grizzer – Jun 1, 2009 12:00 AM

Grizzer has received a few nose bites, likely from Malik, but they could be aggravated by the yearlings, who seem to constantly greet Grizzer by muzzle biting. As we have written in last month's logs, Malik has been testing Grizzer's status and patience ever since the pups were introduced and Grizzer became super docile in all behaviors. Grizzer has won the tests between Malik, but there's still some tension, as you can see by the eye contact in Grizzer's photo this week. Wolf care staff met last week to talk about a management plan if these two don't settle their rank order issues. Based on our observations and interactions with the two, Grizzer isn't pushing any issues, only responding to Malik when Malik starts intensively growling and snapping. But, those behaviors are much calmer than they were this winter. Our hope is that summer will calm this even further, but Malik's comfort level is our greatest concern.