malik – Feb 9, 2009 12:00 AM

When working with a wolf pack in captivity, there's always going to be one wolf on the bottom. The rank order isn't complete unless there's a top and a bottom, and in this case, Malik has that rank. Certainly not because he has that personality, like Lakota, but because of the dynamics of the other social relationships. Malik protests on a daily basis with growls, and chatter that can be a constant source of noise. Even when Grizzer is not interacting, Malik will run up, growl at Grizzer, then run away. Grizzer is actually quite tolerant, but when the behavior goes on for several minutes, Grizzer will usually take pursuit and follow. It's hard to interpret if Malik does this because of his personality trait and that makes him a target or if being a target makes him display this behavior. We do know, that if he was calmer, Grizzer wouldn't follow him as much.