As much as Aidan aligns with Shadow, Denali aligns with Grizzer, which can have its’ problems, as Grizzer has taught Denali a few bad habits, like pre-feeding destruction, but so far, we are managing it. The pups are still fed on a daily basis except for Sunday after the large carcass is fed, and Wednesday, when we try to give the pups a deer leg or beaver. Last week, we fed a deer leg and Grizzer got it, then we fed another and Maya got it, but Denali doesn’t give up, he food beg to Maya until she gave up and let Denali eat. Aidan needs a few extra feedings as he is not as bold as Denali. Aidan and Denali were 5 months old on Saturday, September 27th.
There was another work crew this weekend, adding upper overhanging wire on the new enclosure fence, and adding panels to increase the fence heights of the existing enclosure. This required Lakota to stay in the pack holding area all day, as VCC student volunteers worked in her enclosure. She did well, lying in the straw in the holding area, occasionally getting up to watch the students. After the work was done, she spent quite a while sniffing where everyone had been. I really want to reiterate how important the Workin’ for Wolves program was this fall. The work completed by this weekend program, truly made a difference in Lakota’s life. The additional space and stimulus of the new area keeps her alert and active. In addition to the daily wolf yard and lab visits, she is very mobile. One of the wolf care staff brought her a grouse on Friday; she was excited to carry it around the enclosures, running the fence line with the Exhibit Pack, and later took it to the back of her enclosure and plucked it. This kind of stimulus will keep her young.
Malik chose to stay out of the bison head interactions, watching from the top of the hill, and doing a little bit of posturing if one of the wolves approached. It was a good distraction for the pack, and actually kept them occupied for several days. Malik seems very relaxed this fall, in comparison to previous falls. It may be that Grizzer is so occupied with the pups, that there’s not much time for rank order conflicts. It could also be related to Grizzer’s calm demeanor since the pup introduction, he is still very tolerant of the pups, and doesn’t get too excited about much.
Maya displayed some good behavior after the bison head was brought into the pack. Initially, she was very timid, and had an extended reach to sniff the area, then she attempted to approach, but was dominated by Grizzer. This resulted in a tug of war behavior with Grizzer, before she went off to do a ride-up on Aidan and roll him to the ground. After all of the initial food possession issues calmed down, she was then observed rolling over for both pups and grooming Shadow as he watched the action. This pack is showing some great social cohesiveness, much more than we have ever observed with our previous pack structures.
Shadow continues to show very strong leadership traits, tolerant of the pups and watchful of all of the activity. It is always interesting to watch each individual wolf’s responses towards Shadow. Maya spends time grooming him, the pups do a soft muzzle bite and food beg from him, and Grizzer always attempts to get under his chin and submit, sometimes falling down in front of Shadow. Malik uses Shadow as protection, since there is rarely intense dominance between these two littermates. The most notable log issues are Shadow’s continued resting position towards the parking lot when we are open to the public. The Center entrance is under construction, so the visitor’s now enter through the office door. Shadow is still adjusting to this, and on the days when we are open, will spend the whole day lying on top of the hill watching the back door. We purchased some new bamboo fencing and are hoping that a greater visual barrier may make him more relaxed.
Denali continues to be food dominant, and spars with Grizzer over any carcass that is fed, although Grizzer continues to be quite tolerant of the pups. Denali usually wins his piece of the carcass which is evident in his size. He stands taller than Maya, and is definitely flourishing in this pack. The pups still spend most of their time with each other, as littermate bonds are extremely strong. This is evident in the relationships between Malik and Shadow, Grizzer and Maya and Denali and Aidan.
Grizzer is the ideal pup monitor. He continues to show great tolerance when interacting with the pups and initiates social behavior. The dominance between Grizzer and Malik is much less than last fall, but when Grizzer is occupied with the pups, Malik still goes in for a grab bite. What is interesting is Grizzer’s continued submissive behavior towards Shadow. He shows a great deal of appeasement behavior, tucking his head under Shadow’s chin, with flat ears and submissive licks to the face.
Lakota aggressive/growl to MaKenzie, Lakota also showed raised tail over MacKenzie, MacKenzie didn’t respond to Lakota’s posture. MacKenzie's paw has healed and she in no longer limping, but it appears Lakota’s been asserting herself more since MacKenzie’s injury.
Malik very aggressive with Shadow while staff greeted at fence. He rode up on Shadow's back twice, but calmed down after staff left. Staff went back later and they both greeted without aggression
Mac brought her half eaten deer leg to the fence, put it down (/w Lakota a few feet away still) and whined to the pups. After a few minutes she took her leg off into the woods. Observed by Nancy Jo Tubbs at "What's for Dinner Program"
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