grizzer – Sep 10, 2007 12:00 AM

In an effort to reduce some of Grizzer's excitement, which leads to testing behavior, we have changed the feeding program to include a mid-week light meal in addition to the Saturday night feeding. Grizzer had a pattern of getting hungry and somewhat anxious about feeding, creating a situation where he was redirecting aggression to Malik. While his physical body clearly indicates that he is well fed, his mind wasn't convinced. So, the pack gets, and in most cases, Grizzer gets either a Beaver or deer leg on Wednesday's. The first test of this schedule has revealed good results, with Grizzer remaining calm throughout the week, but he did have some intense redirection towards the vegetation when Lakota was immobilized for the surgery. As we were waiting for Lakota's drug to take effect, we could hear trees snapping in the Exhibit pack. Staff said as we left the site with Lakota, the Exhibit Pack howled intently. Wolves are very disrupted by change and inconsistency in their routines. This is why so many wolf care programs have so many prerequisites. Concerning Grizzer's weight, we are constantly amazed at how much hair Grizzer puts on for winter. He looks massive, but when we see his images from the July wolf logs, we see a lean mean young adult. If he does gain a few extra pounds this winter from the increased feeding, we expect chasing after 2 young pups will help him lose weight.