Grizzer did the "Grizzer 500" today, which means he raced around the enclosure, jumping over and around wolf care staff as he was stimulated by Aidan and Denali's behavior. There are no words to express the feeling of a 120 lb wolf that jumps over you and narrowly misses your head. The expression on his face is certainly worth the risk. He is doing so well and we certainly see his excitement towards Oscar having a positive influence over his entire attitude. When Oscar came back from a staff overnight, Grizzer did his submissive rollover at the gate.
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The Curator was at a wildlife meeting on Wednesday, then had a full day of classes on Thursday, so Shadow didn't have his usual social time. Staff reported Shadow to be a bit challenging towards (excessive growling) and constantly looking at the lab. No doubt, when the Curator takes a few days off, Shadow's routine is affected. Older wolves don't like a change in routine.
I hope everyone has a healthy and happy New Year. The wolves are all doing well and are having a calm winter. We have not experienced temperatures in the sub zero range, which usually drives a bit of wolf aggression. We would like to announce that the Pup Care Program Applications are online at www.wolf,org. Select the Programs Tab, click on Educational Programs and you will find the applications under the Seminars title. We are adamant that special training and an understanding of wolf behavior is critical before interacting with wolf pups. This program is only available to individuals who have been previously involved in the pup care program or who have participated in the Planning for Pups prerequisite seminars offered during the summer of 2011 or 2007. Applications will be accepted until February 1st, and teams will be assembled and notified by March 15th.
Malik is one of those wolves that repeats behavior when he's had a positive outcome. His latest behavioral pattern has been to guard deer legs in the den, requiring Shadow to sleep in the smaller hut instead of the double wide den. His second endeavor has been taking a hat off the curator's head. Now, any hat is fair game. Although, the Curator wore a balaclava today, (one piece covering that goes over the neck), as Malik pulled on it, he couldn't remove it. This only increased Malik's motivation and his facial expressions as he seemed to be puzzled why the hat wouldn't come off the Curator's head.
We experienced the first week of significant cold with several days of – 20 degree weather. The impact on the wolves includes increased appetite and a slight increase in dominance. Aidan has been much more active and a bit more focused on chasing Denali. He settles down and submits for staff when greeting, but the tension is definitely in the air. This could also coincide with the time of the year, and even though the wolves at the Center are neutered, there is some chemical cycling during the breeding season which should be peaking in the next few weeks.
Denali has been displaying some quick half bark behaviors which are generally considered alarm or threat sounds. Wolves don't repetitively bark like a dog, a bark from a wolf means a heightened level of intensity. After a few chases and some barks, Aidan and Denali generally settle down and rest in a nearby straw bed or as the image in Denali's log shows, they find a nice sunny spot for some radiant heat. Note the posture of the wolves in a curl rest. A curl rest allows the wolves to conserve heat and may an indicator of comfort level.
As the temperatures grew colder, we were mindful of the fact that Grizzer still has an area with limited hair growth on his head. During wolf checks, we check this area for any indication that it is affected by cold weather. His hair is so thick on the rest of his head that his scar is completely covered and shows no signs of heat loss. He had a bit of frost around his face from his breath, but the rest of his body is significantly covered. We had some additional predatory behavior towards the rake, but this is more of a stimulus than a problem. Speaking of stimulus, Grizzer has some great footage submitting to Oscar (always through the fence) on this week's Youtube.
Shadow definitely shows his age and the cold weather this week made his joints a bit stiff. To help the wolves on these cold nights, we use ample amounts of straw to provide insulation. Obviously wolves in the wild wouldn't have straw, but they don't generally sleep in compacted snow which has lost its' insulating value. As we always say, it's our policy to provide the best management practices and if providing straw makes an old wolf more comfortable, that's the least we can do. Otherwise, Shadow continues to display a good attitude. On the Youtube posting this week, we see a clip from the surveillance camera where he gets up, stretches, then does an active scent roll on a deer leg. I don't know about you, but it takes a few cups of coffee for me to be that active in the morning.
There are some that feel sympathy for Denali that he's always being chased by Aidan. I think it's time to set the record straight. He's being chased by Aidan because he's frequently pouncing, bowing, rushing and overall testing Aidan. Aidan tolerates it, but at some point, enough with the pouncing. Denali is much more animated in behavior while Aidan is much more stern. It will be interesting to see how the pups form alliances with these completely different personalities.
Grizzer had some good positive conditioning earlier this week when he submitted for nearly 20 minutes as the Curator cleaned ice balls from his pads. A recent snowfall and warmer than average weather created the right conditions for ice balls to form between his toes. It takes some time, but if you hold his paw in your hand, the ice melts and the ice ball falls off. The other option is for the wolves to chew them off their paws, a task that is easy for young animals, but not so easy for those older wolves.
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