Staff observed MacKenzie in some very social behavior on Saturday. She was pouncing and jumping on the edge of the dex box attempting to get Lakota to come down from the top of the box. Mac's hips still limit her from climbing on top of the box, but she had her front feet on the bench and seemed to be enjoying the social activity. This is the first time the two females were demonstrating social behavior since Lucas's death. Although, staff also noticed Lakota getting more bold with Mac, taking her food and attempting to do a stand-over as shown in this week's photo.
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Maya has had a very stimulating summer with the presence of the Inuit sled dogs visiting the Center for the noon "Canine Cousins" programs. She displays strong social behavior towards the pups, whining at the gate as the pups play in an adjacent runway. Both Maya and Shadow will make great surrogate parents for the wolf pups in 2008.
Today's picture shows clearly how Malik takes any opportunity to show higher status than Shadow. Both arctic wolves were given their Bio-spot treatment for the flies, and while Shadow was scent rolling and digging, Malik position himself in front of Shadow in a T1 tail position. Center Staff had noticed this behavior since Maya and Grizzer were introduced, with not a good result for Malik.
Malik contiues to be an independent personality, attempting to take advantage of Shadow whenever he can, but Shadow's strong social behavior and calm nature seems to allow him to take these advances in stride. During a wolf check on Monday, Malik stole the camera lens cover that dropped in the enclosure. Staff used the med tray to distract Malik to get the cover, but as staff were reaching for the lens cover, Malik grabbed the med tray. This is why we have the policy of "No objects set next to the fence and No fingers through the fence"
Staff have noticed a dramatic change in Shadow. He's been much more social in the last few months, likely stimulated by the presence of the Inuit sled dogs, and possibly an increased surge of prolactin hormone. He's also more trusting of staff since we switched to a once a month fly treatment (thanks to Andi Nelson's donations). Staff haven't tormented him with the daily fly cream since early July. It makes a difference for Shadow.
Activity has been increasing in the Exhibit pack lately with the cooler mornings. Grizzer's appetite is increasing and his insistence to get a meal. Over the weekend, he attempted several times to remove the chain on the gate, unsuccessful, but hard on the gate latch. In this week's video, he discovers a spider in the exhibit, a bit timid for such a big head.
Lakota continues to expand her food consumption by stealing from Mac. Staff are more actively guarding Mac's food before feeding. There was some concern that Lakota was getting more testing of Mac's position, but during wolf care today, Mac was clearly guarding staff for attention. These two females seem to be very mobile and healthy.
Malik is doing well, he continues to test Shadow on a regular basis, but he doesn't get much of a response from Shadow. We predict that things will change when winter approaches. The interesting combination in this situation is that Maya doesn't have another female to dominant, so she takes after Grizzer, which usually slows him down from chasing Malik.
Maya has been increasing her dominance activitiy lately, as the only female, her focus has been on her littermate, Grizzer. The dominance usually includes a ride-up, scruff bite, and pin to the ground. Grizzer seeks her out for this type of interaction as well, and is not to bothered that he's on the bottom. His good natured personality is a good match for his sister's high intensity predatory and dominant behavioral patterns.
Wolf Care Staff have been busy providing logistical support to a film crew, working on a series called "Ms. Adventure" for Animal Planet. So, needless to say, there's not much time today for wolf logs. So, we'll have the same posting for all wolves. The Retired Pack is settling into a routine, when small amount of food are given, Lakota is fed in the holding area, while MacKenzie gets her fare share in the main enclosure. The Exhibit Pack is doing well, there's a bit of tension between the male's over rank order position, but so far, no real issues. Maya continues to be the predatory wolf, hunting small birds that are landing in the enclosure searching for seeds before their fall migration. Other than a few noisy moments, the wolves are still calm and remaining in a more crepuscular (dawn and dusk) pattern to avoid the heat. All the wolves have begun the winter hair growth of their dense undercoat, so when temperatures increase now, it's even more uncomfortable.
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