If we thought Shadow was showing signs of aging this winter, we are not seeing this spring. It certainly could have been a spinal response to cold, and now that the weather is warm, he is feeling better. His YouTube video and his photo this week, show a strong individual, with high tail and good spirits. It’s a good thing Malik has taken to retirement so well, he might have to wait a bit longer for his littermate to join him.
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If you have been watching the web cams, you may have noticed Aidan on the Greeting Rock cam. He's been feeling more confident as Maya's intensity has decreased. Maya still has her moments, specifically when the pack is drawn into holding for maintenance work. In this week's Youtube video, you will see Aidan enjoying the cool sand of the upper enclosure den that the wolves created.
I did receive comments about missing Malik's video last week, so I made a point of placing his video first on YouTube this week. Malik has a very comfortable enclosure when it comes to heat. The large over topping pines and well drained gravel soil provide plenty of places to avoid the heat, and spend the day resting in the shade.
If you look at Aidan's photo this week, you will see a different side of Maya, submitting to Aidan. But, if you visit the Center, you may see Maya chase and jaw spar with Aidan. This change in behaviors make if challenging for Aidan to know when to relax, and when to be on guard of Maya. Of course, Maya isn't only keeping Aidan in line, she works hard at showing Denali some boundaries as well. The difference is, Aidan respects her and responds with the flat ears and low tail of a lower ranking wolf. Denali jumps on her. Which wolf do you think Maya would rather maintain a social relationship?
Aidan has earned far more freedom in the past few weeks, as Maya advances her transition into the summer behavioral mode. She still has her limits, and chases back to the safety zone do occur, but Aidan is getting bolder. The pack was weighed this week; Aidan weighs 106 lbs, up from his September 14th weight of 103 lbs. He certainly gets enough exercise to build muscle.
On the YouTube posting someone asked about the behavior between Denali and Maya in the video. Denali was doing some riding up behavior, which is a testing behavior and at this point, it appears that Denali has had enough of Maya’s discipline. This might also coincide with some recent observations of Grizzer testing Shadow. The upcoming months will be interesting to say the least, and we certainly look forward to the Ethology seminar this summer to get some long-term observations. Denali weighed in at 107 lbs, down from his fall weight of 111. It’s not uncommon for a wolf to lose weight over the winter.
Aidan has his moments where he gets caught off guard, either in the woods or near the windows in the front of the exhibit, but a short distraction by staff gives him time to get to his secure area by the den. The temperatures have been very warm lately, resulting in a lot of sleeping wolves. The YouTube video shows Aidan inside the den, and Maya stands long enough for Aidan to do a full body sniff. Within the next few weeks, we hope the frost is out of the ground to fill the pond, Aidan does like water.
Denali has been extremely interactive with Shadow, in a very submissive way, but he certainly has been providing Shadow with some exercise. We also think Denali is responsible for Maya’s new scrape on her face. Well, actually Maya is probably responsible for pushing her limits with the soon to be 2-year old males, but Denali seems to have been in the position to make contact. Denali takes it in stride, still preferring to wrestle and rest.
Denali has become quite possessive over tools. When staff were working on the waterline, he had the idea that he needed a pipe wrench. Wolf possession rules aren't tied to rank, so even though Denali may act submissively to staff, if he gains possession of an item, he will threat display and defend to keep it. This is why wolf care staff must be diligent in keeping tools, scat buckets and hoses under their possession at all times. Actually, of the previous items listed, Denali has gotten them all this month.
The logs will all be the same today. We’re doing some improvements to Malik’s enclosure, so Malik gets all of my time today. This past week has been busy getting the Exhibit enclosure ready for a Chamber of Commerce mixer on Wednesday night. Windows were washed, straw was removed, the summer wood chips were added and the pond waterline thawed with enough time to fill the pond. Of course, the upper pond line is still frozen in the concrete, so the waterfall isn’t flowing, but the main pond has been a source of stimulus for the pack. When it finally thawed, the weather was 70 degrees and sunny, and all wolves romped in the water, followed by a Grizzer/Denali chase though the woods. Aidan is still getting some dominance from Maya, usually followed by one of the excitable chases though the woods, but as the photos show this week, Aidan is engaging Maya in social behavior. He does a double foreleg stab while she is on the top of the den. We have noticed some instability with Shadow after he was chasing Grizzer and Denali, he seemed to have a dizzy spell, was off balance, before planting his paws in a wide stance and gaining his stability. As with any aging wolf, we will watch Shadow closely. The YouTube video this week shows the Chamber of Commerce mixer, giving the view of a visitor to the Center. Malik had a good week, enjoying the well shaded tree cover in his enclosure.
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