack, it appears that Sekani, our sweet little (almost) three year old is becoming the Omega of the pack.  It’s not unexpected, and it is normal behavior for a wolf pack, but it can be distressing to us humans at times. The major conflict is between Sekani and Kiowa, the alpha female.  Females can be particularly brutal, and Kiowa is pretty aggressive when it comes to getting her point across to Sekani.

This month is prime wolf-watching in Yellowstone.  We have had several groups here each week before or after they head into the park for Wolf Week with the Yellowstone Association.  Everyone is reporting great experiences, seeing lots of wolves and other wildlife.  For those of you who have not had the opportunity to go on a Wolf Week adventure, it might be something you want to add to your list. Check out the details at www.yellowstoneassociation.org. Look at their Lodging and Learning options.

Many of you know that just down the road from us is the home of Brutus the Bear at Montana Grizzly Encounter (www.grizzlyencounter.org) . Brutus is the star in many Nat Geo Wild films and other TV spots.  His owner, Casey Anderson, is hosting this season’s show on Nat Geo Wild, called America the Wild with Casey Anderson.  It’s pretty amazing, so if you get the chance, check it out. It comes on Mondays at 9 pm ET/PT.

That’s it from Howlers this week.  Thanks for continuing to check in with us.