Malik is doing very well, and showing some high tail responses when the pack rallies. He is still a bit testing of Grizzer, but when Grizzer does chase, Malik displays the right body postures. A recent visit the Retired Enclosure showed strong interest in the new den by both Shadow and Malik. Grizzer is still a bit concerned about the den, but he has a few years before retirement. We are very watchful of Malik's situation, and will be keying into T-4 tail postures, his ability to feed on the carcass (of course, when Denali is satiated…), his willingness to participate in howling bouts and his sleeping associations. As of this posting, he is very much a part of the pack, and wants to be in the mix.
Maya continues to perplex us with her behavior. One minute, she is very docile, with a significant amount of whining and social greeting, the next minute, she's dominating and growling to not only Aidan, but lately, Grizzer has been getting her attention. She is still very submissive to Shadow, and often paws in his face, actively running with him, as he tries to get some space. You may notice from Maya's picture, she has a bite wound under her chin. This was from Aidan, after a very intense dominance session initiated by Maya. Maya's been on antibiotics 3 times a day since last Tuesday. The bite seemed to affect her psychologically for about a day; she was subdued, and probably a bit pained. But, by the second day, she was back to her old self. It's a tough wound to heal as it is prone to opening, although that is good for drainage, and as you can see from the photo, she can still pick up a 25 lb beaver. One note to all wolf log readers, we are experiencing some difficulty with video editing software. The curator has purchased a new computer and an upgrade of software, but it may not be arriving for a few days. Please be patient, we know the importance of the video, and will solve it before the next YouTube is due on September 1st. In the meantime, a podcast is being produced today, discussing the behavioral observations of the summer Ethology and Pups at One Year participants.
Malik and Grizzer had a scuffle last Sunday that resulted in a puncture wound to the back of Malik's thigh,and a week of antibiotics. After further investigation, it was believed to be triggered by a dog that was tied to the kiosk in the front of the building that had a high pitch bark for over 5 minutes before one of the staff discovered it, located the owners in the building and brought the dog into the office area. When there's tension in the rank order, it doesn't take much to trigger redirection, a barking dog creates tension. Malik is still interacting with the pack well, even though he and Grizzer have their moments. We are closely monitoring this, and as soon as Malik seems too stressed, he will retire. But at this time, he shows posture of high tail, stays with the group, and howls with the pack, all good signs.
Contractors recently finished a solid wood fence blocking the view of the wolf enclosure near the temporary entrance. Within days, the educators noted that Shadow no longer seemed to lay on the top of the hill staring at the entrance door, which we knew was a cause for anxiety. He is now relaxing throughout the enclosure, and we are grateful to the International Wolf Center Board Members who personally donated money to complete this fence, and to Board Member Paul Anderson for drawing the architectural design. This effort could make the difference on the reduction of redirected aggression toward Malik. We know Shadow is more relaxed, and that makes Grizzer more relaxed. There is one thing to record from an observation today, after getting up from the den, Shadow did a standing urination. It could be something, or it could be nothing, but this dominant wolf in most other observations, does a Raised Leg Urination, a standing urination could be a sign of a change in confidence, or it might just be that he had to go. But, this is the subtle things we have to watch for in observations. One note to all wolf log readers, we are experiencing some difficulty with video editing software. The curator has purchased a new computer and an upgrade of software, but it may not be arriving for a few days. Please be patient, we know the importance of the video, and will solve it before the next YouTube is due on September 1st. In the meantime, a podcast is being produced today, discussing the behavioral observations of the summer Ethology and Pups at One Year participants.
Shadow has been really enjoying the time the pack spends in retirement. He races around the enclosure, swims in the pond and climbs on the den. Although, he still doesn't appear ready for retirement, when the transition occurs, he should do well. Shadow continues to be a source of focus for Aidan, when Aidan is very stressed, he seeks Shadow out, and often does a behavior called "Obnoxious Submission", where Aidan paws, licks, jumps and generally gets in Shadow's face. Shadow responds by dominating Aidan, showing Aidan that he has a place in the pack.
As we reported last week, Shadow's weight is down to 84.66 lbs. When staff handle him, they notice his frame is very bony and he is starting to lose muscle mass. His attitude is still very strong, but the years of being dominant are taking their toll on his physical structure. With the additional feedings during the week, we hope this increases his food intake. It's not uncommon for a wolf at this age to begin to show physical declines, it's just hard when he isn't showing a mental decline that would lead him to retirement.
It seems that we write about the same issues for Aidan each week, but they are prominent in his world and continue to be the issue of Maya showing dominance over Aidan. Aidan's adapted quite well, and while we had some holding pen issues with Aidan last week, Saturday night's feeding was calm, with all wolves going into holding. Aidan is very alert to the construction noise, but doesn't show the kind of fear avoidance that is observed in Denali. Aidan wants reassurance that he is part of this pack, and he seeks this from Shadow and Grizzer. While he's been refraining from howling with the pack, due to the tendency of Maya to redirect after a howl, he was observed howling with the pack during the Sunday night "Wolf Howl" program, a high pitched squeaky howl, but a howl just the same. In Aidan's video this week, you'll see him looking for reassurance from Grizzer while Grizzer is pinning Denali, then Aidan decides to sit on Denali, in what the Ethogram codes as a squash.
This week's video of Shadow shows the kind of anxiety that external noise creates on a wolf exhibit. His ear postures change rapidly, going from ears perked forward in interest, and ears back in intimidation. It's his job to guard the pack, and with people on the roof, the sound of nail guns, backhoes, ladders, people talking, and the daily visitors to the Center, he's having a hard time of it lately. The construction should be done by October, around the same time the Center moves to weekend public visitation hours. The other factor that is challenging is the heat. While July was one of the coolest months on record, September is starting out very atypical, daily temperatures during late August and early September are in the upper 70's and 80's, with high humidity and limited wind. While wolves can adapt to heat in the summer by staying inactive and panting, as well as shedding their undercoat. The problem at this time of the year is that the wolves have begun growing back their winter undercoat, so heat in September is a problem. October will be a welcome month, construction is done, and hopefully snow will be right around the corner. Shadow's video on that day will be much different.
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. The wolf care staff managed to get weights this week, Aidan weighed in at 103 lbs, still below his April weight of 106, but gaining 2 lbs since August. He does get a fair amount of exercise eluding Maya, so he is bound to be slower in weight gain. Otherwise, Aidan continues to get redirected aggression for the dominants, Shadow and Maya that are a bit stressed by the construction noise. The scheduled completion date for the roof project is October 1st. Fortunately, we have had warm weather this month which helps keep them lethargic and out of trouble. In preparation for a fall retirement, we have been using the smaller medical pen next to the lab to let the wolves become familiar with the pen. In the event that Malik needs to be moved into retirement, we want to be able to draw Grizzer and the yearlings into the medical pen, which is farther away from the gate to retirement. Aidan enjoys this pen, and spends several hours a week resting near the lab door.
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. Shadow has gained at least 3 lbs since July, and we hope to increase his weight with new protocol of evening feedings mid-week. Last week, he again claimed a beaver and was able to eat immediately upon feeding. His tension level is high, but manageable, as long as we don't do anything in the wolf yard that is too noisy or too unfamiliar.
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