Grizzer is 48 days old today. Grizzer was chasing a squeaky toy soccer ball along with Maya and Nyssa. He was also playing tug-of-war with Maya with a blanket. Grizz put his paws in the water and splashed it into the pup pen. He appears to enjoy playing in the water.
Nyssa is 41 days old today. She aggressively ate the venison and then defended it by growling at one of the nannies. After she ate the venison, she pounced/hopped with tail wagging and dove into the dirt pile. We think she liked the venison.
Malik continues to be nervous about getting all 4 feet on the metal scale, but by the look and feel of his body, he has been benefiting from Shadow's "all you can eat buffets". Malik and Shadow willingly share the den, and show no issue of avoidance. To distinguish them on video is difficult, but if you get a close up view, Malik has more almond shape eyes, while Shadow has more roundish eyes. If there is a wolf on top of the den while another wolf is in the den, it is likely to be Malik on top, although, we have many hours of surveillance video with them both on top of the den. Regardless, they like the space and are both resting as a retired wolf should.
This week has yet another challenge for Grizzer. He has to adapt to the change of a fall schedule, which means the wolf curator is not on site every day to keep an eye on activity. Of course, the wolf curator is on call for emergencies, but wolf care must be done earlier in the day and later in the day than the usual schedule. It's not a problem, the wolves still get the quality care that they usually receive. In fact, they probably get more time, with the Center closing at 5 pm instead of 7 pm, there's more time for work at the end of the day. But. it's different, and some wolves don't like change, which basically describes Grizzer. The upcoming September 2nd Wolf Watch will be very telling as to Grizzer's activity. There is still time to register for Wolf Watch; it is a great opportunity to see the pack as a unit, without the stimulus of the human influence.
Malik has mastered the art of stealing caches. As Shadow regains weight, and is offered food on a daily basis, he doesn't always need it, so he caches. Malik waits until Shadow is about 5 feet away, then digs it up and eats it before Shadow approaches. This has resulted in more weight gain for Malik, which isn't bad as winter approaches. How much weight gain? We don't know, Malik refuses to put all 4 feet on the scale. So far, we have not overcome is cautious behavior towards the scale, but by the looks of his mid-section, he's developed a bit more roundish figure.
What can we say about Maya other than, it must be tough to keep control of things that you can easily walk under. Maya has no problem walking under Denali without even stooping. The constant vocalization must be tiring for her as well as the rest of the pack, but that is a method to assert authority without being physical and that is the reason why vocalization is used. Maya is probably the most complex wolf on site, but we appreciate all that she has taught us about pack dynamics. While filming the Youtube video this week, we observed a parallel gate between Maya and Grizzer, unfortunately, we didn't get it on film, only the ending where Maya licked Grizzer in the face. We think Maya would appreciate some help, it's just not certain who is going to be that male leader.
There has been a bit of activity in the pack that affects Aidan. Grizzer has finally had enough with Denali and proceeded to do a chase throughout the enclosure which lasted several minutes. How does this affect Aidan? Initially, it gets Maya excited, so she redirects to Aidan, then Maya joins the chase, leaving Aidan to hop excitedly at the front of the Exhibit. He knows he could get some dominance if he joins in, so he stays at the bottom of the hill, waiting for the pack mates to run by, so he can join in.
Grizzer had a little exercise this morning. After being the recipient of several ride-up and chin rests from Denali, he began a chase with an intensity that surprised the wolf care staff and even surprised Denali. I don't think anyone thought Grizzer could move that fast. Needless to say, Grizzer didn't catch Denali and after several minutes, he gave up, panting and headed for the pond. Of course, Denali followed him in the pond, but by that time, the chase was out of Grizzer, but the attitude probably remains. Grizzer is tolerant, but he has his limits.
Wolf care staff have commented on how social Maya has been lately, given longer greetings and more intensity than she has in a long time. We also notice that Maya is getting more guarding of wolf care staff and attempts to keep Denali and Aidan away. Maya has also started a behavior of following the scat collectors while they do their job. It's like having a direct supervisor right in the enclosure.
The following log was written by Wolf Watch Observer: Roberta Ryan<br> <br> Grizzer tends to avoid the other wolves when conflict arises, but when he is interacting, it's almost always with Denali. Jaw sparring, chasing and resting near each other are common behaviors for these two. When wrestling turns into a dominance issue, Grizzer chooses to leave rather than follow through with reinforcing his dominance. Grizzer prefers to be elevated, spending a lot of time on the den or greeting rock, as is shown in his picture this week. He often pushes other wolves off of these spaces so he can rest there. Notably, Grizzer was observed sleeping with Aidan for about half an hour, suggesting that there may be more to his relationships than we know so far.<br> <br> Note from the Curator <br><br> As a reminder, the Wolf Watch program will be scheduled the first Thursday of the month until the pack dynamics settles into some defined leadership. For more information, check out the Program tab on the website under Seminars…
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