aidan – Jan 4, 2010 12:00 AM

The weather here has turned cold, with morning temperatures for the last several days ranging from -25 to -30 below zero. Wolf care staff have increased the amount of straw in the enclosure to give the wolves more insulation. Wolves in the wild bed in the snow for insulation, but in captivity, the snow is compacted, leaving it ice cold. Aidan enjoys the straw on the top of the den as well as a bed in front of the den. He was observed sharing his straw with Shadow and Denali in the last few weeks. He has another interesting behavior, when he's excited about joining in on pack activities, but anxious about Maya, he pounces, landing his front paws on a deer hide and surfs the hide a few feet. We haven't recorded it on video yet, but hope to capture it soon. The Youtube for this week has some 2009 footage, in comparison of pack dynamics a year ago to life today. Aidan definitely is more cautious, but he still gets social time, especially with Shadow.