Tierra Del Fuego
Born on April 16, 1993 at Mission: Wolf
Passed away on April 30, 2009
Sex: Female
Lived with Porini, Beorn, Skinwalker, Kawh
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Tierra del Fuego’s Story
Tierra Del Fuego (affectionately known as Tierra) was a black and silver colored timber wolf born in the spring of 1993. Tierra was part of an accidental litter at Mission: Wolf between resident wolves Jazmine and Lucus, with siblings Whisper, Asha, and Fenris I. Her name is Spanish for “Land of Fire,” a title she quickly grew to earn. As a puppy, Tierra’s outgoing nature lead to her traveling with the Ambassador Wolf program. However, her outgoing nature with strangers proved to be a trait of her puppy-hood that she ultimately grew out of and she was subsequently retired from the traveling Ambassador pack.
Once retired from traveling the country, Tierra Del Fuego became wary of strange people but continued to adore those who she felt comfortable around. A standard greeting from Tierra would include rapid licking paired with nervous glances over her shoulder to ensure no one was sneaking up on her.
Tierra’s new pack was one of the last large packs at Mission: Wolf, which came to be known as the “Driveway Five.” It consisted of: Beorn, the benevolent alpha male; Kawh, the brawny beta male; Porini, the peaceful beta male; Skinwalker, the sweet omega male; and Tierra del Fuego, the spirited alpha female who kept the pack in line. The Driveway Five lived happily for many years. However, in 2002, Beorn was injured when a stick got wedged in his mouth and was subsequently ousted from the pack by Kawh.
With Kawh as alpha male, the entire pack dynamic changed. Instead of all the wolves spending time together, Kawh would chase away Porini and Skinwalker whenever they were near Tierra. Kawh’s dominance displays lead to Porini and Skinwalker being moved to a neighboring enclosure to avoid any serious injuries. However, Tierra was not happy to be separated from half of her pack and began climbing back and forth over the fence to continue visiting all of her friends.
In time, things calmed down in the driveway enclosure. Porini passed away and Skinwalker found a new mate and moved to a new enclosure. Tierra Del Fuego and Kawh grew into a loving pair and were well known around the refuge for nuzzling one another and staying by each other’s sides all year long.