One event that happened this week is the launching of the Center’s new Web cam that features a view from the top of the den. The den top is a favorite resting spot for wolves during the winter months. The cooler temperatures inside the den make it a favorite during the summer months, and we often have wolves lying in the doorway of the den when the temperatures increase. We would like to acknowledge one of our members, Johanna Goering, for donating this new camera and the resources necessary for bringing it to our website. Our plan is switch the retired pack camera to the Center’s website and, after fundraising efforts, get a camera that can follow the activities of the new pups in 2008 and thereafter reside in the Exhibit Pack. As we move through this transition, you can still find the existing webcams hosted by www.elyminnesota.com. In this week’s video, you see Shadow show food defense threat display when Grizzer and Maya approach. He’s not too serious with the follow through, but the low wagging tail of Grizzer acknowledges Shadow’s dominance in this situation. Shadow is starting to show some of that spring/summer social behavior, pawing at the left over carcass and doing a small spring hop. It’s not uncommon for wolves to throw pieces of hide or bones in the air, catching them or inviting other wolves to interact.
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Biologists believe the coloration and emphasis of guard hairs around the face of a wolf helps emphasize the critical facial expressions that communicate status, defense, social interactions and dominance behavior within a wolf pack. Lakota has expressive facial features and allows the staff to truly appreciate how complex and often subtle these expressions can be. Physically Lakota is doing well, although as this video shows, age makes every action a bit slower.
Video and still photos this week’s show Grizzer in a very intense submission with Shadow. Clearly there was no loss of respect for Shadow’s position. Grizzer also showed some interest in Maya’s wounds, but even her own littermate doesn’t want to get too close to Maya when she’s got that focused look.
Maya has an unusual shed pattern, losing most of her hair on her back, but retaining tufts of hair on her hind flanks, making a skirt like appearance. This is just an oddity of her shedding pattern, not a gender specific issue, but it does help visitor identify Maya as the only female in the pack.
One event that happened this week is the launching of the Center’s new Web cam that features a view from the top of the den. The den top is a favorite resting spot for wolves during the winter months. The cooler temperatures inside the den make it a favorite during the summer months, and we often have wolves lying in the doorway of the den when the temperatures increase. We would like to acknowledge one of our members, Johanna Goering, for donating this new camera and the resources necessary for bringing it to our website. Our plan is switch the retired pack camera to the Center’s website and, after fundraising efforts, get a camera that can follow the activities of the new pups in 2008 and thereafter reside in the Exhibit Pack. As we move through this transition, you can still find the existing webcams hosted by www.elyminnesota.com. Whenever staff discusses the rank order issues of the males, there’s always sympathy expressed for the lowest ranking member. It is important to remember, that the lowest ranking member is equally as important as the dominant wolf. Without a bottom, there’s no top, and there would be chaos. In the wolf world, every wolf knows their rank, and acts accordingly. If there’s a chance to move up, they do. When watching Malik’s video this week, you clearly see a lower ranking wolf that’s comfortable enough to hold his tail high. Of course, there he understands a good lip curl and growl are effective as well. This pack has very good compatibility, and that is the ultimate job of wolf care staff. To create energy for the pack that is calm, and allows them to assert their rank order without external stresses.
As the frost leaves, Lakota continues to dig in the underground tunnels she created a few years ago. This is a nice cool relief to the above ground heat. The “Working for Wolves crew in May will be removing straw from the retired enclosure, setting up sprinkler hoses and seeding more grass in this enclosure. Once the spring rains arrive, the increased vegetation should offer some higher humidity and cooler environment. Until then, Lakota has the ideal way to escape the heat.
MacKenzie shows some real focused behaviors when food is in the enclosure. In this week’s photo, you see the strong neck muscles as MacKenzie carries a 35 lbs beaver. Notice the raised tail as a counterbalance for the weight of the beaver. The retired wolves reached a milestone this week, MacKenzie and Lakota turned 14 years old. In honor of their birth, we fed them several pieces of chicken thighs, turkey breasts and a roasting hen. They were very enthusiastic with this special treat.
Denali is still responding to Grizzer's pack howls, far more than Aidan. He also appears to instigate play behavior more frequently. His time with wolf care can be limited by Aidan's possessiveness, but when Aidan is feeling comfortable, Denali will often rest his head on the shoulders of wolf care staff and allow for a complete inspection. These two are the easiest wolves to vaccinate and we are thankful for the quality socialization as pups.
As we mentioned in Malik's log, we have noticed a few changes in Shadow. He's had several days when he hasn't taken his meds, which alone is not all that unusual, but couple it with an increase in water consumption and less interest in chicken and we might have an underlying issue with a wolf nearing 11 years of age. One other thing that we've noticed is that he has increased his growling towards some staff and we know from experience, when Shadow doesn't feel well, he is selective about who he wants around the enclosure. When Malik has his dental inspection, we will immobilize Shadow as well and do a complete blood panel.
Denali and Aidan have resumed social behavior. Denali is most likely the instigator, as he didn't appear to have as much separation anxiety as Aidan after the loss of Maya. Of course, Aidan did appear to have the stronger bond with Maya, so this makes sense. The issue wolf care staff deal with is how to give equal time to both wolves when Aidan is so possessive of staff time. Fortunately, most wolf care checks have two individuals staffed at one time, so we can meet both of their needs.
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