Cheyenne's Howl

Printed in Mountain Messenger on Friday March 14, 1997

Den Preparation

---

Well I now know that many people are reading my column. Last weeks article brought in quite a few comments. I have heard comments like "Shame on you", "Hey Cheyenne, keep telling it like it is", "Go for it girl", and the one comment that I am not so sure I believe, " I'm not one to brag, but I can last for over an hour and a half". How far do you think the truth was stretched on that one?

As I said last week the pregnant female will begin to dig a den at about three to four weeks prior to giving birth to the new pups. The den can be part of a rock cave, a hollowed out log, but it is usually a dug out area in the ground. The den site might be one that has been used previously or may have been the location of another animals den site. Other members of the pack may help in the chore of digging a new den, and several different dens may be dug. These dens may be close together or as far apart as ten miles and are used as emergency backups.

A wolf den is quite large with an oval entrance that is between fourteen and twenty inches in diameter. The tunnel is usually the same size as the entrance but can be larger and generally it extends six to fourteen feet into the side of the hill. At the end of the tunnel is a chamber large enough for the mother to stand in. Occasionally there are two chambers, one for the pups and one for the mother to rest in. Each den may have more than one entrance.

While the female is busy preparing the den, her partner the alpha male, will be busy storing food for the female. He will bring back pieces of meat from animals killed in the hunt and will bury it in what is known as a cache. This way, after the pups are born and when the female needs some food, all she has to do is dig up the food that is stored near the den. She never leaves the pups alone for long and the den is always within sight.

Toward the end of the gestation period, the female will spend much of her time sleeping and resting. The day before the pups are born, the female will go into the den and remain there until the pups arrive. The male will stand guard outside of the entrance and the rest of the pack will limit the area of hunting to food that is close by the den site instead of going on the usually long hunts. Next week I will tell you all about the new born pups. Before closing I would like to say "Hello" to all of my friends at The Raven Hill Mining Company in Georgetown. I love those rib bones. However, Dad never saves me any of the blackberry cobbler or cinnamon ice cream, so next time he comes in make sure you send me some home and put it on his tab. Thanks.

Cheyenne