Sorry for the delay in logs, there was an extreme thunderstorm here that knocked out the server for the webcams and caused the lab computers to be in the shut down mode for a while. The pups are active and healthy, and we are in the process of setting up a portable webcam to keep up with them as their time indoors is diminishing. They want to be out and play in the wolf yard. I received an email inquiring about the pups and Lakota. We will not be placing the pups with Lakota, for two reasons: # 1 – they scare here.. she sees them at the gate, and they get nose to nose contact, but when they start to wrestle and growl, she backs off. # 2 – Shadow is very possessive of the pups, as the Nannies have experienced. We have some good cohesive behavior between the pups and the Exhibit Pack, if Shadow or Maya see the pups interacting with Lakota, they may peceive them as hers, and may be less enthusiastic about the introduction. So far, Lakota likes coming to the fence to be part of the action, but she also likes to the freedom to walk back into the Retired enclosure. When the pups are sleeping and in the lab kennel, Lakota gets free reign of the wolf yard, and she sniffs everywhere the pups have been.
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The most noteable behavior from the Exhibit Pack, other than the more intense social behavior is their increase in appetite. This must be a side effect of prolactin hormone, this pack has never eaten so well. Malik had a large cache in front of the pack holding area and has been actively guarding it from Grizzer today. Malik and Shadow also found a one of Lakota's cache's of Liver and the both rolled in it, leaving a large liver streak on their white hair.
Maya continues to be the most social with the pups. She did a full submossive roll over at the gate, presenting and lifting her back leg to Attila who was at the gate before a program. Attila responded by rolling over, pawing up at Maya and whining. Of course, this was all through two protective fences, but in less than 2 months, this will likely be the behaviors that we see the pups display.
You may notice some inconsistency with the length measurements, there is a standard for measuring a pup, from the Sagital Crest at the top of the skull (with the head facing down at a 90 degree angle) to the base of the tail, unfortunately, pups wiggle and make it difficult to measure. But, weights are accurate, and we can tell you that they are growing. The most noticeable growth is in their paws and their ears, they are starting that ackward stage, where pups trip over their feet. Red Paw continues to eat well, and enjoys the latest round of stimuli, the moose skull. Every day, wolf care staff bring new items that make them more stimulated, and today's item comes from a road kill moose acquired by the Vermilion Community College Moose class.
Attila had a great appetite for the night shift last night, eating 9 ounces of gruel. This is a change for him, as he can be a light eater. The outdoor exercise before and after programs can be a stimulus for a better appetite. There is much more submissive pawing at the adults and both Attila and Red Paw continue to submit readily to the adult wolves and to staff. One of the more noteable behaviors today is the increased evidence of predatory behavior displayed by Attila. He is very focused on sound and fast movement. His first response is to tuck his tail, bolt away, then turn around and face the source with ears perked forward. He is also noted to be doing more running and snapping at Red Paw, but Red Paw shows very little concern about this.
Grizzer has been acting more submissive to Shadow and on occasions Malik. In this week’s photo, you see an intimidated ear posture on Shadow and starting on Grizzer. This is most likely a response to the camera lens. Wolves use direct eye contact to show dominance and the lens of the camera looks like a big eye. When pointed directly at them, wolves usually show signs of intimidation. Grizzer has started to use the den site as a cool place to escape the heat. In this week’s video, you will see Grizzer exit the den and romp with the pack. The Exhibit Pack continues to be one cohesive group that interacts well with each other.
MacKenzie is doing well, she has some days when the temperatures are too warm for much activity, but she becomes more active later in the day. Staff will begin brushing the wolves to remove the dense undercoat and aid in their cooling. In this week’s video, you will see MacKenzie take the deer leg that Lakota was enjoying and retreat back to her favorite spot in the back of the enclosure.
Some wolves spend time in water; other wolves seem to avoid it. Malik is definitely in the group that avoids water. In this week’s video, Malik watches as Maya goes into the water to investigate some leaves, but he doesn’t go more than paw deep in the water. Malik continues to show some aggressive responses to Grizzer, even though Grizzer has calmed down and doesn’t show much testing behavior.
Malik is the most vocally expressive wolf at the Center. Rarely does an observation occur without hearing a series of growls, snarls and protests from Malik, usually directed at Grizzer. While the vocalizations may sound intense, generally, the follow through is not. We can always tell cohesiveness of a pack when they do a ritualized greeting after a long rest. Usually, one of the wolves gets up, and makes the rounds to greet the other wolves. Malik is always a part of that ritual, and for a lower ranking wolf, his high tail confidence shows his comfort with his place in the pack.
Maya is an important component to this pack cohesiveness. She interacts well with her littermate (Grizzer), respects her dominant co-leader (Shadow), and spends time with the omega (Malik). One of the most interesting benefits of working with and studying socialized captive wolf behavior, is the opportunity to recognize the different roles displayed by each wolf. Each wolf is unique and has a place in the pack structure that is unduplicated. In this week’s video clip, you will see Maya taking a relaxing moment in the enclosure, but note the multiple ear postures, each position expresses a different communication. Staff can only interpret, but the off to the side airplane ears mean intimidation, ears pricked forward mean interest and ears flat back may mean fear or anxiety.
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