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."
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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.
Vermilion Student, Damon Haan, came in to do a wolf check this morning and found MacKenzie and Lakota had dug out of their pack holding area and were in the secure, secondary fence area. Curator Lori Schmidt arrived and greeted Mackenzie and Lakota and they followed her back into the pen. The area were they dug out was located. The wolves appear to have dug by one of the new gates that were scheduled to get a concrete pad on Monday. Apparently, Lakota wanted to enter the retirement pen sooner than planned. Center member Roger Halverson (who happened to be visiting the Center), Damon Haan, Alicia Pansiak, Gretchen Diessner and Lori Schmidt spent the day in the rain, snow, sleet and wind, pouring concrete and increasing the ground wire fencing on the retirement pen.
The removal of Lakota and Mackenzie was a significant decision for the Center, but in watching both wolves behavior, it appeared to be the right decision. After some recuperation time from their injuries and an adjustment period to each other, the two females of the Ambassador pack are doing well. They seem to enjoy the extra attention of the wolf care staff and have been observed in several play/chase behaviors with high tails and exuberance. All wolves were excited to see staff, maybe because of the cooler fall weather. Lakota is very playful and did several playbows to Mackenzie inviting a chase. MacKenzie was receptive, but somewhat distracted by the Arctic wolves on the shared fenceline. The construction of the new retirement enclosure will get the wolves away from each other allowing Mackenzie and Lakota to relax without being watched by the Arctics."
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