malik – Aug 27, 2007 12:00 AM

Malik is fairing well, although as the lowest ranking male it is likely that there will be some dominance focused on him as winter approaches. One such event occurred on Sunday morning. There was a short dominance display with Grizzer and Shadow pinning Malik, and following him in a fast gate around the pond. Following is an intimidation behavior that is quite effective. One of the Center staff created a distraction to stop the interaction, but it was likely the influence of the cooler mornings and a bit of anxiety about the deer carcass thawing in the wolf yard. There will be discussions on management options to increase the stimulus, and likely the feedings as winter approaches, which in turn may reduce the redirected aggression toward Malik. Grizzer consumes a lot of food and he gets excitable when he’s even the slightest bit hungry. Of course, we are concerned about his body weight, especially since his winter coat makes him appear so much larger, but with pups coming to the facility in the summer of 2008, he will likely wear off any excess fat from the winter.