August 24 - 29, 2023
Researcher's Notes
When last I reported on the pack a new male had joined and appeared to have been accepted as the pack's new alpha male; Adaline was denning and all signs pointed to a new litter of pups! It's been a year for the pack now and there have been some dramatic changes. Three of the pack's family members are gone now; Bezar and Anastasia, both pups from the last alphas' only litter, and Everett, an experienced stalker and Alpha Adaline's brother. Bezar and Anastasia both sadly passed as a result of injuries during spring just a few months ago and Everett it seems left the pack willingly in late summer this season.
The pups have grown magnificently and are now adults incorporated into the full workings of the pack. There are five; four males and a female. The males are Itai (ashen with cream unders), Braam (howlite with a noticeable black back edge patch), Dakarai (white, also with a black back edge patch, and Ejiro (quartz with subtle cream unders and a fair bit of extra gray to his coat). The female is Akinyi; quartz with her mother's red markings. Their presence has helped the pack survive the loss of Anastasia, Bezar, and Everett this past year, but these new faces are not the only changes the pack has undergone.
The pack has claimed territory in the north again and their range now spans from the coniferous forest all the way up to the tundra. Despite maintaining an extended territory full of more difficult-to-hunt prey, the hunting teams have also seen a major overhaul--something I can honestly say I've never seen the pack do in all my years of observation.
Instead of hunting with the pack's most experienced hunters, alphas Adaline and Tendai are now hunting with three of their offspring--Itai, Braam, and Dakarai. The previous members of alpha team, Finn and Ginger, are now hunting with the remaining pups, Ejiro and Akinyi, as well as Elene who was previously a member of beta team. And most surprisingly, Levon, previously a member of beta team and currently the pack's only experienced stalker has been hunting entirely on his own, if at all.
When I discovered this, I was a bit at a loss for what to call the hunting teams; after all, alpha team had previously been the most experienced hunters, followed by beta team and delta team when the pack was large enough. Now, I suppose, the hunting team with the pack's alphas will remain alpha team (what in the world will I do if the alphas start hunting separately?!) and the next full team will be beta team, followed by any stragglers (poor Levon).
I'm fascinated and just a little horrified that the pack is now hunting without any experienced stalkers just after a push to maintain more challenging territory but there must be a system here. For the time being, alpha Tendai is taking on the challenge of being alpha team's new stalker and doesn't seem to be doing too poorly despite the lack of synergy among the new team. Beta team also is finding their footing although as yet the pack has not needed to depend heavily on them making successful hunts. Akinyi, the smallest pup the the alphas' latest litter appears to be taking on the role of stalker for them but, as always, there is a lot of learning to be done.
It's a drastic change for the coming cold season but I'm feeling strangely confident they'll pull through. I'm certainly on the edge of my seat to see where this new pack order is going and just what plans these new alphas have for their family!
