Photo by Kelly Godfrey

Denali – Definitely Willing to Greet

It is standard practice for wolf care staff to inspect each wolf for any ticks, bite wounds, burrs, injuries, tenderness or other abnormality that needs attention.  Denali is the most tolerant of this somewhat invasive handling technique and while he may display some anxiety (shown by his ears pricked and turned sideways), he accepts the inspection of two different handlers.  As a lower ranking wolf, he doesn’t seem to be as cautious of showing submission or vulnerability.  When doing a wolf check with a high ranking wolf, staff must be cautious to not put the wolf in a compromising position that may make them a target of a testing pack member.

Grizzer with his summer pelage

It took a while, but Grizzer finally shed his winter coat and is showing the sleek posture of a summer pelage.  Note what appears to be an oversized head compared to the winter photo of a complimentary neck of hair.  I was recently asked if Grizzer will have some anxiety with the pups moving into the Exhibit Pack.  Certainly, Grizzer has been communicating with the pups through whining, howling, visual contact and getting the benefit of pup leftovers.  But, Grizzer’s most stimulating activity is spending time in the pack holding area and the sooner the pups go into the Exhibit, the sooner Grizzer’s life will return to normal.

Luna- Doing all we can

For Luna, this pup summer has been a mix of behaviors.  In her initial meeting at the fence line, she salivated in response to a likely surge of hormones.  She’s shown bouts of dominance that include biting the fence, staring into the auditorium while pups are doing programs, lying for hours on end at the fence and most recently regurgitating a meal of chicken near the pups fence line.  All of this stimuli can affect her behaviorally, as well as physically.    Given her medical history, she doesn’t need any more physical discomfort.  We are in the process of coordinating a workshop to try relieve some of Luna’s tension and hopefully help her relax.  In this week’s photo, Luna gives the message to Curator, Lori Schmidt that she has hit the right spot.

Photo by Ann Rasberry

Grayson – Seeking Warmth

Even though the pup’s protective guard hairs are developing, they still have some challenges keeping warm.  Grayson is resting on Axel’s back after a light rain dampened the soil.  Notice the pups have some coloration to their guard hairs.  Their final adult coloration will be determined by around 5 or 6 months of age, but it looks like they may have some variations.  Grayson continues to have a strong association with the wolf care staff and is more timid when the adult wolves display some dominance at the fence.  We have implemented one shift a week where the pups have limited human contact and tend to rely on the Exhibit Pack for a source of comfort in the middle of the night.  This is a transition time to prepare the pups for their introduction into the pack in early August.

Photo by Kelly Godfrey

Axel – Greeting at the Gate

While the pups are becoming socialized to the humans, it is important that they maintain a bond with the adults.  Pups not only have access to the adults in the wolf yard during the day, but also have access to the adults in the Pack Holding Area throughout the night.  Most of the contact is dominated by Luna, but Boltz gets has several greetings a night as well.  Axel is the most comfortable with these greetings and shows the appropriate submissive ear response when greeting his future packmate.

Axel – Finding Distractions

When we talk about socialization, we always train people to distract a pup when they are anxious rather than try to physically calm them because the distraction tends to snap them out of state of mind that causes the anxiety.  If you physically try to calm them by stroking the pup, you may actually reinforce the anxiety.  To do this, you need awareness of the signs that a pup has an issue, creativity of new and innovative distractions and a lot of distractions available at a short notice.  Pup Care Participants have jackets with large pockets and zippers to carry bones, hide, meat, ice cubes etc., whatever is the preferred distraction for the day.  As the pups’ age, they will gain more access to larger spaces and they find their own distractions.  In the last few weeks, the pups have been utilizing the Pack Holding Area and a beaver head has been the distraction of choice.  In this photo, it’s a deer scapula.  When they join the Exhibit Pack, who knows what they will find.

Grayback – Caution First

Grayback displays a lot of caution especially when exploring new things.  In this photo, he is observing the pond in the Pack Holding Area and is he does it with a determination that keeps him from falling in or getting stuck.  This is a bit contrary to his littermate.  This behavior will be advantageous when exploring the larger Exhibit Pack space.

Grizzer – Back on Track

Since the last log, Grizzer has put on 10 pounds, is active in some very dense vegetation and has several holes and sand piles for relief from the flies and the heat.  He has nearly completed the shedding of his undercoat with the exception of his neck hair.  There are no other indications of any issues and our summer is definitely been tolerable.  We are fortunate to have temperatures that range from low to mid 70’s with overnight lows near the 50’s and sometimes even lower.  For older wolves who need their rest, these moderate temperatures are definitely a benefit.

Luna – Trigger Points

Luna’s behavior has been the topic of our webinars, wolf logs and daily wolf checks.  We are addressing this from all angles.  First and foremost, we are doing medical assessments, meaning that she might have a heightened pain response from being so focused, camping out in the same spot for hours waiting for pups.  This could cause more stiffness and she might be more inclined to be assertive due to discomfort or as a defensive response to being weaker.  We certainly do see more joint stiffness on hot, humid days.  We are also incorporating some massage work to relieve some tense muscles and she has responded well to that.  Secondly, we are approaching this as a behavioral response and will be employing distractions in the upcoming weeks to help socialize her to the activity of the pups.  Lastly, this might be an environmental response to enclosure design and access points that might trigger some guarding behavior especially when unfamiliar people are around the pups.  We know when Luna’s showing more stability because she will be side-by-side with Aidan and all is calm.  We also know when she’s not as indicated by this photo.

Boltz – A New Posture

Since the pups arrived, Boltz is whining at the fence, eagerly waiting for pups arrival in the yard and showing some interesting facial expressions and postures.  In this photo, he displays a posture similar to Shadow with his legs crossed and an expressive ear posture.  He is also the only Exhibit Pack member to regurgitate to the pups.  One of the reasons why we introduce pups on the 4-year rotation is that the presence of the pups tends to take the focus of the middle-aged wolves (in this case, 4-year old Boltz) off of the 8-year old wolves (Aidan and Denali) and onto the social interactions with pups.  It’s as if the 4-year old’s retreat to pup behavior.  In the Youtube posted last week, we witnessed Boltz food begging to Denali.  We also see some very cohesive behavior with Aidan and Boltz as they watch the pups together.  The only strife is when Luna becomes a bit obsessed and unstable while guarding the pups.