On Thursday, November 11th, the Center Staff conducted a chemical immobilization on the three males of the exhibit pack. It was decided that Malik would receive a complete exam on his knee including x-rays, Shadow would get his ears cleaned and get a diagnosis of his problems and as long as the arctics were down, Grizzer would be neutered. We had intended to wait until the May medical exam to do Grizzer, but his incredible growth rate and tendency to focus on Malik as an outlet for dominance, we decided it wouldn't be wise to take Malik and Shadow out without Grizzer. Grizzer's trip to the Vet clinic was uneventful. He had a very smooth immobilization and was up and around in no time. He weighed 84 lbs and was deemed very healthy. He was back in the pack chewing on a frozen beaver by early afternoon and doesn't appear to be bothering his stitches. He looks great this morning and weekend reports have him running with the pack as if nothing happened. The vet's use dissolvable stitches, so there is no need for a return visit to the clinic.
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Lucas likes the opportunity to chew on scraps from hunters. His favorite thing is to run around the pen with a ribcage or deer head. He can still crack open bones, even though his teeth are wearing a bit.
There's still a lack of snow in Northern Minnesota, so the main exhibit has been bedded with straw for insulation. Grizzer enjoys sliding down the hill, taking the new straw with him. As I came in this morning, there were 4 wolves attempting to sit on the webcam rock, Grizzer's bulky size usually leaves him a bit uncoordinated. He settled for the lower rocks, leaving Malik and Nyssa on top. All the other wolves have been observed jumping from rock to rock, Grizzer attempted it once, but his shorter legs didn't make the leap. As December approaches, we expect a growth in length rather than the width that Grizz has been putting on.
With the ear mite situation in the main exhibit, the staff have been cleaning and checking the Retired Pack's ears on a daily basis. During their October medical exam, their ears were extremely clean, so there's no indication that they had the same problems as the Exhibit pack. The mites may have been something the pups brought into the enclosure. The Retired wolves take to wolf care checks easily; Lucas has been known to back up to a wolf care staff person to get his fix of scratching from the staff. In this week's photo, staff are checking Lucas's ears.
Lucas continues his laid back ways, greeting wolf care staff, and avoiding the MacKenzie-Lakota conflicts. He does seem to appreciate fresh straw in his den box, and placidly awaits his turn to eat.
Nyssa is Nyssa… There's no way to describe it. She's got her own personality and she seems to do as she pleases unless Maya finds a need to pin her. These two females go back and forth in dominance displays, this week's photo shows Nyssa pinning Maya, with Grizzer's help.
Curator's Note: Behavioral stimulus is important in captivity. Staff try to enrich the lives of the captive wolves whenever possible. On a recent fishing trip, an Eelpout was caught and brought to the Exhibit Pack. Meds to all except Malik who was too busy guarding his Eelpout to come for meds.
Shadow has been notably more playful than in previous weeks. His greetings with staff have been longer and more frequent and he was observed throwing a deer head up in the air and chasing the pups from his prize. In this week's photo, you see Maya food begging to Shadow with Shadow replying with a classic food defense face.
As Shadow feels better from his ear treatment, Malik seems to be getting more dominance. The pups are ususally right there to assist Shadow. At this point, the intensity is still low and the pups are easily distracted, but as the winter approaches and the most aggressive time of the year approaches, we expect Malik to get more attention. Right now, Malik can usually outrun the pack, but every so often, they catch him at the top of the hill.
The most noteable point in the log about Maya is the increased focus on Nyssa. Originally, staff thought Maya's submissive behavior would make her a natural omega of the pack. But lately, Shadow has been paying a lot of attention to Maya and almost favoring her in interactions. This seems to have boosted Maya's confidence and her response is to show more dominance over Nyssa. Maya has been observed stalking Nyssa and doing hind quarter grabs as Nyssa runs with the rest of the pack. The establishment of the female role may go back and forth until the pups reach maturity between 18 and 24 months. It is clear that the influence of the other wolves may have an impact on the outcome. If Shadow favors Maya, this may help Maya establish her dominant role.
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