Exhibit Pack Update – 2 July 2024

Summer is in full swing here at the International Wolf Center. We are happy to say that our Exhibit Pack pond is now running smoothly! The ambassador wolves have been utilizing this resource daily, whether it be to take a quick drink under the heat of the sun or to wade through the water to cool off. The pond is occasionally a focal point during our noon or 4pm enrichments; if the day’s enrichment item is a beaver-tail “popsicle” or bacon ice cubes, the wolf care team may toss some into the pond to encourage our wolf ambassadors to get their feet wet and display some natural swimming, wading, and head-dunking behaviors. There is no guarantee that they will step foot into the pond, but it appears that the youngest pack members – Caz and Blackstone – are very comfortable traversing the waters.

If you have watched our most recent Exhibit Pack Update on YouTube, you may have seen the social rally demonstrated by Grayson, Rieka, Blackstone, and Caz. This behavior is signified by wolves coming together after a howl or after a period of rest. Several behaviors may occur, such as greeting, tail wagging and sometimes mild aggression. We see rallies take place often at the International Wolf Center, usually after a chorus howl led by Grayson. The mild aggression or testing behaviors that we tend to see during or immediately after a rally is thought by some biologists to be due to the opportunistic nature of wolves; the pack had been separated for some time before rallying together, so wolves may posture over one another to reestablish pack rank order. Because of this, a rally may start social but end with some corrective behaviors by more dominant pack members.

As social animals, wolves also rely on building strong bonds and alliances within their pack. We continue to see our Exhibit Pack display the calmness and social behaviors expected by a cohesive pack unit. Blackstone and Grayson appear to have a strong relationship, oftentimes described by the wolf care team as being “two peas in a pod”. They have a similar sensitive nature and Grayson rarely postures over Blackstone. On the other hand, Grayson is quick to posture over Caz! We believe this is because Caz has a more confident personality than his brother (as demonstrated by his many raised-leg urinations and possessiveness when it comes to food); Grayson may see this as a potential issue as Caz matures and perhaps may test Grayson in the future. Both younger males seem to continue to be extremely submissive to Grayson, but that will likely not always be the case.

And where does Rieka fit into this? Well in the center of it all, of course. As the dominant female with a sometimes intense personality, Rieka is typically involved in most pack interactions. She seems to be more socially engaged with Grayson than we had seen in the past, but continues to focus on him during times of heightened excitement within the Exhibit Pack. We have also seen Rieka and Caz displaying the occasional parallel gait, one of the many behaviors oftentimes seen among individuals with a strong social bond. This in itself is not necessarily indicative of a pair bond, as we have also witnessed several parallel gaits between Rieka and Grayson as well.

July 4th is right around the corner and the ambassador wolves will be given some special red, white, and blue themed enrichment in the form of flavored ice cubes and pails of snow. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next video on YouTube, as this will likely feature footage of the wolves’ reactions to snow in July! If you have not viewed our Amazon Wishlist lately, please check it out; there’s a couple items on there that would be extremely helpful to have before the end of summer (namely bug balls and an electric weed whacker!).