Denali – Tables Turned

In the past month, we’ve observed the start of some yearling testing that is part of the maturation process with wolves.  To the human’s that have a tendency to support the underdog, it’s important that the wolf care staff step back and analyze before intervening.  Our past experience has taught us that intervening or blocking interactions makes the displays more intense.  The timing of this dominance is a bit earlier than we have previously experienced, typically we don’t see much effort until the cooler days of fall, but Aidan’s more reserved behavior after his surgery may have created a bit of a void in leadership, prompting the yearlings to test.  Why are they testing Denali and not Aidan?  There are probably a lot of reasons; Certainly the bond is stronger with Aidan and the yearlings might be less confident and not willing to engage with Aidan.   If we turn back to the introduction day on August 7th, 2016, you may recall that Denali was the most antagonistic towards the pups.  This could be why the tables are turned.  Things have calmed back down again, but staff are working on multiple contingency plans and distraction techniques to be prepared for the transition from yearlings to adulthood for Grayson and Axel.  We have been through it before, we have experience with Grizzer testing Shadow and Malik, Denali testing Grizzer, Maya suppressing Aidan and on some days, Luna testing all.  The social dynamics and rank order of wolves has a complexity that is important to understand and appreciate as a key component to survival in the wild.