The pups are slowing down in weight gain, as metabolisms begin to change, they will still have spurts of growth, gaining 1/2 lb increments, but not on a daily basis.
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The following log was written by Nanny, Deb Lewis: Denali was so sleepy this afternoon that he had to be carried into the Pup 101 program. He soon woke up and began tussling with Aidan. Denalie tries to copy Aidan and jump up on the window ledge, but even though he is larger, his coordination is not quite there.
We may need to check the scale, but according to our initial recording, Maya is weighing in at 93.5 lb. She definitely eats most of the meals here along with Grizzer, but we will check her again later this month. Maya is still the best hunter in the pack, one minnow didn't survive the initial introduction, as Maya brought him to the surface and scent rolled on him.
Denali is 73 days old today and is about to hit 30 lbs in weight. He doesn't have as many food preferences as Aidan, and spends a significant amount of time sleeping. Denali also has a deeper howl than Aidan and frequently joins in on pack howls. We have added straw in front of the webcam area and are hoping that will draw the pups on camera more often.
The following logs were written by outgoing Team Leader Theresa Williams:<br> Today after a program (referencing Friday's program), the pups decided that the picnic table was a great place to take a nap. Aidan has figured out how to get up and down off of it, while Denali has been doing if for a couple of days. His fear of large crowds seems to be getting much better during the programs as he is not as anixous. It appears that beaver is still the food of choice.
The following logs were written by Nannies, Vicki Bomberger and Lynne Haines: <br> Grizzer, as all the ambassador wolves, has been very active during the cool weather. There were several chases all around the enclosure with all four wolves. Much of the chase interaction was with his sister Maya. Grizzer jumped over Maya during a chase prior to the Sunday evening feeding. Grizzer was quite anxious for the feeding to begin and several times bit, jumped and pulled at the gate where the food is brought in. After the carcass was brought in, none of the wolves showed extreme interest in the food, although Maya was intent on dragging the carcass towards the pup pen. Grizzer was initially chased off the carcass by Maya and Malik.
The following logs were written by Nannies, Vicki Bomberger and Lynne Haines.<br> Shadow continues to show protective concern for the pups with the arrival of new nanny teams. There was increased bark-howling over the weekend during the change over process. All four of the ambassador wolves have been active the last few days due to the cool weather, with noticeably increased activity prior to the Sunday night feeding. Shadow pawed at the auditorium glass several times just prior to the feeding.
Logs written by Lynne Haines and Sherrel Grabler:<br> Both pups were happy to see wolf care staff and nannies this morning. The pups ate most of a deer leg over the night. Aidan was not interested in eating gruel. Later he regurgitated a small amount of straw and fur. Aidan tried to cache a pig’s ear, then began digging in the dirt by the wolf lab. During the Behind the Scenes Program, Aidan was relaxed, keeping an eye on the audience from his perch on top of the picnic table. He also displayed a head-shake while grabbing Denali by the throat. Aidan occupied himself during the 11 am program by eating chicken, cheese and chasing a bug while Denali slept. The 5 pm program was a little more active, with Aidan trying to entice a deer leg away from Denali, but ultimately settling on a pig’s ear. Following the program, the pups were active, with Aidan chasing Denali, followed by jaw sparring, squashing, and standing over Denali.
Denali and Aidan alternated between hard play and deep naps all day. Written by Nanny Team Members Art & Vicki Bomberger: The pups were extremely active during the 5 PM program, but slept deeply through the 11AM and 3 PM programs. As part of the general action, Denali chewed on a deer leg and tried to cache his venison bratwurst on the sleeping pad and in the corner.
Lakota finally started to shed. Her pond was cleaned on Saturday morning and later she came back all wet, a sign that she had been in it. She is enjoying time out in the wolf enclosure in the mornings and after the last pup program. Meanwhile she often walks to the wolf lab window and peeks in, checking who is inside and probably attracted by the smell of her new favorite food, elk with melted cheese.
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