Today was the first day that former Nanny and volunteer Wolf Photographer Sherry Jokinen entered the Retirement Enclosure to get better photos for the website. The wolves are very familiar with Sherry since she has spent hundreds of hours adjacent to the fence as a Nanny for the arctics and later photographing the wolves. The wolves were excited to see her, but temperatures only reached the single digits, so the wolves settled down to the straw beds within a few hours of the introduction. A new wolf shelter was brought into the Retired Pack; Lucas marked the shelter in a typical wolf fashion, RLU.
Curator’s Note: Again, this is the time of the year when wolves reach a hormonal peak as the breeding season progresses. Although the wolves at the Center are spayed and neutered, their dominance behavior can intensify in January and February. Staff are seeing dominance issues in both the Exhibit pack and the Retired Pack. Vermilion Community College Student, Damon Haan writes: "MacKenzie and Lucas are very intent on dominating Lakota. They forced her to submit 6 separate times in a 5 minute observation period, several times, by physically grabbing the scruff of Lakota’s neck and pulling her down. This dominance seems to start after the arctics have a dominance interaction in the Exhibit Pack.
Malik and Shadow are weighed once again. Both continue to gain muscle and body strength. Four pounds were gained per wolf since July 1st. MALIK Weight: 19.5 lbs. Length: 39" (tip of nose to end of tail) Canine length: 1/2" SHADOW Exact same stats as Malik ! Nancy Weiss writes: (first Pup Nanny for the summer) "The pups beauty is striking. Muzzles are already lengthening and their noses are large. Their eyes are round, curious and fringed with delicate lashes. Their faces are exotic and elegant. Their feet, my gosh, are already huge. Their oversized feet and long muzzles combined give them a winsome, cartoonish appearance. Malik noticed a butterfly today (7/8/00). They're both paying more attention to living things, objects, other humans and of course, the adult wolves."
Mac seems much more relaxed today and back to dominating Shadow. Malik has become very fond of the grooming time, and likes being brushed by handlers. It's hard to brush Shadow without having Mackenzie go after him. Mackenzie is very intent on limiting Shadow's contact with handlers
Aggressive dominance of Shadow by Lucas and Mackenzie. Shadow biting Mackenzie's rump several quick attempts. Pups and Lucas then chased Lakota who seemed to be confined to the den area. Mackenzie then received good attention from the staff.
As Gretchen Diessner and Andrea Lorek Strauss were leaving from the office, heard loud barking, went back to check and observed MacKenzie growling at Shadow through the fence. Shadow jumped high along fence, lunging at MacKenzie. MacKenzie continued to growl, bark and bite at the plywood barrier. Tried to distract verbally, but no response, left them to calm down on their own." Curator's note: Redirected aggression during times of stress is not uncommon for wolves. The on-site construction brings new equipment and people, causing the wolves to become agitated and nervous, sometimes resulting in a redirect to each other. The other problem is the current shared fence line allows the wolves contact with each other even though there is a plywood barrier. The completion of the retirement pen (being built away from the main enclosure) will happen soon, and we expect the back of the wolf yard to return to a calm state with only wolf care staff visiting the wolves.
Vitamins to all, MacKenzie still fence fighting, gave Moose bones to MacKenzie and Lakota to distract them from the construction. When the workers arrived, there was more fence fighting and pacing. Lucas and Shadow had their own issues; Lucas has become more aggressive with Shadow, showing hackles and high tail position. He has been observed attempting direct eye contact stares, but Shadow ignores him.
Vet check on Malik's leg revealed tendon damage to the outer toe, causing discomfort and limping, which likely aggravated his ACL, giving the initial appearance of an ACL injury. Malik will continue to be monitored and regular physical exams will be conducted. At this time, it appears that he has no further discomfort, nor is limping.
Shadow continues to bark howl at visitors to the fence. This past week, former nannies Bridget Lyons and Sandy Stoffel came to Ely for a visit. The wolves demonstrated their dominance behavior, until Shadow started to get a bit nervous and jumped on the rock to bark-howl. We try to limit Shadow's intimidation as we've seen Malik take advantage of it. Bridget and Sandy observed from the inside auditorium, where the wolves decided to take a mid-day nap.
Last Thursday's wolf check was interesting for Jen Westlund and I, not only in the retired enclosure (check Lakota's log), but also in the Exhibit pack. Jen generally gets along better with Malik, and I get along better with Shadow. When Jen comes in and Malik gets a lot of attention, he displays many more dominant postures and tests towards Shadow. It is important to note the influence handlers have on the individual wolf dynamics as well as the impact of Behind the Scenes tours. If one wolf is more comfortable than another, it may be the confidence they need to take on another wolf. Staff need to be watchful of this influence and adjust accordingly.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.