Bolts is really starting to gain leg and paw growth. His paws are now larger than Oscar's, and so is his attitude to wrestle. We keep Oscar on the leash when interacting with Oscar so we can control the excitement. Unfortunately, this leaves Oscar at a disadvantage and Bolts can be pretty physical. There is no doubt that Bolts will fit in really well with the Exhibit Pack. Bolts really enjoys being outside and while it took us a while to get the camera functioning outdoors, we hope you can appreciate the activity and the social interactions between Aidan, Denali and Bolts. Since the last posting, here are Bolt's weights: <li> 5-8-12 – 13.2 lbs <li> 5-9-12 – 13.6 lbs <li> 5-10-12- 13.6 lbs <li> 5-11-12 – 14.1 (note scale change may affect weight) <li> 5-12-12 – 14.4 lbs <li> 5-13-12 – 14.4 lbs <li> 5- 14-12 – 15.3 lbs <li> 5-15-12- 15.4 lbs <li> 5-16-12 – 15.9 lbs <li> No weights 5/17 – 5/18 lbs <li> 5-19-20 – 17.2 lbs <li> 5-20-12 – 17.3 lbs <li>
Aidan's making great progress with the Lupus condition. We have one more month of treatment, and every day is progress. The one issue that continues to be a challenge is the application of suntan lotion. I have to do this as the last activity before I leave the enclosure because he refuses to approach me after I apply the lotion. Thankfully, it's raining as I write this so no lotion tomorrow. Aidan and Bolts have developed a special relationship and Aidan continues to be selective on his response toward the individuals that approach and handle the pups at the fence. He even showed some threat display towards Oscar, when he and Bolts were wrestling. We keep Oscar on a leash the at all times in the yard, but we did construct a gate system in the runway next to the yard to allow Oscar some off leash time next to the pups.
Grizzer is increasing his howling bouts in frequency and length. He is excited when the pups are out, and while we are still keeping them over by Aidan and Denali, he watches them whenever they leave the lab. He is just starting to shed and will definitely need some brush work in the next few weeks. He was the most stressed by the planes and helicopters during the fire and was excited to get out of holding after the fire suppression efforts worked. Earlier this evening, Grizzer made a soft whine and Oscar pushed the lab door open and went for a visit. We are so fortunate that Grizzer finds comfort in Oscar's visits.
During the fire, both Shadow and Malik were very calm, the result of the sedatives. What we didn't expect the sedative to last into the next day. This is likely an age related issue, but wolf care staff said Malik wouldn't get up for his meds. That's unusual, but a visit by the staff inside the enclosure did get him stimulated and greeting on the den.
We had an interesting response from Nyssa that we didn't expect. Last week, we put the heated winter waterer in the enclosure. Due to the fact that it needs to be in a concrete box to prevent the wolves from getting at the wiring, the waterer had to be wheeled in on a two wheel cart. Nyssa freaked at the movement of the cart and began hiding in the pack of the woods. She wouldn't even go into holding with the rest of the pack. (Grizzer playbowed to it and attempted to bite the tires). It took Nyssa almost a week to get over this experience, she was reluctant to approach any staff after the incident. It's just a reminder that wolves have instincts selected for the wild, and the activities of a human world are best to be avoided. Nyssa is back to normal today, but staff need to be conscientous of all activities in the pen to avoid negative conditioning.
I start the logs with Grizzer, because he's the top of the order in the webpage, not because I favor him (don't tell him that). So, if I only get Grizzer done today, I don't want to think that I'm neglecting the other wolves. I've got a full slate today, so I'll try to get to all wolves. Grizzer lost his canine milk tooth that was behind his permanent tooth. I guess the supply of moose bones from local hunters did the trick. Lately, he's been a bit mouthy with staff when they go into the pen, but a few lip pinches and a roll-over helps calm that behavior. Staff have been working on conditioning the pups to new tools such as window washing pails and squeegees. Grizz has a few soap bubbles to add to his list of things to experience.
Maya seems very content with her role in the pack. Several times throughout the day, she seems to find herself on the bottom of a Grizzer, Nyssa pile. She seems to willingly take their grief and jaw spars back with them. She's very exploratory in the enclosure. The other day, one of the wolves (not sure who) injured a Raven during the night. The Raven had managed to fly to a branch on the white pine in the front of the exhibit. It sat up there through the night (there was a group observing) and throughout the 8 am wolf check. Maya and Shadow sat at the base of the tree watching the Raven. By around 9 am , Shadow was observed running from the tree with the Raven in his mouth. It must have fallen out of the tree. A short time later, Maya ran into the woods, a scuffle was heard, and she came back with the Raven. She defended it from all the wolves, and took it into the den to guard.
Grizzer was observed chewing on the window pane near the gate. Vermilion student worker, Laris Skujins distracted him with a bone, but noticed distinct teeth marks left on the window edge. Grizzer is definitely teething, with staff noticing more biting behavior when going into the pen. It seems to be worse on the days when there's a break in wolf care. On Saturday and Sunday, no staff are schedule to go into the wolf enclosure except to feed when the wolves are locked off. So, Monday morning checks are a bit more excitable with more Grizzer interactions. By mid-week, he settles down and is actually very calm when interacting with staff.
I hope you all had a great holiday season. The wolves weathered the holiday well considering the December 26th – 9 am wolf check was -34 degrees below zero. On New Year's day, nearly 10 inches of snow fell creating a great diversion for the wolves (the pups love fresh snow) and many hours of work for the curator. Enjoy the winter photos…
Shadow has been an extremely caring adult wolf during the entire introduction process. He's been the most interactive with the pups, sometimes in a fatherly, growling, head biting way, but it does teach discipline to the pups. All the pups seem to seek him out for attention and if the pups haven't been in view for awhile, Shadow seems to be the one that checks on them, even rounding them up and bringing them to the front of the exhibit. Shadow is best known for his less than tolerable behavior towards strangers, but since the introduction, he seems much calmer when program participants receive a "Behind the Scenes" tour. It's evident that the pups are more submissive to Shadow and rarely push him around like they do Malik.
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