Shadow still has some preferences for wolf care staff, and is very mindful of staff interacting with Malik. Sometime between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning's wolf check, Shadow seems to have had a scuffle with someone, leaving a scar under his right eye. There seems to be no other indication of tension in the pack, but it's these subtle signs that we monitor to ensure that he is still doing well as a pack leader.
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What impresses me most about Malik is that his coat is as soft and sleek as a 2-year old, he is physically, in the best shape of his life. Behaviorally, he seems to have tapped into the fountain of youth, and acts more like a juvenile every day. The photo this week, while resized for the web, should give you a glimpse at the sleek, silky winter pelage, and a confident wolf in high tail that's enjoying a sunny winter day, social companionship from wolf care, and a good beaver carcass.
Denali continues to show that he may be mature physically, but he's mentally a big pup. He really does submit well to Shadow, co-exists well with Grizzer, socially interacts with Aidan, and tries to test Maya whenever possible. The straw beds have been important to Denali, he likes comfort. He has reduced the wrestling and dominance over Aidan, which is good for Aidan, because when Aidan was pinned by Denali, he was vulnerable and nervous, causing him to be a target.
Grizzer is a creature of habit. His preference is to rest on the slate den, and as the YouTube video shows, even if Shadow's in his place, it doesn't stop Grizzer from getting what he wants. Fortunately for Grizzer, Shadow is a tolerant pack leader. Grizzer also is conditioned to his feeding days. The Curator was out of town at a Forestry/Wildlife meeting for 3 days this week, and in an effort to keep the pack calm, the wolves were fed on Tuesday, rather than the usual Wednesday. By Friday, Grizzer was expecting food which should have been 3 days from the last feeding.
One thing you may notice on the logs this week, is that Shadow is in all of the photos except Denali's (and of course, Malik). Shadow is feeling very good and has such a strong bond with the pack. The YouTube video this week shows Shadow rolling on his back, in a very relaxed posture despite the presence of the other wolves. We are very happy about this, and while retirement and companionship for Malik is in Shadow's future, we see the important role he plays to the pack dynamics of the Exhibit Pack.
Denali hasn't had any notable behaviors this week; He's the same easy going, food is a priority wolf that has defined his pup and juvenile traits. His interactions with Grizzer continue to be social, and his tolerance for Maya's dominance seems to be declining. He is quick to do a grab bite on Maya when she's showing dominance over Aidan, and that has created an adversarial role between these two. Denali clearly sees Shadow as higher ranking and has many submissive postures in his presence, but a scuffle over a deer leg on Thursday, left Denali with a leg and Shadow with frustration that he redirected toward Grizzer. Food possession is about who is on top of the food, not about dominance rank.
Sorry, the logs will be the same for all wolves today. Spring is a busy time with a winter full of straw, bones and raven droppings creating a busy workload for wolf care staff. The pack is doing well, general observations show Aidan getting bolder and definitely spending social time with the pack, mostly Shadow. A recent cold spell has created a situation where Maya became more intense and Shadow showed more status to Grizzer, but these are short-lived situations. Spring is here and the days will continue to get warm, even though we had below zero wind chills yesterday. Denali made a sprinkler hose out of one of our good garden hoses. While the curator was spraying the rocks trying to clean the white streaks left all over the rocks from the ravens, the pack was occupied with the beaver, and all was going well. Grizzer came over and pulled on the hose, but quickly stopped. Denali watched this and decided he should try the hose, but being a younger undisciplined youth, he didn't stop as quickly as Grizzer and proceeded to tug and tug until he bit through the hose. Staff moved Grizzer and Denali into holding and continued working. There is far more to do in the enclosure, but after this week's experience, Grizzer and Denali will a challenge.
Sorry, the logs will be the same for all wolves today. Spring is a busy time with a winter full of straw, bones and raven droppings creating a busy workload for wolf care staff. The pack is doing well, general observations show Aidan getting bolder and definitely spending social time with the pack, mostly Shadow. A recent cold spell has created a situation where Maya became more intense and Shadow showed more status to Grizzer, but these are short-lived situations. Spring is here and the days will continue to get warm, even though we had below zero wind chills yesterday. Denali made a sprinkler hose out of one of our good garden hoses. While the curator was spraying the rocks trying to clean the white streaks left all over the rocks from the ravens, the pack was occupied with the beaver, and all was going well. Grizzer came over and pulled on the hose, but quickly stopped. Denali watched this and decided he should try the hose, but being a younger undisciplined youth, he didn't stop as quickly as Grizzer and proceeded to tug and tug until he bit through the hose. Staff moved Grizzer and Denali into holding and continued working. There is far more to do in the enclosure, but after this week's experience, Grizzer and Denali will a challenge.
Sorry, the logs will be the same for all wolves today. Spring is a busy time with a winter full of straw, bones and raven droppings creating a busy workload for wolf care staff. The pack is doing well, general observations show Aidan getting bolder and definitely spending social time with the pack, mostly Shadow. A recent cold spell has created a situation where Maya became more intense and Shadow showed more status to Grizzer, but these are short-lived situations. Spring is here and the days will continue to get warm, even though we had below zero wind chills yesterday. Denali made a sprinkler hose out of one of our good garden hoses. While the curator was spraying the rocks trying to clean the white streaks left all over the rocks from the ravens, the pack was occupied with the beaver, and all was going well. Grizzer came over and pulled on the hose, but quickly stopped. Denali watched this and decided he should try the hose, but being a younger undisciplined youth, he didn't stop as quickly as Grizzer and proceeded to tug and tug until he bit through the hose. Staff moved Grizzer and Denali into holding and continued working. There is far more to do in the enclosure, but after this week's experience, Grizzer and Denali will a challenge.
With the warmer weather and onslaught of spring hormones, Maya is calming down, and that makes Aidan's life better as the omega of the pack. Aidan has been observed in areas throughout the lower enclosure, he is still mindful of Maya, but if she does chase him, it's not with as much physical interaction. Aidan is really bonded to Shadow, that's apparent every time you see him near Shadow. This is why Shadow's place in the pack is even more important.
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