Denali may want to review footage from the Grizzer years. Grizzer used to let the 2008 pups climb all over him and showed limited dominance, then Denali and Aidan turned two and Grizzer had a lot of testing. So, 4 years later, Denali is doing the same thing as Grizzer. We'll wait and see if Boltz will find an opportunity to move up in rank or if Boltz's calmer and more timid personality will reduce his tendency to climb rank as a maturing adult. For now, Denali is taller than all the other wolves which gives him an advantage and he can climb the double stacked raven rock, which is out of reach for Luna.
Malik seems to be backing off on his testing behavior which probably means that Shadow is back to displaying a more dominant role. We don't have much more to add about the retired wolves this week except that we had some good howling footage from Malik as well as Shadow.
Boltz is gaining confidence, but still seems more like a pup than Luna. It's encouraging that Aidan takes the time to engage in social behavior with Boltz and we can really see the compatibility between Boltz and Aidan. This will be important when Boltz nears maturity and the behavioral drive to climb rank intensifies. We always want to prepare people for the potential for rank order changes and the aggressive interactions that lead to change. We experienced it in 2010 when Aidan and Denali reached 2 years of age, but the difference for Boltz is that Aidan is a strong and confident leader who is forming alliances. In 2010, we removed Shadow from the Exhibit and we left a pack with no definitive leader. Boltz may mature and test, but he is maturing in the presence of a leader that is clearly defined.
After four weeks of twice a week Adequan injections, we see improvement in Luna's gait and mobility. We are now going to wean her down to a maintenance dose once a week and see how she progresses. We see her limp and hop on her back leg, but this is usually after she's been too active chasing with the pack or when she's slept for a long time (Sunday post feeding days are an issue). We see limited indication of pain response. Of course, wolves have a much higher tolerance for pain, but when we look for a pain response, we look for more aloof, reclusive behavior, eyes that are not bright and alert, a wolf not interested in feeding or competing with the rest of the pack… Instead, we film Luna, who does guard her food, but she also dangles from Denali's neck, chases Boltz through the den, watches (and remembers) every food cache in the Exhibit and tosses every hide that she can find. On occasion, she steals the gloves of staff and runs the Exhibit trying to elude staff. This is not what we expect from a pup who's feeling any discomfort.
Malik has been displaying some very juvenile behavior lately, which would be fine if he was a juvenile, but he is approaching 13 years of age. His juvenile behavior relates to his tendency to take possessions from the staff's head, pockets, hands and hair. His latest obsession is any staff member wearing a hair band; unfortunately while it's still attached to human hair. I experienced this first hand yesterday and while allowing Malik to floss with my hair may have been exciting for him, it's not a habit I want for wolf care. This experience is just a reminder that wolves are opportunistic and no matter what the age, don't become complacent.
Aidan had some great social dynamics with Luna. It is the season for pair bonding, even in a spayed and neutered exhibit, but Luna doesn't quite understand a tender social moment. When Aidan starts some behavior, it usually ends up with Luna jaw sparring and showing a bit more activity than Aidan intended. We've been observing a lot of ambush behavior from Aidan in the past few weeks. Most of it is social, he spends a lot of time trying to engage the other wolves in some behaviors and less time dominating Denali.
One behavior we've noticed about Boltz is that he is a bit mistrustful of anyone human or wolf around his food. His facial expressions usually include a timid stare, with some ear expression resulting in his ears going back. He is one of the oldest pups that we have socialized; at almost a month of age before meeting wolf care staff, he will probably never have the strong bond that we have with the other Exhibit Pack members.
Many of the staff call Denali a gentle giant. He is one of the biggest wolves we have managed, but unless you are involved with a food possession, he is very calm. Denali is observed spending time with Boltz and Luna, but typically it's to jaw spar or wrestle. The other day, I heard some high pitched whining from the Exhibit. When I came to the fence to see the issue, I found Luna on top of Denali doing a head shaking scruff bite. It was Denali letting out the distress whine.
There isn't much to report in retirement, Malik has been guarding a beaver for the last few days, keeping Shadow from entering the lower part of the den. This doesn't seem to bother Shadow much, he has been using the smaller alternate den at night, and during the day, he is content with the perch from the top of the den. Malik, while lower ranking, is very adept at keeping his food possessions. Chasing ravens also seems to be another trait of Maliks.
Denali is starting to act more like a pup than an adult. If we turn back the clock to the winter of 2008-2009, Grizzer did the same thing for Denali. The problem was, when Denali reached adulthood, there appeared to be very little respect for Grizzer, which is why Grizzer is not a member of the Exhibit Pack anymore. Boltz may have the same response for Denali in the future.
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