malik – May 18, 2009 12:00 AM

On the afternoon of May 12th, 2009, Malik was aggressively dominated by Grizzer, likely a response to months of Malik testing Grizzer's status. The action was quick, and very quiet, in contrast to the noisy ritualized dominance displays that are a part of every day wolf communication. Wolf care staff were able to get them separated, and in consultation with the Center Veterinarian, decided that all efforts should be made to keep Malik in the Exhibit Pack, as long as we could be ready for a life-threatening emergency. Retiring Malik alone would not have been the best management situation for him, and we needed to be sure that he psychologically wanted to be out of the pack. We didn't want to retire him if in fact this incident resulted in a settling of the rank order, and Malik would be allowed to remain part of the group. These decisions have to be made quickly, If there's even a short separation for recovery, the pack could have perceived him as a disperser and not let him back in. It appeared from the reintroduction, that the rank order issue had been settled. Malik was not as aggressively defensive or testing Grizzer, and Grizzer showed no focus on Malik. It was actually very calm among all wolves. To assist with the calm behaviors, we fed an extra deer on Thursday after the incident. We cut a leg from the deer, so Malik wouldn't have to compete with the pack, and as you can see from the video, he comfortably ate (this two days after the incident). The reality is, Malik and Shadow will both be retired in the upcoming year or two, but we want to make sure that they are really ready to be out of the pack. It is apparent from Malik's interactions in the last few days, that he still wants to be part of the pack, now that he is accepting his rank within the pack.