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.
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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.
In this week’s video, you will see Malik showing a defensive threat display, while Shadow stays back in higher tail posture. The one observation we notice is that when Grizzer is dominating Shadow, Malik jumps in to take a grab bite, but when Grizzer and Malik are interacting, Shadow doesn’t usually go after Malik. It’s an interesting dynamic between the littermates, which is why we our pup plans always include at least two pups. The social interactions of wolves for status are critical to the wild, and are a strong instinct in captivity. This behavior truly defines the wolf pack structure.
One classic Lakota behavior is a face wipe, when a wolf rubs its’ face on the ground or in the snow after feeding. This behavior may have a function in cleaning the face of blood and debris from carcass feeding, or it might just feel good. In Lakota’s case, it appears the feel good response is a high likelihood. The snow and cold has increased the activity level of the Retired pack, winter is truly the season for wolves.
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