malik – May 16, 2006 12:00 AM

The male dominance order seems to be settling down, but every so often, something sets the pack into a chase scene. Usually, it's Malik showing a bit too much confidence for Shadow's liking. Today was such a day. Malik was in the lower enclosure and gave Maya a bit of grief. Shadow, who was at the top of the pen, heard a bit of a squeak from Maya, and appeared within seconds to send Malik in a chase up the hill. As quick as these start, they end, just a reminder of the importance of rank order at all times. A pack in the wild needs strong leaders, if there's continual disregard to a leader's status, it may affect the entire dynamics of the group and eventually affect wolf hunting success and survival. Even in captivity, the rank order of a wolf pack is critical.