Malik is gaining status by the day, due to the fact that Grizzer has become completely dosile, likely influenced by pups and prolactin hormone. Malik seems indifferent to the pups, he does lick them at the fence, but is not as focused on them as the other 3 wolves. Malik is the only wolf who does not care for Jake, the curator's dog. Jake was used in 2004 with Maya and Grizzer, so they are very social with whines and full tail wags when they see Jake. Shadow seems to accept him without concern, possibly because it's the curator's dog. Malik would like to drag him through the fence… So, the pup fence barriers next to the enclosure are a benefit for Jake, who will be helping Lakota and the pups in the upcoming weeks.
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Red Paw is 31 days old today, and we have noticed a considerable growth in his paws. His photo today gives you a glimpse of this growth. Other noteable behaviors is their increased comfort with the Exhibit Pack, and now with Lakota, who is free to roam the pack holding area and comes to the edge of the fence when the pups are in the wolf yard. The pups have a secondary fence that keeps their paws and nose protected from direct contact, but Red Paw gets extremely excited with a full tail wag and whining toward any adult wolf. He was so excited to see Shadow and Maya that he started biting and pulling on the fence to get in. These are good indications of pack cohesiveness. The pups have been displaying much more grooming behavior today, and after Curator, Lori Schmidt picked up two roadkill, both Attila and Red Paw grabbed the edge of her shirt (it had deer blood on it), and tugged at it and did a full headshake. Attila growled defensively when Lori tried to get her shirt back. The video problem relates to the Codec used in the compression. A new software is on the way, some people are able to download the video. If you cannot, you may try to upgrade Microsoft Media Player. We will resume video and audio recordings when the new software arrives.
Attila is 31 days old today, and we have noticed a more intense growl when he's interacting with Red Paw. Red Paw remains fairly calm, and willing to submit to staff and Nannies, Attila doesn't go down so easy. But, it is educational to watch these instincts develop. The nannies complied a list of "firsts".. first tail wag, play bow, lip curl etc. and we will be posting this in future logs. Attila is very keyed into the smell of deer blood, after a roadkill was collected, he aggressively grabbed, bit and shook the Curator's sleeve. He is advancing well in his predatory skills. Both pups have started self-grooming and are actively seeking corners of the enclosure when they want to rest. These are more independent behaviors. Attila is most successful at eating gruel and lapping formula, and is nearly weaned from the bottle. Red Paw still uses the bottle as his main source of nutrients. But as you can see from their growth rates, they are both doing well. The video problem relates to the Codec used in the compression. A new software is on the way, some people are able to download the video. If you cannot, you may try to upgrade Microsoft Media Player. We will resume video and audio recordings when the new software arrives.
Red Paw is 33 days old today. Staff and Nannies documented an increased amount of urinations, so a urine sample was taken to the vet to check for a bladder infection. He is down in weight by a tenth of a pound, so we will wait for the results and treat accordingly. The programs are going well and the deer leg is a great distraction. They dominated each other and displayed food possessive behavior with the deer leg, with some growls being intense. Red Paw is just as defensive as Attila, and staff couldn’t get the deer leg back from Red Paw after the 3 pm program. The pups have been doing a lot of chasing and ear biting behavior in the wolf yard, before and after a program. They have good energy levels and usually jaw spar after eating.
Attila is 34 days old today. Attila’s display of dominance is very clear to Nannies and Staff. He’s been doing a lot of growling and head shaking either on the stuffed wolf toy or to his brother. He enjoys the free time roaming in the wolf lab, inspecting everything. He showed some fear response to a strange noise in the room, and went back inside his pup den. During the one o’clock program, he did some tug-of-war behavior with Red Paw for possession of the deer leg. He also seemed to over-mark Red Paw's urination, but at this time it is hard to tell. He was very interested in Wolf Care Staff Jess Edberg's clothes after she helped move the deer carcass for the What’s for Dinner program. He growled at her when she tried to move him away from her arm.
The programming with the pups is going well, we do need to have some modifications about protocol. Shadow is not taking to any new people in the wolf yard and is bark howling when Nannies are present. So, nannies wait inside the auditorium, while wolf care staff who are on a pup shift, walk the pups to the back door of the auditorium, through the wolf yard. Layers of fencing were added around the Exhibit Pack fencing to keep the pups from getting direct access to the adults at the fence. The pups run up to the edge of the fence and greet, but have a safe distance to avoid any noses or paws through the fence. Red Paw has had a full tail wag when greeting the adults. Attila is a bit more nervous. While waiting for the program, the pups have a chance to urinate and defecate before going indoors. They also start wrestling when they are outside the auditorium, and are getting a more positive experience walking to and from the wolf lab. Atilla is taking most of his meals from the bowl rather than the bottle. This will help since he has some avoidance issues with bottles. He has shown far more predatory, especially prior to a program. In an effort to get them used to canids larger than themselves, we have introduced the Curator's dog Jake, he is very tolerant of pups and will help apply discipline to the pups and get them used to the sounds of growling and dominance before they enter the Exhibit Pack. The video clips you see today are of that introduction. There are no audio clips today. Their canine teeth have emerged and are long enough for a caliper measurement.
Red Paw is 29 days old today. One physical trait that is very noticeable in the video is the positioning of the ears. Red Paws ears are beginning to stand erect. Within a week, their ears will continue to raise until they are nearly fully erect. The pups can also focus their hearing better, and will direct their heads towards sounds. Red Paw continues to be the most interested and social with the adult wolves, wagging his tail with excitement when he gets near their enclosure. Both pups are lapping from a bowl and eating gruel mix, but Red Paw still likes to suckle from the bottle. Red Paw has a very impressive weight gain. At 29 days of age, Grizzer was 8.3 lbs, and he turned into a 110+ lb adult, so Red Paw is likely going to be a similar size, if not bigger. The audio clip attempts to get the sounds of two pups wrestling, you will hear pushing against the straw, growling and a snap. The video clip shows Red Paw playing with birch bark, and you will notice his ears are noticeably different than just a few days ago.
Red Paw is 32 days old today and continues to show good pack association with the Exhibit Pack, and is very relaxed in the public programs. A deer leg was introduced to the program today, to calm Attila, and both pups became very aggressive, trying to possess it. It was a great distraction and they conducted an entire program without becoming intimidated. Other notable behaviors from the logs: <br> Play bow before program out in wolf yard. During program howled and whined. Positive interaction with pack. First digging in soil while waiting for a program. <br> Good play behavior during program. Jaw sparring with Attila. <br> Pups walked into program on their own. <br> Did ride up on Attila. Was content on Shadow's blanket (as a note, we took the curator’s coat and let Shadow rub up against it, and use it for when the pups are anxious). <br>Play bow to Attila and nanny. Head shake and pulling on pheasant. <br> Approached fence to Shadow. Nosing through fence. Played in wolf yard on the way to program. Shadow was at ease. <br > Pups woke in response to adults howling. Did not howl back.
Attila is 33 days old today. The pups ears are standing erect most of the time, and their hearing is greatly improved. Attila woke at the sounds of the wolves howling, perked his ears and tried to focus on the sound of howling. They are getting more comfortable with the sound, and are not as inclined to whine and whine/howl to the adults, indicating that they’re probably seeking comfort in the sound. Attila tugged on the deer leg with Lori, the first serious tug-of-war behavior related to carcass feeding stimulus. Attila dragged the deer leg out of the back door during a program. Attila continues to assert dominance, but Red Paw did a stand over Attila when he had a bone. Later in the day, Nannies recorded Attila doing a stand-over Red Paw, so dominance behavior does go back and forth.
Red Paw is 34 days old today. His coordination has improved greatly. Early in the day, Nannies and Staff noticed Red Paw carrying the football toy from one corner of the pup pen to the other. At the one o’clock program, he picked up a piece of birch bark about 6 – 8 inches long and carried it around. He also carried the deer leg outside of the program again. Something really important that happened was Grizzer regurgitating for the pups while they were waiting for the program to begin. This care giving behavior is normal in the wild, where pack members help raise the pups.
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