Shadow did amazingly well with the construction crew. He didn’t bark howl once and actually came down many times to watch the construction project. For the last two days of the project, the wolves were so relaxed with the contractors that they didn’t require sedation. We are so thankful that the contract bid was awarded to contractors who were truly concerned with the wolves’ well being, and who remained calm and quiet in the wolf yard despite the fact that they were running equipment. It’s hard to predict what’s going to make Shadow feel threatened, one thing we do know, is that when the contractors first came to the site for the pre-construction meeting, they didn’t walk right up to the fence, didn’t have cameras and followed the direction of the wolf curator. With this process, the wolves seemed to accept that the two contractors were part of the wolf care program.
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Grizzer – Grizzer has a more mature focus to his behavior Grizzer’s intensity as an adult wolf is noticeable, especially when Malik is near, but he doesn’t show as much excitability as we expected. His mere size and presence is enough to get Malik in an aggressive defensive state, which leads to Grizzer to raise his tail in a show of dominance and follow Malik which makes him more defensive. This type of posturing is classic wolf behavior, and certainly anyone observing the pack has an opportunity to learn the subtle communication of a pack animal.
Malik’s defensiveness often starts issues with Grizzer, but Grizzer seems to be taking this behavior in stride. One thing you may notice on the Webcams is the addition of rocks in the front of the pond. This incredible amount of work occurred during the “Workin’ for Wolves program. In Malik’s video, you will see the front of the Exhibit was left open, so the wolves can comfortably walk the edge of the pond, although the wolves do like to climb on the rocks as well.
This week’s video shows the two sides of Grizzer. In Shadow’s video, you will see Grizzer in full submissive posture towards Shadow, but in Grizzer’s and Malik’s video, you will see an excitable young male showing his status. Malik’s response to Grizzer is usually a growling threat display, which excites Grizzer to chase him. The key to managing dominance behavior is in keeping the lower ranking wolves calm. If Malik feels more relaxed, rather than anxious and threatening, Grizzer is less likely to see this as a weakness. This is easier said than done, but the dynamics of the handling is important. It is key that the wolf care staff interact with the dominant animals first, reinforcing their status and making them feel confident and calm. This is the wolf rank order rule, but it does contradict the human emotion side of wolf care, where humans would like to support the lowest ranking wolf.
MacKenzie had a late shed, which means she’s been delayed in growing in her winter coat. She gets a new straw bale every week and she frequently lies in her corner bed. We are impressed with her mobility, even though she has a few missteps; she seems to be walking with a steady gate. She has lost most of the weight she gained with the higher dose of prednisone, and has a great appetite. The feeding schedule includes some smaller meal on Wednesday’s and a beaver or deer leg on the weekend. The jaw capacity of these older females has not diminished
MacKenzie is doing well, the new feeding regime seems to satisfy her. A side effect of prednisone is an increased level of hunger. Her mobility is good, and her winter coat has filled in nicely. Winter is the preferred season for wolves and Mac Kenzie seems to really excel in the colder season.
Grizzer is doing well, he’s certainly a very big part of this pack, and his interactions vary with each individual wolf. He still intimidates Malik with a mere glance, but Malik seems to hold his own with threat postures and a keen sense of awareness of Grizzer’s attitude. In Grizzer’s video this week, you will see a pack rally. Grizzer starts the group activity while submitting to wolf care staff, Shadow joins Grizzer for a roll on his back and the pack rallies with tails wagging. We received a recent email from a webcam watcher concerned about Grizzer crouching behind the rock, and possibly being ostracized in the pack, as his video shows, this is not the case. We do believe Grizzer was crouching behind the rocks to stalk some ravens, and a dead raven on the den site may support that theory.
Grizzer intimidates Malik, but he does have a tendency to be the most vocal with growls and chatters towards all members of the pack. While the wolves were in holding, Malik started a fight with Grizzer after Grizzer attempted to pass by him on the fence line. In the video this week, most of the background noise you hear over Shadow and Maya’s howling is Malik’s vocalizations. One thing the wolf care staff watches is the overall attitude of the pack, and especially the omega position. It’s important to see that when there’s not a dominance display that the omega appears to relax and look content in the Exhibit. Malik’s photo was taken after a short 3-minute howling session that included some following behavior and he has a very relaxed, content appearance.
Interpretive Center Director, Sharee Johnson, officially entered the wolf world by starting as a handler in the Retired enclosure. When a new wolf care staff member starts, they spend many hours observing through the fences before entering the enclosure. This allows them to become familiar with the procedures, handler interactions, and wolf behavior. When Sharee entered the enclosure, Lakota was very accepting, and did a full greeting. MacKenzie was a bit more hesitant, and spent some time sniffing the areas where Sharee walked through the exhibit. It will take a few weeks before MacKenzie is relaxed around someone new.
The warmer weather this week has resulted in more sunning time for the Retired Pack. Their activity levels remain good and mobility as they walk around the enclosure will improve as the ice melts and they get better traction in the melting snow.
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