Nov. 13, 2019

Exhibit Pack Log November 13, 2019

With Height Comes Advantage

In Ely, the snow is here to stay for the season. During the colder months, wolf care staff will provide insulating cover hay on top of the pond pump housing, dens, and in front of the observation windows. The wolves will often sleep in the hay on top of the pump housing and dens, because being up higher gives them better access to the sun’s warmth. Height is also something that the wolves utilize to gain power. Grayson often vocalizes from on top of the pump housing, and postures over whoever is resting near him in an attempt to gain status. In this photo, you can see Grayson on top of the pump housing, exhibiting a T-2 tail.  Notice Axel’s tail, which is turned down slightly in response to Grayson.

Nov. 7, 2019

Luna has been more receptive to body work as of late, she seems to be feeling better now that she is on anti-inflammatory medication. She is certainly mobile, eating well, and greeting wolf care staff daily. Staff continue to watch for decline, but as of now she continues to be stable.

You may notice some new balsam fir trees in the Pack Holding Area behind Luna… some of the dead trees/ large shrubs had to be removed for the construction project to happen. Instead of planting new trees and risking Grizzer and Luna digging them up, Staff created concrete bases with PVC pipes inside, and simply stuck some cut balsam in the pipes to secure them down. When the trees eventually lose their needles, they can easily be replaced with fresh ones. This will provide some good cover for the 2020 pups, as they will be spending a good deal of time in the Pack Holding Area when they are old enough to be outside.

This log was written by Leanne Martin

Nov. 7, 2019

Colder Weather Intensifies Pack Dynamics

Snow has arrived in Ely, and it appears Boltz has gained some confidence. Colder weather usually heightens intensity of ritualized dominance in the Pack. In this photo, Boltz is staring at Axel and Grayson and exhibiting a slight lip curl along with pricked ears and a T-2 tail. Notice Grayson’s ears, they are pulled back in a submissive posture. If you look closely, you will spot Denali in the distance behind Boltz. Axel and Grayson have been focusing on and testing Denali for weakness. One of Boltz’s roles as a mid-ranking wolf is to take some of Axel and Grayson’s focus off Denali. Despite the focus of the younger wolves, Denali is still engaged socially with the rest of the Pack, and not quite ready for retirement yet.

This log was written by Leanne Martin

Oct. 31, 2019

Wild wolf appears to be visiting the enclosure

Boltz. Photograph courtesy of Kelly Godfrey

The leaves are falling fast, and so are the daily temperatures. Earlier this week, Ely got a light dusting of snow, which melted later in the day. The sunsets as of late have been incredible, with the sun hitting and highlighting the remaining leaves of Fall.

The Exhibit Pack has been heard howling frequently these past couple days, and they seem focused on the back fence line of the enclosure. There have been reports of a wild wolf hanging around the area, and this could be a possible explanation for the behavior. Even in captivity, wolves are territorial and highly aware of things going on around them.

Special thanks to Kelly Godfrey, who took the two photographs in this post.

 

Oct. 31, 2019

Improvements continue

The construction work to improve the life of the retired wolves, the 2020 pups and the humans who spend many nights caring for them all continues.

Luna and Grizzer are tolerating the temporary change of routine and enjoyed watching the Working for Wolves crew install some snow and wind breaks in the adjacent transition area.

Luna has taken to lying on top of the back-habitat den, watching her surroundings from the higher vantage point.  Despite her cancer, she is still very alert, wants to interact with the wolf care staff and has a good appetite. She is now on anti-inflammatory medication, which has improved her mobility and overall comfort.

Grizzer seems to have a bit of a spring in his step and has been observed running excited circles around the back den. While age may have slowed him down physically, age hasn’t slowed him down mentally. Grizzer will be turning 15 ½ on Nov. 5. He only has a few weeks to go before taking over the record of the oldest wolf managed at the International Wolf Center.  This honor was previously held by Lakota – April 28, 1993 – Nov. 7, 2008.

Oct. 17, 2019

Fall has arrived with dynamic colors on the maple trees and some dynamic behavior from the young adults.  In this photo, Axel is doing a ride up on Denali with his tail extended above his back in what we term a T-1 tail.  At 11 years of age, Denali maintains a wide stance for support, but his wagging tail held in a relaxed position demonstrates the lack of concern about these interactions.  Grayson is coming around the tree in an intimidated ear posture called Ears Turned Sideways and Slanted Back or ETSB if you are familiar with our Ethogram codes.  Grayson’s expression is more of intimidation likely in response to his brother’s dominant posture.  Notice Boltz is not in the mix; he has been using the medical pen and den to avoid some conflict with Axel.  He’s still an active pack member, just a bit more cautious when Axel’s tail extends above the back.

Oct. 17, 2019

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Oct. 17, 2019

Luna’s challenges related to cancer are closely monitored

Management of the Retired Pack after Aidan’s loss is significantly different.  Aidan’s strong personality limited the number of handlers that interacted, impacting the dynamics of the social group.  Now, most handlers are interacting with Grizzer and Luna, giving them far more social time.  The time and staff are well needed as we manage Luna’s challenges from her cancer and try to monitor every nuance in Grizzer’s activity to identify any age-specific issues.  Luna is not only monitored by the Center’s surveillance cameras, we also have a ring camera that connects directly to the curator’s phone to assess how well she is resting in the transition area.  We are making some upgrades to retirement to protect the retired wolves from deep snow issues and improve overall monitoring opportunities for the upcoming winter.  With snow on the ground this weekend, improvements can’t come fast enough.

Oct. 17, 2019

Fall has arrived in Ely

Fall has arrived with dynamic colors on the maple trees and some dynamic behavior from the young adults.  In this photo, Axel is doing a ride up on Denali with his tail extended above his back in what we term a T-1 tail.  At 11 years of age, Denali maintains a wide stance for support, but his wagging tail held in a relaxed position demonstrates the lack of concern about these interactions.  Grayson is coming around the tree in an intimidated ear posture called Ears Turned Sideways and Slanted Back or ETSB if you are familiar with our Ethogram codes.  Grayson’s expression is more of intimidation likely in response to his brother’s dominant posture.  Notice Boltz is not in the mix; he has been using the medical pen and den to avoid some conflict with Axel.  He’s still an active pack member, just a bit more cautious when Axel’s tail extends above the back.

Aidan – 4/27/08 – 8/14/2019

We acquired Aidan and Denali from the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake Minnesota as 12 day old pups and began the process of socialization that allowed us to experience one of the most incredible and complex individuals in my 30+ year captive wolf career.   Aidan passed away on Wednesday, August 14th at 11 am.  We are still awaiting the necropsy report and hope to learn more about his condition to help us understand what happened and to evaluate all of his medical history and various medical decisions made on his behalf.  The more we can learn, the better we can manage the remaining ambassador wolves, especially Aidan’s brother Denali.  This photo was of the first night in Ely after returning from the Science Center.  He spent the night on our Assistant Wolf Curator’s carhart coat.