The logs will all be the same this week due to some other obligations of the Curator. Malik has adjusted well to the new privacy fence erected on the fence line facing the Exhibit Pack. He still has an area to view the pack between the fences at the main entrance gate, but by having the 100 foot wall protected, it gives him more security. There was a lot of debate about the wood privacy fence among staff. We weren’t certain that he would have more anxiety if he could hear the pack, but not see them. We also had to determine if his anxiety was about getting back in with the pack, rather than not being the focus of the pack. If he wanted to get back in with them, he would likely become more excited at the lack of visual connection. If he was insecure about them seeing him, and wanted to be protected from them, then he would likely relax. The fact that he was sleeping comfortably in his den within 15 minutes of the fence completion is probably indicative of an attitude that he wanted protection from the pack. He is very relaxed, and as I write this (we have a security camera on him so he is always visible in the lab), he is very relaxed, watching ravens on his food caches. Many people have asked when we will put a webcam on his enclosure, at this time, we don’t want to make any changes to his environment, and want to give him time to adjust. The webcam boxes are large and bulky, necessary to keep the cameras heated in winter, but a bit intrusive for a wolf that is getting used to his life and enclosure. He will be filmed for the weekly YouTube video, and when he is ready, there will be a camera. The main pack is very calm, Maya and Aidan still have some issues, actually, Maya is just dominant, she has no issue. Shadow is extremely social with all pack members, and Denali likes to wrestle, eat and foreleg stab at things. Grizzer is extremely calm, and the removal of the stress between he and Malik has done wonders for him, and the pack tension overall.
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The wolves are all doing well, and the wolf care staff certainly are appreciative of all the support from members and viewers of the wolf logs. As always, the wolf care staff will be doing wolf care throughout the holidays and people can rest assured that the wolves and wolf care will always main our first priority at the International Wolf Center. Have a great holiday season, and check out the Youtube video, it shows the pack in good spirits, especially Grizzer and Denali who have become great pals. Malik is joining in on pack howls, and has adjusted well to life in retirement.
Aidan continues to be wary of Maya, but that doesn't mean he's restricted in activity. He often follows Maya after a chase, and has learned her tolerances and behavioral cues. He was observed in social play behavior with Shadow, and when Grizzer and Denali do a chase, he stays at the top of the hill, prancing to join in, but wise enough to keep his distance.
The logs will all be the same this week due to some other obligations of the Curator. Malik has adjusted well to the new privacy fence erected on the fence line facing the Exhibit Pack. He still has an area to view the pack between the fences at the main entrance gate, but by having the 100 foot wall protected, it gives him more security. There was a lot of debate about the wood privacy fence among staff. We weren’t certain that he would have more anxiety if he could hear the pack, but not see them. We also had to determine if his anxiety was about getting back in with the pack, rather than not being the focus of the pack. If he wanted to get back in with them, he would likely become more excited at the lack of visual connection. If he was insecure about them seeing him, and wanted to be protected from them, then he would likely relax. The fact that he was sleeping comfortably in his den within 15 minutes of the fence completion is probably indicative of an attitude that he wanted protection from the pack. He is very relaxed, and as I write this (we have a security camera on him so he is always visible in the lab), he is very relaxed, watching ravens on his food caches. Many people have asked when we will put a webcam on his enclosure, at this time, we don’t want to make any changes to his environment, and want to give him time to adjust. The webcam boxes are large and bulky, necessary to keep the cameras heated in winter, but a bit intrusive for a wolf that is getting used to his life and enclosure. He will be filmed for the weekly YouTube video, and when he is ready, there will be a camera. The main pack is very calm, Maya and Aidan still have some issues, actually, Maya is just dominant, she has no issue. Shadow is extremely social with all pack members, and Denali likes to wrestle, eat and foreleg stab at things. Grizzer is extremely calm, and the removal of the stress between he and Malik has done wonders for him, and the pack tension overall.
Maya has started some more intense pair bonding with Shadow, but she seems to still show intense dominance over Aidan. While some people may harbor bad feelings towards Maya's behavior, it is important to accept them as wolves, and know that there are reasons why wolves see anxious behavior as a weakness. It's staff's job to manage the wolves to the best of our ability, and the key for Aidan is to keep the pack calm, and therefore, less anxious behavior for Aidan which makes him a target. As the YouTube video posted for the week will show, Maya likes to be in control of treats in the enclosure, and while she tends to take whatever Aidan drops, staff make sure Maya's pile is equally distributed.
The wolves are all doing well, and the wolf care staff certainly are appreciative of all the support from members and viewers of the wolf logs. As always, the wolf care staff will be doing wolf care throughout the holidays and people can rest assured that the wolves and wolf care will always main our first priority at the International Wolf Center. Have a great holiday season, and check out the Youtube video, it shows the pack in good spirits, especially Grizzer and Denali who have become great pals. Malik is joining in on pack howls, and has adjusted well to life in retirement.
The logs will all be the same this week due to some other obligations of the Curator. Malik has adjusted well to the new privacy fence erected on the fence line facing the Exhibit Pack. He still has an area to view the pack between the fences at the main entrance gate, but by having the 100 foot wall protected, it gives him more security. There was a lot of debate about the wood privacy fence among staff. We weren’t certain that he would have more anxiety if he could hear the pack, but not see them. We also had to determine if his anxiety was about getting back in with the pack, rather than not being the focus of the pack. If he wanted to get back in with them, he would likely become more excited at the lack of visual connection. If he was insecure about them seeing him, and wanted to be protected from them, then he would likely relax. The fact that he was sleeping comfortably in his den within 15 minutes of the fence completion is probably indicative of an attitude that he wanted protection from the pack. He is very relaxed, and as I write this (we have a security camera on him so he is always visible in the lab), he is very relaxed, watching ravens on his food caches. Many people have asked when we will put a webcam on his enclosure, at this time, we don’t want to make any changes to his environment, and want to give him time to adjust. The webcam boxes are large and bulky, necessary to keep the cameras heated in winter, but a bit intrusive for a wolf that is getting used to his life and enclosure. He will be filmed for the weekly YouTube video, and when he is ready, there will be a camera. The main pack is very calm, Maya and Aidan still have some issues, actually, Maya is just dominant, she has no issue. Shadow is extremely social with all pack members, and Denali likes to wrestle, eat and foreleg stab at things. Grizzer is extremely calm, and the removal of the stress between he and Malik has done wonders for him, and the pack tension overall.
Malik had a few holiday treats, beef and chicken, which he really enjoyed. He ate a large quantity, then cached the rest for later. He has been howling with the pack, the surveillance cameras recorded a daytime and nighttime howl. It doesn't seem mournful, just a rally with the social group. He still enjoys the staff time, but has been calmer with staff than when he was first retired, where his exuberance was a bit much sometimes.
Grizzer turned 8 years old on Saturday. He had a double order of beaver for his birthday and spent time with staff. The pond is used on a regular basis, and will be a welcome relief with the summer temperatures. Grizzer will get additional stimulus this summer when the pups utilize the smaller portion of his enclosure. During this time, Grizzer will stay in the new habitat area, while the pups interact for a few hours at a time. After the pups leave the area, Grizzer will be allowed back, and will have a significant amount of pups smells to investigate.
Bolts is growing in height on a daily basis, and his leg growth is tremendous. If you watch him on the webcam, you will notice slights limps or times when his coordination is affected by these long legs. We are trying to maximize nutrition during these fast growth spurts, and have added some dry dog food with a balanced protein to the meat mix. We continue to offer formula, but their interest in formula continues to be minimal. You will also see staff giving a multi-vitamin by eye dropper every day. We ordered a new scale, as the floor scale we have been using is giving us inconsistent weights, but to the best of our ability, here are the weights since the last posting. We typically like to see .2 lb weight gain, but do recognize that changes in staffing or activities can affect feeding. It is critical that people remain diligent but not overbearing in getting the pups to feed. Calm staff make for calm pups, and can result in them missing a meal of they are too stressed. There is a fine balance in socialization and pup care. Here are the weights recorded since the last posting. We did some comparisons between Grizzer and Bolts, and they were tracking pound for pound until they were about 36 days old, then Grizzer made some significant 1 lb and consecutive half pound gains that we did not see in Bolts. On the last recorded weight for today, Bolts is 12.8 lbs, whereas Grizzer was already 14.2 lbs. <li> 4/28 – 10.8 lbs <li> 4/29 – 10.8 lbs <li> 4/30- 11.3 lbs <li> 5/1 – 11.2 lbs <li> 5/2 – 11.6 lbs <li> 5/3 – 12.0 lbs <li> 5/4 – 12.2 lbs <li> 5/5 – 12.4 lbs <li> 5/6 – 12.6 lbs <li> 5/7 – 12.6 lbs <li>
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