malik – Nov 23, 2009 12:00 AM

Malik was placed in retirement on Tuesday, November 17th, after some intense aggression that originally started with Grizzer, but was quickly joined by all the other pack members, including Aidan. While there were no serious injuries, a consultation with the Center’s veterinarian, and discussions among wolf care staff, it was decided to retire Malik before the aggression intensified. This means, that Malik will be in retirement alone until Shadow shows signs of weakness. Since the retirement, staff have been very conscientious about spending additional time with him. Malik still has some anxiety when the main pack is active, definitely showing the psychological aspect that he needed a break. We will give Malik some transition time before we install webcams on the enclosure, any change to his situation right now can be stressful. It will take some time to develop protocol that is best for Malik’s situation, and these discussions are ongoing with wolf care staff. This month’s Podcast will review the USDA incident report concerning the aggressive incident that prompted Malik’s retirement and the subsequent management challenges