The summer is nearing an end, and the cooler weather is a welcome relief for wolves. The logs are all the same today, As I write there is an approaching thunderstorm and I don't have much time. Aidan continues to show relaxed behavior coming in and out of the medical pen. Denali's increased interest in Oscar makes Oscar a bit nervous, but they are getting along well. Grizzer is very relaxed, and when Oscar returns from field trips, he play bows and rolls over at the fence line. Shadow is showing more dominance which is typical of this time of year. Malik is a bit nervous of the change in Shadow, but does respond with the appropriate body postures.
The summer is nearing an end, and the cooler weather is a welcome relief for wolves. The logs are all the same today, As I write there is an approaching thunderstorm and I don't have much time. Aidan continues to show relaxed behavior coming in and out of the medical pen. Denali's increased interest in Oscar makes Oscar a bit nervous, but they are getting along well. Grizzer is very relaxed, and when Oscar returns from field trips, he play bows and rolls over at the fence line. Shadow is showing more dominance which is typical of this time of year. Malik is a bit nervous of the change in Shadow, but does respond with the appropriate body postures.
Denali has been spending a lot of time watching and attempting to catch red squirrels. But, the red squirrels continue to elude him and chatter at him from high in the tree tops. Since we've had wolves on this site since 1989, we are probably seeing smarter squirrels. The fall migration of songbirds will be starting soon and for those that land in the enclosure, Denali will practice his hunting instincts.
We know Grizzer is feeling good when staff experience what we term as the Grizzer 500. This is where he races back and forth between the pack holding area and his new habitat. He may stop to playbow at staff, but if we're sitting on a rock, he might just jump over us. He may be middle-aged, but he still has a lot of spunk. The cinnamon treatments are continuing, but we are not seeing much hair growth, but the brown coloration gives him nice highlights and he likes the feeling when we rub his head. We will use lanolin if the skin starts to feel like it's drying out, but so far, his skin is very soft.
Shadow has had a lot of lone howls that seem to be directed at things beyond our fences. It is interesting to watch the response from the other wolves, they look, listen but don't respond, versus when we come in for wolf care and Shadow starts everyone howling, including Oscar (well bark squealing).
Shadow had a good treatment of fly ointment this week. When he was down in the underground den, I waited at the top of the den and was able to apply a good coat of ointment to both ears. The cedar oil continues to work well within the den, and we expect the fly season to diminish as the cooler fall weather arrives.
Denali has had his fill of deer this week, with a large torso fed on Saturday night and several days of caches, he didn't even get up to howl today. He chose to howl from a nice cool resting spot. Of course, it didn't help that the humidity was over 80% today, the news called it tropical. We call it miserable and so do the wolves who are growing a winter coat.
Grizzer has had a good week with a variety of staff. Due to some changes in teaching schedules, two of the staff came in on Thursday afternoon, after a full day of work. Grizzer got very excited, we were in the enclosure at a different time and smelled like a full day of work. He likes that kind of stimulus. We received an email from someone suggesting that we try castor oil on his skin. The cinnamon didn't have much of a response (probably because the wound is closed, so there's not much healing needed). We hope the castor oil will possibly stimulate the skin and hair follicles needed to give him a full head of hair. I bet he will scent roll with this treatment.
Malik has been trying his hardest to posture over Shadow, but Shadow is so good at body language, that it is a fruitless effort for Malik. He has been in a really good mood lately, showing no real anxiety. His favorite wolf care staff comes in tomorrow and we look forward to having some quality time with him. When staff go in, it is usually Shadow that dominates the visit.
It's the fall migratory bird season and Denali is actively on the hunt for unsuspecting birds. So far, he's been missing some, but this 80 degree heat has probably taken a toll on his agility. The trees are starting to turn colors, and we expect the peak to be in late September. Denali is very photogenic on the greeting rock with a backdrop of red maple.
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