shadow – Aug 24, 2009 12:00 AM

Contractors recently finished a solid wood fence blocking the view of the wolf enclosure near the temporary entrance. Within days, the educators noted that Shadow no longer seemed to lay on the top of the hill staring at the entrance door, which we knew was a cause for anxiety. He is now relaxing throughout the enclosure, and we are grateful to the International Wolf Center Board Members who personally donated money to complete this fence, and to Board Member Paul Anderson for drawing the architectural design. This effort could make the difference on the reduction of redirected aggression toward Malik. We know Shadow is more relaxed, and that makes Grizzer more relaxed. There is one thing to record from an observation today, after getting up from the den, Shadow did a standing urination. It could be something, or it could be nothing, but this dominant wolf in most other observations, does a Raised Leg Urination, a standing urination could be a sign of a change in confidence, or it might just be that he had to go. But, this is the subtle things we have to watch for in observations. One note to all wolf log readers, we are experiencing some difficulty with video editing software. The curator has purchased a new computer and an upgrade of software, but it may not be arriving for a few days. Please be patient, we know the importance of the video, and will solve it before the next YouTube is due on September 1st. In the meantime, a podcast is being produced today, discussing the behavioral observations of the summer Ethology and Pups at One Year participants.