Malik was born on May 8, 2000, and he and his brother Shadow were socialized by one of the Center’s board members in southern Minnesota before meeting the Center’s wolf care team in Ely on June 30, 2000.
Malik, an arctic wolf, possessed physical adaptations suited to their northern climate. These included a white or cream colored pelage, rounder ears, shorter legs, shorter muzzles, and more heavily furred paws than their southern relatives. These unique features not only set them apart from their southern counterparts but also helped them conserve heat in their harsh environment.
Malik was named in memory of Malik Sealy, a star basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA basketball team. Malik had his own distinct personality. Even though Shadow was larger than Malik and more dominant, Malik was quick to respond to his littermate’s behavior with a growl when anxious. Visitors to the Center’s exhibit often commented on his speed and agility to get into a pack rally and with an equal amount of speed, get out of reach when ritualized dominance became intense. Ritualized dominance behavior is best described as posturing over each other with high tails and intent ear postures to remind others in the pack of their status. Changes in the male rank order of the pack may occur with the addition of Aidan and Denali in 2008, but at this time Malik is the third ranking male, and for him every day is an adventure.
With all of our “Gone but not Forgotten” wolves, we select one word or phrase that characterizes the most memories about their life. For Malik, that word was opportunistic. As pups were added to the Exhibit Pack in 2004 and 2008, Malik took the opportunity to assert rank over the younger pack members. This was natural behavior, despite the pack leader, Shadow encouraging social bonding by actively submitting to the pups and guarding their right to feed on the weekly deer carcass. Malik’s rank order dominance over the pups didn’t last long, as Grizzer reached maturation at the age of two, Malik became the 3rd ranking male. As time went on, Grizzer’s focus on Malik was amplified by Malik’s high energy and the wolf care team recommended retirement on November 11, 2009. Around seven months later, Shadow was retired as well. Retirement is a place where wolves can live out their lives with no competition for food and a unlimited amount of wolf care time to monitor any minute changes in an aging animals health. It was the keen observation skills of the team and with the help of 24-hour motion-sensor surveillance system, staff was able to document an extremely quick decline in his physical condition. On the morning of Saturday, March 22, 2014, he was unable to stand, and upon consult with the wolves’ vets at the Ely Veterinarian Clinic, the decision was made to implement the Center’s euthanasia plan. As with all our wolves, his remains were cremated and his ashes were spread with the core group of wolves that represented the Exhibit Pack from 2002 – 2010.
For more information on our ambassador wolves, watch extended wolf videos on the International Wolf Center’s YouTube Channel or enjoy a close-up of wolf behavior on our Wolf Watch Cams.
