Meds to all, Malik and Shadow very growly to each other. Found the first tick of the year on Malik near his ear.
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All wolves received Rabies and Parvo/DHLPP vaccinations today administered by Wolf Curator, Lori Schmidt and Program Specialist, Jen Westlund.
Stumps and logs were hauled into the pack holding area in preparation for the pups arrival. When Shadow and Malik were placed in holding, they proceeded to scent mark on all stumps and logs. They showed no anxiety toward the holding pen as they did in previous holdings.
Malik has been getting the short end of the bone this last week as he has been Shadow's target for domination attempts. Malik responds to the attention by running around the pond and trying to include the pups, which diverts attention away from himself. The pups are eager to join in the game and the encounter usually ends with the pups swarming around the arctics, wagging and food begging.
Lucas is defending a carcass today. When he has something he wants, he uses his height to become more dominant. He stands over his possession and raises his hackles to make himself appear significantly taller. He doesn't do much more than this posturing, but it gets the point across to Lakota. MacKenzie tends to ignore this and finds another place to lay down.
Nyssa seems to be having some issues with wheelbarrows. During the Saturday night feeding, she was shy toward the wheelbarrow delivering the deer. We will have to be very watchful of her since the Working for Wolves weekend (October 29 – 31) will involve hauling rocks into the main enclosure. We will make sure we have extra distractions to keep her calm and reduce her anxiety about work projects.
The following was written by Pam Dolajeck, a participant in the Workin' for Wolves weekend – October 2004. As usual, Lakota greeted everyone with much enthusiasm. She seemed quite excited to see everyone. Saturday rained all day, with the Exhibit pack in the holding area while the pond rock hauling was completed. The wolves were very excited and quite vocal, including the retired pack. Lakota seemed more inquisitive than the rest. When the work was done in the retirement enclosure, Lakota greeted everyone with sniffs and licks and really didn't seem intimidated by our presence at all. She actually enjoyed the attention. On a side note, Lakota dug into the restricted area after the concrete slab was done. Jen Westland, Jim Williams and Matt Fetterer created a rock and plywood barrier that kept her out of the concrete for the night.
Grizzer has again been a bit overbearing when greeting staff. I think he may have realized his size and potential. He still is most likely to instigate a chase in the enclosure. It's usually Nyssa who's the likely target, although she instigates as much as Grizzer. In the photo this week, Grizzer is hiding behind the rock attempting to jump at Nyssa. They seem to really enjoy the rocks as a place to hide and pounce.
Lakota has been quite the digger lately. We're not sure if she's caching or just looking for something to occupy her time. She also has a fair amount of grass stains on her nose. She may be planning a subterrestrial lifestyle. She certainly has a tunnel system dug throughout the enclosure. The concrete pad laid by the Workin' for Wolves team has set up well, despite Lakota's help.
Shadow seems to really enjoy the pups. He frequently chases around with them and has definitely shown more behavioral diversity since the pups were introduced. He is also being more assertive with Malik. He's been a bit off because of a reoccurring yeast infection in his ears, but a Vet Exam scheduled for this Thursday should help that condition. He is still the most intense wolf on the exhibit.
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