malik – Aug 26, 2011 12:00 AM

Malik (actually Grizzer did as well) had an interesting response last week that proves the point that associative learning is very important with wolves. One of the volunteers that helped move rocks in Grizzer's new habitat was on site with a group last week. Malik immediately picked up on the voice of that individual and visually identified him in a crowd of 24 people showing intense anxiety towards his presence. Initially we thought it was the large group as Behind the Scenes opportunities are very rare for the Retired Exhibit, but as we watched Malik, he was completely focused on this individual. The presence of this individual who was associated with the construction activity brought back a lot of anxiety for Malik, but 5 minutes after he left, all was calm again.