Luna – A Supportive Dominant Female?

Redirection is a common behavior we see in Luna, often getting into the other wolves’ faces when possessing something, or simply when she appears to be in a dominating mood. Aidan typically deals with a lot of this redirection, but since his reintroduction after the examination, staff have noticed a slight decline in these outbursts. As I type this I can see her blocking Aidan from Denali in a small dominance sequence on our security cameras.

In the past we have seen wolves reinforce another pack member’s status, especially as a dominant wolf. Maya was quite famous for this behavior of dominating other pack members who would test Shadow or Grizzer in the pack. It could be a similar display we’re seeing here with Luna, reinforcing Aidan’s rank as the dominant male. It’s not certain whether this behavior will continue into the winter, or if we are interpreting this behavior correctly. Science has not, and may never be able to see into the minds of animals, we can only interpret the behaviors we see.

Grizzer – Foliage Extraordinaire

Keeping wolves in holding for several hours means that Grizzer was separated in retirement during the entirety of the exam. Each wolf has their own way to deal with stress, Grizzer’s just happens to be foliage removal. One of the birch trees near the front gate of retirement was the victim of one of these outbursts, and was knocked down (again). Wolf care staff placed it upright again after Grizzer was allowed back into his enclosure (The roots somehow survived both tear-downs).

Denali – He Who Relaxes

Denali has remained relatively unchanged by the stresses of the week. We did see one incident of posturing after Aidan returned to the pack, but it did not last. Aidan is quick to remind Denali of his rank within the pack. Denali remains close to the pups, often engaging them in play behavior, and in general accompanying them on their investigations within the enclosure.

Boltz – Two-Year-Old Testing

Upon Aidan’s return to the pack after his medical examination, we did notice some posturing towards Aidan from Boltz. 2 year olds will often test the ranks, perhaps to climb them. Aidan ignored most of the advances however, and Boltz did not push his limits. It is important to note these behaviors however. Boltz could very well be the next dominant male after Aidan retires.

Aidan – A Quick Medical Exam

On Thursday of this week we immobilized Aidan to take to the local veterinarian in order to diagnose the recent medical issues he’s been facing. We’ve been noticing a distension in his belly, and it hasn’t been due to food. With the recent medical issues we faced with our older wolves Shadow and Malik, we were concerned about a potential mass or tumor in Aidan’s abdomen.

Thankfully we were able to determine that there was nothing physically abnormal about his abdomen, no masses nor tumors, the distension appears to be fat. We took blood and urine for analysis to determine the reason for this excess fat.

When taking a social animal, like the wolf, out of the enclosure, it is important to note the possibility of the pack not accepting him back in. The short few hours of separation can appear to be dispersal from the pack, meaning that he has left the pack. This often occurs in younger animals in the wild, when sexually mature wolves leave the pack, often in search of a mate for their own. This risk is why we seldom sedate an individual animal for diagnosis unless it is absolutely necessary. In this case, Aidan returned to the pack strong, and hasn’t had any major issues since returning. We are still waiting for the test results to determine how we can make him feel better, but for now, he has returned to the pack maintaining his status as the dominant male.

Denali – Long Stride

Boltz may try to catch Denali, but with those long legs, he can turn on the speed and put some distance in between his lower ranking packmate.  Denali will probably be the most affected if Boltz starts testing, I am not sure how Denali will take being number 3 male in the rank order.  Of course, as long as he gets his deer deer carcasses, Denali seems content.

Grizzer – There’s Always Time for More

Grizzer likes his massages from wolf care staff and he doesn’t like to end a session.  His relaxed look on his face tells the tale, as far as Grizzer is concerned, that’s the reason we exist.  It’s hard to believe he’s 10 years old, his actions resemble a two year old somedays, especially if staff are working on other tasks and ignoring him.

Aidan – Showing his Age?

We started noticing Aidan’s guard hairs beginning to gray around his forehead and at the tip of his tail.  It seems like it happened overnight.  Denali has always been the gray ghost of the enclosure, but if Luna and Boltz keep testing their limits, Aidan may continue with this premature graying.  Of course, we are always concerned with Aidan because he has an autoimmune disorder.  Stress for him has some negative implications.

Boltz – Coming of Age

Boltz has been the lowest ranking pack member since he was a pup living with all of Luna’s “Special Needs”.  He joined a pack of two strong males, both weighing over 130 lbs and neither one willing to just let Boltz climb to the top of the male rank order.  But, now that Boltz is maturing, we are seeing some sign of his confidence building as he comes of age.  He will be adding a bit more bulk in the upcoming months and will definitely be a player in this winter’s dominance.

Luna – In the Bushes

Soon, the summer season will be a distant memory and the fall leaves will turn.  The contrast between Luna in the fall colors is striking, but even more striking is the tendency of the younger wolves (Boltz and Luna) to ambush birds as they make a stop in the enclosure before they finish their migration south.  For some, they don’t make it, for others, their skills of flight keeps them alive another day.  Luna seems to have a very strong predatory drive.  This might be why she has a tendency to watch the TV near the auditorium window.  Luna provided some good behaviors during the recent wolf watch, tossing deer hides, attempting to distract Aidan so she could take his deer leg.  She even showed a pairbonding moment with Aidan.  We have it on film, so there’s no denying that Luna has the ability to be part of a socially bonding dominant pair.