Shadow has been very calm lately. It probably has a lot to do with Grizzer being occupied mid week by a beaver or two. One thing that is noticeable about Shadow as the dominant animal, he has a calm personality, he is social but assertive when necessary. Malik gets anxious and spends a significant amount of time in a ruffled state (hackles up…) Shadow always appears to be in control. In this week’s video for Shadow, you will notice one specific wolf social rule… Possession is based on who is on a carcass, not based on who is more dominant. Any pack member, regardless of rank can guard food from another pack member, as long as they maintain possession. Grizzer demonstrates this in Shadow’s video clip.
In this week’s photo, you will see Malik doing a threat display to Grizzer. Maya intently watches, and only gets involved if the excitement level escalates. This was a short, but noisy dominance ritual, that was likely caused by some anxiety over holding pen use and a large truck in the wolf yard that delivered rocks. Initially, we thought Grizzer started this dominance, but as we go through the photos, it appears that Malik went after Shadow, with Grizzer on Shadow, then switching to Malik. There was one bite wound behind Malik’s shoulder and on Grizzer’s muzzle. As a precaution and because Malik is nearing 8 years old, he was started on anti-biotic. The wolf care staff is very aware of the negative influence of activity in the wolf yard, and is doing a significant amount of planning to reduce the stress as much as possible, yet be able to get the necessary work done.
Written by Workin' For Wolves participants Tina and Ed Stimpson: This weekend, participants placed rocks and logs around the pond in the Exhibit Pack enclosure. Grizzer was very interested in the new things that were placed in the enclosure. This week's video shows Grizzer investigating a moose carcass that was fed to the wolves during Saturday night's What's For Dinner program.
Written by Workin' For Wolves program participants Wendy Watson and Ronnie Daniels: Shadow continues to be nervous and aware of surroundings with the Workin' For Wolves program, though there was no bark-howling this weekend. Notice his calm approach to approach and greet Grizzer in this week's video clip, wth Grizzer doing a tail wag.
Malik’s had a good week; the straw bales added to the enclosure are a real comfort to these middle-aged wolves. As the temperatures dipped to 22 below zero Fahrenheit, the wolves in the wild may be bedding down in fresh fallen snow, in captivity, were the snow may become compacted; they depend upon the insulating effect of new straw. We would like to thank members Andi Nelson and Teresa Williams for their recent donation of 30 straw bales, it is critical to the quality care the wolves deserve.
As the whitetail deer season came to a close a few weeks ago, so did the extra scraps and ribcages that the wolves so enjoy. These items are fed upon by wolves and ravens alike, and webcam watchers may have viewed the flocks of ravens at the greeting rock in the past weeks. These ravens are usually faster than the wolves, but last week, 2 ravens were found dead in the enclosure. Maya continues to be a dominant member of this pack, and her excitement sends the entire pack in a rallying mode. One thing that the wolf care staff tries to be aware of is the relationship between individual wolves. This includes who’s resting in close proximity to one another and who initiates play behavior or spends the most time on the den site (the highest point in the enclosure, often a status area). Maya and Shadow take the lead on who gets the top spot.
Shadow’s video this week is a clip of the pack howling. One of the reasons the wolf care staff wanted cameras to focus on the den and the greeting rock, related to the opportunity for watching the actions of the wolves without staff in the enclosure. The den and the greeting rock are high points in the enclosure; the wolf that dominates time in these areas is the wolf that typically is displaying more confidence and dominance. Last week, staff watched a stand-off between Shadow and Grizzer, after a few moments of averting gazes, Grizzer moved to the lower rocks. It’s these subtle behaviors that make wolves the complex social pack member identified in many research projects. You may have noticed on the webcam that Shadow has a slight limp. Over the weekend, he may have pulled a ligament from jumping on or climbing off of rocks. Wolf care staff are monitoring him closely and have placed him on an anti-inflammatory medication.
When we got the call last Sunday from the education intern about one of the arctic wolves limping, there was a sinking feeling that it was Shadow the dominant wolf. The challenges of treating a dominant wolf are quite different than any other ranking pack member, and Shadow is a critical component to the successful introduction of the pups in 2008. It is critical that the dominant wolf is not separated or removed from the lower ranking members, as they see this as an opportunity to move up in rank. It is also critical that during inspections or treatments, the dominant wolf is not shown to be vulnerable in front of the other wolves. In early attempts to inspect Shadow, Grizzer was placed in holding, but when he was released, he redirected aggression towards both Shadow and Malik for being separated. Staff needed to be creative to ensure that Shadow received treatments without agitating Grizzer. In addition to this challenge, Shadow decided to stop taking meatballs (he and Lakota must be up to something)… So, Shadow's daily anti-inflammatory and his twice daily antibiotics are now delivered in a small slice of butter. We have also added his cosequin to the butter ball and have decided to place him on Durlactin as well. Hopefully this meatball phase will end soon, but for the current bout of treatments, Shadow takes his pills well. He is definitely healing, feeling better and still in charge of the pack.
Shadow is getting tested by both Malik and Grizzer, and while they are intense and cause him some tucked-tail anxiety, he seems to be maintaining a calm disposition, He and Maya continue to have a good social relationship, and Maya always seems to be able to take food from Shadow. You may notice the video clips are not on the site today. Our camera is in the shop and is estimated to return in 2 – 4 weeks.
Lakota has been actively excavating her den hole; fortunately the “Workin’ for Wolves crew used long stringers to support the birch logs covering the hole. Her suture site has healed and her hair has grown completely over the scar. Winter is the time for increased activity in the Exhibit Pack, which results in some interest from the Retired Pack. With leaf fall, they have a direct view through the fences and are frequently walking the fence line in response to the activity. This is good stimulus for wolves approaching 15 years of age.
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.