Staff have been starting to wonder about Grizzer. It's a good thing, but he has been the extremely calm and very content with life. The lack of tension for Grizzer since Malik's retirement has been most noticeable. The only noteworthy issue we have is when we deliver new straw for the top of the dens, Grizzer jumps on the den waiting for us to make his bed. This can be difficult as he takes up so much room, but he's gentle about it, and will get off if we press the issue. His favorite resting spot is the slate den, but we have also observed Shadow on this den, making Grizzer find another place of comfort.
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Grizzer seems to have some patterns. When staff try to photograph or film him, he is usually on the slate den. When he isn't on the den, he is wrestling with Denali. Other than that, Grizzer maintains a very submissive posture to Shadow, never seeming to initiate any testing. He is mindful of Maya's current intensified dominance, and has learned to just avoid her. Of course, being Maya's litter mate, he's had more time to figure this out.
Staff have been noticing a few instances where Aidan has done a raised leg urination on a spot the Maya has previously marked. Raised leg urination in the wild is generally a territorial marking behavior of the dominant pair. In captivity, the rules are not so rigid, as lower ranking wolves will RLU if they are feeling confident. We certainly take this as a good sign, Aidan may not be this position for the long-term.
Wolf care staff are anxiously waiting for spring days of 40-50 degrees and sunny? Why, not because we like warm weather, but it will signal the change in hormonal cycle from the higher dominance of estrogen to the calmer prolactin, and Maya needs a dose of prolactin. Aidan seems to be taking it in stride, not doubt, he has learned how to jaw spar, and unfortunately, Maya is quick to engage. Her face has several scars from this activity, but nothing seems to change, Maya dictates where Aidan is located in the enclosure, and if he's not where he should be, Maya stalks, lunges and chases him to her vision of the world order. It is interesting, when Maya doesn't pay attention to Aidan, he does seek her out and sniff her, these two must have worked something out, and while humans feel sorry for him, Aidan displays behaviors that indicate, he's part of this pack.
Grizzer continues to amaze us with his calm demeanor and seemingly constant attitude to avoid conflict. Grizzer's only behavioral challenge is related to staff raking the straw bed on the slate den. It's his favorite resting spot and if he's on it, he growls at the rake while we are working. So far, a simple push will get him off until we're done. He and Shadow have been observed many times sharing the den.
Malik is doing well and has been so relaxed that staff say he doesn't even get off the den when they come over to greet. We originally thought that we would have more anxiety with him alone, waiting for Shadow to weaken and retire, but that's not the case. We hope to get a webcam mounted in the upcoming month to share his daily activities.
Maya continues to show strong female dominance, and the scars on her face show that she may be small, but she's tenacious. It is important to not label Maya as an aggressive animal, but she is a dominant female, and her rights as the dominant female dictate the interaction of the rest of the pack. We have noticed she is someone guarding of Shadow when there's a pack rally, and were able to record this for Youtube this week when Shadow started a pack howl.
While we know that Shadow's retirement is inevitable, he seems to be more of a pack leader than we've seen in the previous year. This is most noticeable with Denali, who didn't receive much dominance from Shadow during his first year of life, but he has learned to drop his head and flatten his ears during the second year of life. This is good news since we were very concerned about Shadow's physical condition earlier this winter, it reinforces our medical treatment decisions. It's always nice to see that something is working.
Staff installed a new webcam on Tuesday for Malik's enclosure. Unfortunately, the camera has stressed Malik considerably, causing him to pace a bit and stare at the camera. We are giving him some time to adapt, and will hold off on making the camera live until he is more relaxed. As I write this log, he is sleeping in the den, avoiding the rain. Wolves are very sensitive to changes in their environment, and while we know people want to watch him on the web, we want to be considerate and respectful of his space and environment. We have posted a "Working for Wolves" program for May 2010, check out the Wolf Center Program list on the web for details. This program will primarily focus on more security upgrades for Malik.
Just when we thought Maya's intensity was calming, a few cool rainy days return her to a heightened state of dominance. During this spring transition period, weather influences are tremendous. A sunny 50 degree day results in all wolves resting comfortably and compatible. The 40 degree rainy day is a different story. There is still a noticeable decline in the intensity of the dominance, Maya doesn't follow through as much, and she has had less bite wounds from jaw sparring. Overall, the pack is returning to the summer season behavior.
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