Denali has been the most tolerant when brushing the dense undercoat. He still has an issue with the rubber handle, but after a few disciplinary handling techniques by wolf care staff (canine lip pinch), he give up and allows the staff to brush. His pelage is much thicker with longer guard hairs than Aidan. Coat condition can be influenced by many things, genetics, nutrition and stress. Since Aidan and Denali are littermates, and their diet is nearly the same, we may be seeing the influence of social status.
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The Exhibit Pack does receive some enclosure enrichment activities to encourage them to be in view during the warmest parts of the day. The most common enrichment is the use of ice cubes in the pond, not only will it stimulate activity, but it encourages the wolves to swim in the pond an cool off. Even though Malik is not on display, and he has the right to sleep the whole day away if he wishes, he still enjoys some enclosure enrichment. This week's YouTube video shows an enrichment for both packs.
Shadow had a bit of a hard time with a Behind the Scenes program recently, showing some intense bark-howling. The hardest part about watching an animal decline is the psychological piece. Physically, it's easy to tell when an animal is weak, but how do you tell if a wolf loses confidence? The first place we start is ear posture, then we watch the tail posture, next comes the interaction, is the animal with the other animals, or does it remain elusive. Hours of observations will be needed to determine Shadow's psychological state before retirement.
Aidan's been more interactive with staff, even though his insecurities may lead to some jumping and grab biting. If staff spend enough time, he usually relaxes and becomes less of a target to the pack. It's a confusing issue, it's his nervous behavior that is perceived as a weakness by the rest of the pack, particularly Maya. But, being a focus of the pack makes him nervous. The best thing we can do is keep him calm and relaxed, and life is much better for him. In this week's photos, Aidan displays a behavior we call "Ears Pricked and Turned Sideways", a show of alertness mixed with a little intimidation. Of course, Maya had just strolled by before the photo was taken.
Denali is interesting to watch, unless you are one of the focuses of his many tests. For wolf care staff, a test can be a wolf jumping up, pushing or grabbing. This is discouraged, and generally doesn't occur, with the exception of younger wolves (let's say 2 year olds), that think they can test everything and anything. Wolf Care staff must always be alert to the fact that any wolf can test, but 2 year olds are more likely to find a place to practice rank order issues. In this week's photo, Grizzer is the focus of Denali's stand over and testing.
Grizzer has been showing tolerance of Denali and Aidan which is characteristic of his nature, but we are definitely seeing Grizzer's limits. Denali, while socially engaging, can be overwhelming. It will be interesting to see how these two males settle their rank order in the upcoming year, but at this point, we don't see Grizzer letting Denali take over.
It's the start of the 25th anniversary celebration weekend, and the Youtube Posting will be delayed until Monday to show some of the weekend events. Denali's testing seems to have reduced this week, with the exception of Maya interactions. Denali shows little respect for Maya as dominant, and that is something Maya doesn't seem to tolerate. Denali and Grizzer still spend a fair amount of time in social wrestling, and overall, have the most significant interactions in the pack.
Grizzer remains the biggest challenge for winter shedding. His undercoat is so thick, when the shedding starts, it comes out in long strips. This thick coat is also a challenge as the brush isn't long enough to even reach his undercoat. Fortunately, Grizzer is also extremely tolerant of brushing, and has been a receiving a lot of attention. You will be surprised when he's finished shedding, he will look like a different wolf.
Malik is really doing well, and the Retired Enclosure has had so many improvements in the last two years, it is really a relaxing environment for older wolves. We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to John Virr for making these improvements a reality. If it's a sunny day, Malik is most likely located in the tall pines, unfortunately, out of webcam range, but in a comfortable location for a wolf.
Aiden continues to show good focus on the deer leg during programs. He is showing some shyness towards male handlers and we are working on improving his acceptance of males in general. This is a slow process and will include giving the pups t-shirts with their scent and having them bring new treats every time they enter.
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