Denali has been testing every pack mate in the exhibit. He follows behind wolves and gives them a foreleg stab, poking at them until he gets a response. If Shadow is dominating Grizzer, he does a ride up or scruff bite behavior. He prances and stimulates chase behavior and is quick to guard a food cache, or any object that is near his face. All in all, he's a typical yearling, and the behavior of the wolves is to ignore him, until he's too much, and then deal with him. Grizzer has recently started rolling him over and doing a neck pin, holding Denali to the ground until he submits, but usually, he just springs back up again. Aidan has been observed trying to squash Denali as a method of dominance. This scenario can be viewed in Denali and Aidan's video this week.
As the last YouTube video highlighted, staff are actively looking for signs that Malik wants to be retired out of the pack. At this point, we're not seeing any signs of isolationism, intimidation, tucked tail or harassment directed at Malik. We're seeing Malik take advantage of Grizzer and Grizzer responding, but at this point, Shadow's been so dominant on Grizzer that Malik has been gaining status and is frequently in a high tail. One thing is for sure, if Shadow needs to be retired, Malik will need to go with him, as Shadow is Malik's source of confidence.
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.
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. Denali weighed in at 111 lbs, but he is still long and lean. Denali has increased his testing behavior towards Grizzer, especially when Grizzer is being dominated by Shadow. Denali uses his long legs to reach a paw in and foreleg stab any wolf that is in front of him.
Denali is displaying classic yearling behavior, testing every chance he gets. And, in a true form of a yearling, runs and hides behind wolf care staff if he gets in too much trouble. He has mastered the foreleg stab, which is when a wolf pushes or pokes something with a stiff front leg. Every pack member knows when Denali is in a testing mode, even Shadow has been the recipient of this over active juvenile. The difference between Denali and Aidan is that Aidan gets so much dominance from Maya that he is hesitant to test. Denali isn't getting much dominance from any of the pack, so he has no limits to his testing. Shadow is stern when Denali annoys him, but he doesn't follow through to make him submit.
Maya has really become a clear leader of this pack, and Shadow has not shown any concern about the change. She is still very socially pair-bonded to Shadow, but she does take control of the yearlings more than Shadow does. Of course, Aidan is the main focus, but staff also observed her showing some posturing and intense threat displays towards Denali. This may be an important key to the male rank order and the future relationships within the pack.
Shadow has been more relaxed with staff than he's ever been. He greets wolf care staff with a heightened level of excitement, and has been more accepting of multiple staff in the enclosure. He is still clearly in charge, but with Maya taking an active role in dominance over the yearlings, he seems to be more relaxed. He definitely can and will dominate the yearlings, but often, he just stays back and watches the interactions, with the exception of Grizzer. When Grizzer shows more status over another wolf, Shadow is quickly there to remind Grizzer about the true pack leader.
Aidan has been calmer since pack activity has calmed down. Finishing the roof project has helped significantly reduce pack tension. Aidan is very social to wolf care staff, seeking out their attention more than any other wolf, although, he still has a tendency to nip people from behind when he's nervous, or if people don't pay attention to him. This is a potentially serious behavioral problem, and we need to be consistent in handling. He does give off behavioral cues when he is anxious, so wolf care staff need to be diligent in observing these cues.
The wolf logs will all be the same today, we would like to thank all of the wolf care supporters this past year. From the significant donations to the Water in the Lab fund to the vitamins and nutritional supplements, straw, squeaky toys, pigs ears, blueberries, tools, jump drives, web cams and many more items that are donated to the lab each year, we are so grateful there are so many people who help support the Retired and Exhibit Pack. There are too many names to mention, but you know who you are. We can always count on you when the wolves are in need. We are happy to report that all is well on this New Years Day, 2008. The Exhibit Pack received 2 frozen fish from a recent fishing trip, one caught by Assistant Wolf Curator, Donna Prichard and one caught by Lori Schmidt, Wolf Curator. Grizzer and Maya enjoyed rolling on them. The retired wolves are doing well, excited about the thawing of two deer legs for a mid-week feeding. The Nanny applications are posted on the website, they can be found on the Programs tab, look in Wolf Seminars or Learning Vacations – Northern Minnesota. We did institute a prerequisite program for the Nanny program this year, we did this based on some experiences that we had in 2004. Wolf pups are not dog pups, and we want to make sure nannies have to skills knowledge and abilities to assist in the socialization process. This is an historic time for the International Wolf Center, 2008 will mark the first time the Center has had three age structures in a pack and we want to make sure the best interest of the pups and the pack in mind as we move forward. If you have questions about the Nanny program, please email the curator directly at curator@wolf.org
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.