We started Aidan on a Derm Cap supplement this weekend. This will be a daily supplement to improve his coat condition. Compared to Denali, his guard hairs are not as thick or smooth. This may be related to added stress of Maya's dominance, but we notice issues with his digestion as well. Last week, we fed some beef to the pack, and Aidan had some significant digestive problems. The pack is back to the standards of deer and beaver as the main source of food.
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Denali is really increasing in height, his long lanky legs make him a bit uncoordinated, but he manages to coordinate his efforts to get enough food every week. He is the most active on the bi-weekly feeding programs, and will always take a meal. There are noticeable signs of Denali doing more ride-up behaviors, as an indication of testing behavior, but Shadow is very much in control off all situations. Denali seems to respect Shadow, although he continues to use Grizzer as a chew toy.
Denali is really developing a long sleek coat. Wolves shed around early to mid-June, then by the middle of August, begin to grow in the undercoat that makes their guard hairs more prominent. Denali is an active yearling, testing whoever allows it. At this point, that's Grizzer, as every other wolf, including Aidan, give Denali a hard muzzle bite when he pokes them, rides up on them, or generally annoys them. So far, Denali continues to be the most food focused of all the pack members, and even with beaver fed on Wednesday's, and a deer on the weekend, wolf care staff have yet to take out any uneaten, rotting food.
Shadow has shown tolerance for the construction, and a strong leadership when other pack members are anxious. The main issues that get the pack upset are people walking up to the fence, the crane rising over the building, and when people other than staff howl to the wolves. Despite a very hectic summer for wolves, Shadow is clearly the leader, and still retains respect from every other pack member. One thing that is noted, is that Shadow continues to be very dominant over Grizzer, keeping the 2nd ranking male from showing any signs of climbing rank.
Someone recently asked Denali's height at the shoulders. It's difficult to measure him as he thinks anything that is dangling in front of him should be his possession, but based on his height against the curator's leg, he is 33 inches at the shoulder. This is taller than any of the other wolves. If we can get enough wolf care staff together, we will get weights on them in the next week. Denali continues to escape the dominance from Maya or Shadow, which leaves him free to mount from behind, do a foreleg stab on any wolf that is busy, and generally, be an obnoxious yearling. We hope he grows out of this, but there are indications that this is his personality trait.
Grizzer has mastered the eye stalk. This is where a wolf just uses direct eye contact to get the desired result, usually, another wolf showing timid ear posture and dropping their tail. Of course, the object of his stare's is Malik, and Malik responds as a lower ranking wolf should. Grizzer still has issues with the anticipation of feeding, tonight while in holding, at least 6 small trees were snapped off, yet when he's out with the deer, he didn't approach, but wrestled with Aidan instead.
Due to the fact that we're a bit short staffed, and it's been a busy weekend with the Alpha Member's/Board Meeting weekend, we will be posting the same log for all wolves. The video this week will be featured on the International Wolf Center's YouTube video channel, and will include a video on the factors we monitor when deciding a wolf needs to be retired, and a feeding program that we did without public viewing. Usually, when we feed, the public is on site with people at the windows. Shadow is a bit shy about feeding in front of people and cameras. On Tuesday night, September 8th, the Vermilion Community College Wolf/Deer Interaction class did a deer dissection, and Curator, Lori Schmidt fed the torso after everyone had left the site. Shadow was the actively feeding the entire time, and was very dominant on the carcass. All wolves are doing well, although this unexpected 80 degree weather in September has been keeping the wolves calm. They have grown in their winter coat, and are adapting to the heat by staying down for most of the day.
In preparation for the transition to the new log format, we will be posting a YouTube video on a weekly basis, rather than the 20 second clips linked in the weekly log posting. This format should give a better appreciation for the tone of the pack, rather than the individual wolf. There may be a 1 – 2 day delay in the YouTube video posting after the wolf log postings. We still don't have a weight on Malik, he's too nervous to stand on the scale and wonder what's behind him. We will likely have to wait until retirement to get him weighed. Malik has been doing well, despite his tendency to try to bite Grizzer when Shadow has Grizzer on the ground. Grizzer may get up and chase Malik, but so far, we haven't observed any focused behavior from Grizzer to Malik. We would like to convince Malik that it's in his best interest to stay as the 3rd ranking male and not try to gain status over Grizzer, but a wolf is going to do what a wolf is going to do. We have a management plan for retirement, and are watching Malik's behavior to see when he no longer wants to be part of the pack, but he gains so much confidence from Shadow, it's apparent that he is part of this pack structure. Our hope is that once the construction and dawn to dusk noise is over that Shadow will relax, making the rest of the pack relax.
Grizzer remains calm despite his participation in solicited and unsolicited attention from Shadow and Denali. Shadow works very hard to remind Grizzer of his status, and Grizzer willingly submits to Shadow without any indication of testing. Grizzer is tolerant of Denali, but at times, he just wants to seek refuge from him. Grizzer's favorite location is inside the slate den, where he tries to back himself into a corner to face Denali. Overall, the interactions end on a social note. Maya still has some unique littermate bond with Grizzer, and while she can redirect to him as well, they generally share some social moments.
Maya has the most interesting facial expressions when interacting with the pack. She continues to ride up on Shadow, licking him in the face and showing her bond with him. When she's interacting with Grizzer, she reverts back to littermate competition, and does show Grizzer her more dominant side. Her intensity for Aidan is most noticeable with her eye stalk, followed by a physical stalking and lunge, and staff can tell when her tolerance for Denali is running low. But, Maya also shows a timid side, whining to staff and seeking attention and reassurance, which is the nature of a social pack animal.
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