Shadow is very conscientious about activity around the enclosure and some fresh scents from the air created some lone howling in response to those scents. It is a different tone than rally howls when staff arrive or more defensive howls when the Exhibit Pack is wrestling. The interesting thing is that the other wolves show no inclination towards responding. They listen, and look, but are quiet. Even after 25 years of wolf care, I am still amazed at the depth of their communication.
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Malik tried to scent roll on some beaver juice (left over scraps that sat in the sun too long), and he found himself in a vulnerable position when Shadow approached. Shadow is quick, observant and always looking for an opportunity to posture. While I didn't get video footage of this, I did observe Shadow and Malik racing under the garden hose when I was spraying the ground during a recent warm day. They looked like pups, running toward the mist, putting their heads down and squinting as they got wet. It is good to know that 11 years old wolves can still act like pups.
It's great to be back on the website with wolf logs. Sorry for the issues, we hope we have the problem solved. Aidan has had a good week, and has grown a considerably healthy winter coat. There have been a few Behind the Scenes tours for some special individuals, and Aidan dominates most of the wolf curator's time when she is lecturing. We do try to spend extra time with Denali, but Aidan reaps the benefit of a few extra hours of lecture.
With the colder nights, we have decreased the use of oils on Grizzer's head. We have found that his hair can get quite matted, and we want to make sure it stays dry and has some insulating value. We had another suggestion from a member to try melatonin supplements. We are having our Veterinarians review the research periodical, and may try this oral supplement. I was able to comb his hair over the new skin, and can nearly cover the area. He usually gets a think growth of winter hair, which is developing quickly. We don't have a concern for cold weather, last winter when the wound was stitched, he generated a lot of heat on his head and had no skin issues in the cold.
If Lakota was having a good week, then we would say that MacKenzie had a great week. Staff observed MacKenzie in some very social behavior, and some dominance behavior. It is great to see the social dynamics of these two as they reach 15 years of age. One questions asked of us, is when do you know if the older wolves are declining and would consider euthanasia. Our response is, as long as the wolves are demonstrating social interactive behavior, and the pains of old age are under control, we will continue to support these two wolves that have given so much to the visitors to the Center. I would also like to make a note to the Nannies selected for this year’s pups. We are still juggling teams, and once the teams are set, we will send out a briefing packet to each team member (probably by email), so teams can have some opportunity to converse prior to arrival and possibly offer to carpool to Ely.
We have some great observations of Shadow and Malik feeding together, something that isn't always the case in retirement. Shadow is very stimulated by the smell of wolf care staff and has shown some increased tolerance to staff that would normally see the more dominant side of Shadow's personality.
Happy President’s Day, Due to the Holiday, all of the logs will be the same posting today: The Nanny selection process has been completed and award letters were mailed on the 15th of February. We are still in the selection process for the Behavioral Observation program, and have extended the deadline until April 15th. We intend to have the Behavioral Observation award letters for those current applicants sent by February 22nd. Please be patient, as this is a very important task. We want to make sure we have a good fit for each crew to have the most positive experience for the pups. One other comment relates to a new face you may be seeing on the Exhibit Pack webcam. After 6 months of training, work with the Retired Pack and an opportunity to gain Shadow’s trust, Don Gossett and Sharee Johnson have been successfully integrated in the Exhibit Pack as a Level I wolf care staff. Shadow was a bit hesitant at first, but has been very responsive to the newest staff members. Being a Level I handler means that they must always be accompanied by a Level III for safety, with a Level 2 for backup. So, when new staff are in the enclosure, you are likely to see 3 or 4 staff. We want to make sure that all staff that will be handling pups are perceived as part of the program by Shadow and Maya. If a staff person is not trusted by Shadow, and they are observed handling the pups, it can create an aggressive situation. This is why we are so stringent on the Nanny program, it is critical to the social dynamics of the wolf yard that all people interacting with the pups respect the adult wolves, especially Shadow. Remember, this pup introduction’s purpose is to maintain a socially cohesive pack.
Grizzer's video this week displays a behavior we term "Shadowing". This is an intimidation factor to make another wolf more submissive. You will see Grizzer walking up the hill behind Malik, with Malik showing a submissive ear posture. Although, Grizzer is not that focused and is distracted by a scent in one of the beds. Grizzer's picture this weeks shows a confident "T2" tail, which means it is held straight back, but it did drop to a T3 (below the back) when he approached Shadow for a pack rally.
It has been an interesting winter for wolf observations, seeing Shadow start the winter with some intimidation and loss of confidence to the recent observations, not only showing him dominant, but comfortable in his dominance that he interacts socially, playbowing to Grizzer. With the warm weather this weekend, it’s hard not to think about spring. We have been planning for pups since November of 2006, with management plans, vet plans, site selection process and staffing changes. Now, it’s hard to believe pups are only months away. We are very excited and we know that Shadow and Maya will be great wolf parents. We appreciate everyone’s willingness to work with us, even though we’ve instituted some new stricter policies on the Nanny program. Every decision we make, we make with the wolves as the first priority. They don’t have a voice (although they do have a good howl as Malik demonstrates in this week’s video)… The Wolf Care Staff have to be their voice. As a reminder, Nanny and Behavioral Observation applications are still being accepted until February 1st. We are willing to accept the application as an email attachment.
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