Grizzer has been a bit stressed by the contractors working on his new habitat, but we calm that with a dose of valium and make sure that a core wolf care staff member is always near the enclosure. After the contractor's leave, the staff spend a significant amount of time grooming him and giving him a distraction from the tension. We also installed sprinker systems on all enclosures, so if he is a bit stressed, the cool water misting on him will reduce any overheating. Fortunately, this is a short project that will be very beneficial in the end.
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The weekend staff reported some great behavior associated with the Wolf Enrichment program. This program is conducted every day of the week at 1 pm. The stimulus varies from food, to scent to sound. This weekend, we use sound of prey animals such as moose calls, deer fawns, stressed rabbitt calls etc. Initially the wolves looked anxious, then Aidan started stalking behavior. We didn't let the sounds run more than a minute, then played a Tracy Chapman song, one of Aidan's favorite. They were very relaxed when the song began to play. We forgot to mention that Aidan and Denali were both weighed during the Planning for Pups weekend in early June. They both weighed 124 lbs.
Denali is very excited about the Enclosure Enrichment program, waiting at the holding pen gate to be drawn off for the program. Not only is this a good opportunity for the public to see the wolves, but it's also great conditioning for the use of the medical pen which is the primary place to draw the wolves if we need to do maintenance. During Sunday's enrichment, the audio recording of prey sounds stimulated Aidan to do some stalking behavior, but Denali didn't show the same response. Based on behaviors, we have always thought that Aidan has a stronger predatory drive than Denali.
Malik's areas that had some hairloss are starting to grow back. This is probably more of a stress response than a medical issue, and could have been triggered by the start of the fence work, or maybe the close proximity to Grizzer. Although, considering the first observation of the hair loss was in mid-May and Grizzer has been there since March, I am more inclined to believe it was fence work (which started during the first week of May). We will keep a close eye on his behavioral responses to any activity and try to minimize activity around the enclosure. The removal of his tooth eliminated any infection issues and he is feeding extremely well.
Lakota’s favorite activity is racing around the pen and landing in a pile of straw, usually surfing for a while on a sliding layer of straw. MacKenzie watches, but doesn’t interact. If wolves could talk, I would imagine she would comment on the incredible waste of energy her sister displays.
Shadow constantly amazes us in his behavior as he ages. He is very accustom to life in retirement and does well with most activities. He still does some threat display howling when we have large groups or make too much noise, but overall, he is a very relaxed retiree. One interesting note during a program with Aidan and Denali last week, when the curator howled for the program, Shadow immediately responded. Aidan and Denali went to the fence line and responded to Shadow directly, not the curator who started the howl. There is still a very strong bond between the Exhibit and Retired pack.
There isn't too much new to report. Aidan's shed out most of his winter undercoat, thanks to the fact that he clings to wolf care staff and gets the most brushing. There's a slight amount left on his neck, making him appear a bit misproportiante with a slim body. Aidan may look thin, but his 124 lb body can sure eat the food. A feeding of an 80 lb deer torso last night resulted in a small amount left on Sunday morning.
One thing we have noticed since the summer programming season has started is that Denali is much more tolerant of Behind the Scenes groups. There is a significant difference in personalities when it relates to anything around the enclosure. Denali has yet to show any fear avoidance behavior towards any of the human related side of a captive management facility.
Grizzer has been extremely social with staff, getting excited, playbowing and running in circles when staff interact. The enclosure work is nearly done, with some ground wire and concrete pads left to pour. We will also build him a densite similar to Shadow and Malik's, but the hope is, he will be exploring his new habitat by the end of next week.
Malik's hair loss has stopped and all spots are growing new hair. This situation was likely due to the fence contracting, a necessary part of enclosure work. Now that it's just staff working on the enclosure, he much better. The arctics are still far behind the other wolves in terms of shedding, and their undercoat tends to come out in long sheets or strings of hair. We had several days of rain and cold last week, and their extra hair proved to be a benefit. All the other wolves were doing curl rests to stay warm, Malik and Shadow continued to sprawl on the top of the den with no apparent impact from the temperatures.
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