Nyssa is 79 days old. Early in the day, Nyssa greeted Shadow at the fence. Shadow began to growl and Nyssa tucked her tail and ears. As the pen was being cleaned, the noise of the rake scared her. Today all pups were given a deer fetus. Immediately, Nyssa began to dominate the other pups. She successfully defended her claim to the fetus. Save for a few small bites, she ate the whole thing. Once again, staff was unable to get an accurate weight for Nyssa.
Today Grizzer is 87 days old. During the pup programs Grizz was distracted by deer legs which held his attention throughout all of the day's pup programs. Grizz's aggressive tendencies towards handlers has somewhat dissipated. Recent aggression towards handlers has only occurred when food is involved, which is to be expected. He greeted the handlers very well today with submissive roll-overs and lots of facial licking.
Today Grizz is 88 days old. Grizz greeted the 6:00 am shift with a submissive rollover and lots of facial licking. During today's programs he did very well. He was taken out of one program early, but stayed in the entire time for the other three. The weather was very hot and muggy today so staff sprayed water into the puppy pen to cool down the soil. Grizzer was trying to bite and attack the stream of water coming from the hose. When staff was done spraying Grizz was soaking wet which helped to keep him cool. Staff also used other cooling methods on the pups such as a frozen wet blanket and ice cubes in a dish.
Maya rests on top of the den as Shadow rests in the opening. Maya and Shadow are frequently found together. Over the weekend we noticed that Maya has developed negative behavior towards entering the holding pen. She hesitates when going through the door. Wolves are wary of things over their heads. Staff needs to be aware of this change in her behavior.
In last week's logs, there were comments about MacKenzie having anxiety over the sprinkler hose over her head. The hose was re-positioned, to follow the north fence line. She still seemed anxious and responded by increased activity, which was problematic during the heat. The Center's veterinarian was concerned about a risk of heat stroke, so he prescribed some treatments to increase serotonin levels, in an effort to help her relax. On Friday, the Wolves at Two years program participants arrived and noticed MacKenzie's stressed appearance, but by Sunday, they found MacKenzie to be relaxed and calmer, even with a work project in the adjacent pack holding area.
Lakota has shed the least so far this spring. Staff continue daily brushing to encourage the wolves to loose their dense undercoat. As the weather gets warmer, it's critical that the older animals keep cool. The sprinkler hose is working well, and Lakota is often on the top of the den boxes getting a mist of water from the hoses. Yesterday, when the wolf curator was cleaning the stock tank in their enclosure, Lakota stole the sponge from the cleaning bucket, and created an intensive defensive lip curl and growl when the curator took the sponge back. Even though they're 13 years old, it doesn't mean they're beyond the point of taking possession of unguarded objects. We seem to remember writing this in the log a year ago when she played tug of war with the garden hose, guess we didn't learn. Wolves are wolves, don't be lulled into a false sense of security that you've known them for 13 years and they won't behave like wolves.
Lucas is doing much better than in previous weeks. His stability seems to have improved and he is showing more social behavior than in previous months. In the last few wolf checks, he's spent most of his time getting brushed by the staff, sometimes tag teaming him. His shedding process is much farther along, and the loss of the dense winter undercoat will only improve his tolerance to the summer heat. He's long and lean again, but will still seek the comforts of the denbox for a daily snooze.
Malik is showing a new side to wolf care staff this summer. We've always struggled with brushing and fly ointment with the arctics, possibly because of their higher status, possibly because they were a bit older than the other wolves when wolf care staff met them, possibly because this subspecies has a genetic disposition to adverse environmental conditions, regardless, basic care was a struggle. In today's wolf check, not only did Malik get a full coat brushing, but he also successfully achieved two applications of fly ointment. The coats of the arctics are tremendously soft and glossy, a clear indication of good health and probably a natural selection for a harsher winter environment in the genetics of their lineage.
Shadow is looking the most scruffy of all the exhibit animals. His dominant status keeps him from activities that make him vulnerable, including standing still while staff brush out his dense undercoat. Staff have reverted to the technique of plucking him as he goes by, although he did have a great session with Matt Fetterer the other day. Shadow seems to be more keyed in to the male handlers at the Center. He's still resistant to fly ointment, but earlier in May, when he was immobilized for the inner ear cleaning and inspection, the Vet put a dose of Biospot on his ear tips. Biospot is designed to work for months at a time in repelling flies, and it seems to have worked, as he has not had a bloody fly bite on his ears yet, and trust me, the Minnesota bugs are out there…
Grizzer ate a full meal of beaver and has the stomach to prove it. During this heat, the wolves have been staying cool by laying in the dirt, swimming in the pond or laying under the sprinklers. In this week's photo, Grizzer is looking for life in the pond.
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.