When we enter the enclosure for wolf care, we have some benchmarks to judge how well the pack is interacting. One benchmark is Malik. If Malik is nervous and doesn’t come to the rock to greet, then there’s tension in the pack. Lately, we are happy to report that wolf checks have been great for Malik. There are times when we need to double check that it’s Malik and not Shadow acting confident and jumping from rock to rock. Also at this age, we are watching for the signs of decline, stiffness in the joints, ability to deal with ambient temperatures and overall movement issues. Malik and Shadow have been on Cosequin and Durlactin since they were 6 years old, and it seems to help. We want to make sure these over exhuberant pup chases don’t have an impact on the older wolves. A new YouTube video has been posted showing scenes from the early winter in Ely.
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Maya is once again going through the ritual of solicitation behavior towards Shadow. This is a common social behavior between a dominant pair, and while it is usually associated with breeding, we see it in a captive facility with spayed and neutered wolves as well. We spoke about this last week, and will probably continue to see it for the next several months. It puts Maya in a better mood, which is good for Aidan. A new YouTube video has been posted showing scenes from the early winter in Ely.
When Aidan was transported for surgery, Denali was drawn off into the Retired Enclosure and spent the day by himself. He had a deer leg, and staff monitored him throughout the day, but he was anxious. It was important to move Denali out of the pack so the pack wouldn’t just isolate Aidan who was off site. Denali was placed back in the pack for the evening, while Aidan slept in the lab, and drawn back into the Retired Enclosure at 4 am on Saturday to join Aidan, who was ready for some outside time. Denali was very relaxed after Aidan joined him. They greeted with full tail wags, and facial licking, and before long, they were scuffling over deer legs and beaver. Denali never investigated the suture site, (neither did Aidan, even when he was in the lab) and both settled in to sleeping in the den boxes. Although, Aidan took the big one and Denali was stuck with the smaller rock den, which is fine when curling up, but a draw back if you like to stretch out when sleeping. At the introduction, Denali did some active submission, but not as much as Aidan. Aidan seems more bonded to Shadow and seeks his attention more than Denali. In his video, you will see Maya checking out Aidan’s suture site, then Aidan began licking his site, and before long, Denali started licking at himself. We’re not sure if that’s sympathy grooming or just wanting to be one of the pack.
Aidan is fully healed from his surgery and is enjoying life in the pack. He is still the most needy of the two pups with staff and wants attention when staff do checks. The pups are now on a twice a week feeding protocol, and we are leaving more scraps in the enclosure to give them something to chew on (besides Grizzer). Aidan continues to associate well with Shadow, and is very submissive to Shadow in all greetings. Maya’s initial fall hormone rush has calmed a bit making life easier for Aidan. A new YouTube video has been posted showing scenes from the early winter in Ely.
On a weekly basis, we allow the wolves access to the Retired enclosure to explore, this is good stimulus for the pack, and allows us to complete projects in the Exhibit enclosure without the inquisitive nature of pups. The wolves line up at the gate, and run straight through the chute to be the first to enter. What’s been most interesting is Shadow is usually the last one to leave. He is very relaxed in this area, and would prefer to stay and explore, while the shorter attention spans of the pups want to go back to the Exhibit and see what wolf care staff have done. This is very reassuring for the comfort of Shadow in retirement will be critical to his acceptance when he eventually is retired. Although, if you watch his video, that is not looking like a scenario in the near future. A new YouTube video has been posted showing scenes from the early winter in Ely.
Due to the weekend blizzard and the resulting time spent shoveling and blowing snow, the wolf logs will all be the same today. Despite windchills in the 30 to 40 below range and nearly a foot of snow, the wolves are doing great. These are animals that are clearly adapted to winter environments and they are much more comfortable than during a warm summer day. Staff provide straw beds to give them a comfortable place to rest and insulates them from the cold ground, the dens are dry and well covered in straw, but unless the wind is bad, the wolves usually don't use the densites. Staff make sure there are plenty of scraps available for a quick snack, and the water heaters are monitored daily to ensure there is always a fresh, warm source of water. We are aware of some issues with the pond cam's exposure problems, and we are doing some adjusting to see if we can repair it, thanks for your emails about the issue. I hope to get a youtube video posted later in the week, filmed on a -26 below morning to show the activity levels of the wolves in these temperatures.
Very exhuberant greetings from all wolves. Lakota was able to approach and greet staff with no aggression from Mackenzie. Lakota's wounds are nearly healed, no sign of further aggression from the other wolves.
MacKenzie is doing much better, although the right hip still continues to be favored. She has been far more relaxed as the construction across the road is moving towards indoor work. As I write this log, she is laying inside the denbox soaking up the first sun we've seen in days.
Due to the weekend blizzard and the resulting time spent shoveling and blowing snow, the wolf logs will all be the same today. Despite windchills in the 30 to 40 below range and nearly a foot of snow, the wolves are doing great. These are animals that are clearly adapted to winter environments and they are much more comfortable than during a warm summer day. Staff provide straw beds to give them a comfortable place to rest and insulates them from the cold ground, the dens are dry and well covered in straw, but unless the wind is bad, the wolves usually don't use the densites. Staff make sure there are plenty of scraps available for a quick snack, and the water heaters are monitored daily to ensure there is always a fresh, warm source of water. We are aware of some issues with the pond cam's exposure problems, and we are doing some adjusting to see if we can repair it, thanks for your emails about the issue. I hope to get a youtube video posted later in the week, filmed on a -26 below morning to show the activity levels of the wolves in these temperatures.
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.
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