Grizzer the Opposite of Denali

Grizzer is the Opposite of Denali in most behavioral interactions and he is the opposite in his shedding patterns.  Where Denali has barely shed a handful, Grizzer has shed half of his body size in one brushing.  When we say Grizzer blows his coat, we mean, his undercoat has let loose and it his coming out in sheets.  We do save the hair and in the past have made bracelets from the undercoat.  At this point, we are producing more hair than product.

Last week, we attempted to reunite Grizzer and Shadow long term, but came to the realization that Grizzer is a strong 10-year old that has had life his way, on his terms for a while.  It is hard to adjust to competition again.  The reality is, Shadow is only 4 years older, but at the age of 14, he is too old to put up with the activity level and food defense of Grizzer.  We know Shadow’s time is limited at this age, and we don’t want to have more stress than he needs.  We also have to be mindful that, if they were together again, and Shadow dies, Grizzer is left with another transitional separation issue.  At this point, weighing all decisions, we think it’s best to have 2 retirement options.  To see our initial reunited efforts between Grizzer and Shadow, see last week’s Youtube.

Denali – Keeping his Winter Coat?

Denali has a full undercoat and shows limited signs of blowing his coat like Grizzer.  We do brush it, but it just doesn’t want to let loose.  He may be the smartest of us all as the constant barrage of bugs can’t find their way to Denali’s underbelly, but the hot humid days are hard.  It’s not that Denali doesn’t want to be brushed.  He stands on the rock like he’s spending a day at the groomer and would probably even tolerate having his toenails clipped (haven’t tried it because wolves dig so much caching that they don’t need it).  Eventually, we will see some movement, but for now, you can tell Denali apart because he is the only wolf in full winter pelage.

Boltz- Vaccinations require trust

Of all the wolves on site, Boltz is the least trusting of our handlers.  This is no fault of his own or of the staff, just the fact that we didn’t meet him until he was about a month of age, and by that time, the critical bonding period of the neonates has passed.  We are working on building his trust, and are able to vaccinate as needed, but he is less tolerant of brushing behavior than any of the other wolves.  Once he figures out how good it feels, he may be more willing.

Aidan – Probiotics did the trick

Last year, you may remember or may have witnessed Aidan’s tendency to have a bit of a distended belly at times.  I even had a visitor ask me if Aidan was the “pregnant female”.  I didn’t tell Aidan that, but the Vet’s were testing for a variety of conditions that may have had a symptom of a distended abdomen.  Cushings, parasites, growths etc, but to no avail. After my bout with Lymes disease last year and having months on doxycycline, I started to wonder if we didn’t have a problem with Aidan’s long-term use of antibiotics for his Discoid Lupus condition (which now appears to be in remission).  So, after a complete parasite treatment for the entire pack, we decided to put Aidan on a probiotic to improve his digestive enzymes.  To say that his condition has improved would be an understatement.  Any post-feeding distension has dissipated, he is in an improved state of social behavior and less aggressive to the touch after a Saturday night meal.  He has returned to a trim abdominal view and will appear even more fit once we can get rid of the extra hair.

Shadow- Happy to visit, but happy to see you go

Last week, we attempted to reunite Grizzer and Shadow.  Initially Grizzer rolled over a the fence, but he immediately became food possessive creating some tension and more physical contact than we wanted for Shadow.  So, after a 10 minute visit, Grizzer was escorted back into his side of retirement and Shadow got to do some posturing through the fence.  Shadow seemed content with that and since the visit, he is more alert, more engaging and his appetite has improved dramatically.  Short controlled visits from Grizzer may be good stimulus, but we also see Shadow’s mood improving when Grizzer goes back to his side.  At 14, we don’t know how much longer we will have the pleasure of working with Shadow, but our management will be based on his needs and any socialization will need to in his best interest.  To see the video of this interaction, check out the Center’s Youtube channel or go to Meet Our Wolves – Video

Luna – Visually Unappealing?

Luna has an odd shedding pattern that makes her appear like an engorged tick.  She last lost all the undercoat on her legs and neck, but the middle of her body appears thick with hair.  Our educators even heard a comment at the auditorium window of a visitor who chose not to photograph her because of her appearance.  So, this is the focus of the wolf care staff in the upcoming weeks.  We brush the wolves to help the annual shedding of the undercoat.  In the wild, you may find hair that is stuck on lower branches of trees or brush.  In captivity, we have an obligation to assist in this process.  Our first priority is that they are cooler and more comfortable without the excess hair, but we also want the wolves to be visually appealing.

Denali – Opinion?

So, either Denali is expressing his opinion to the camera operator or we happened upon a mid-stream licking response… But, based on Denali’s often expressive interactions, there could be something to this photo.  Denali is extremely tolerant of pack dynamics and he is an important pack member.  As a littermate to Aidan, he has his bonding moments.  When Boltz sees Denali, he is quick to display a full tail wag greeting and Luna seems to have a personal challenge to dominate Denali.

Boltz – Cautious Expression

Boltz seems to have the most cautious expression of all the wolves in the Exhibit Pack.  We definitely notice his tendency to react to external stimuli and ultimately show some fear avoidance behavior to anything new, but we also see that Aidan has a lot of tolerance for Boltz when he’s anxious.  Rather than seeing that anxiety as a weakness, Aidan seems to show stronger social behavior in what appears to be reassuring to Boltz.  We do see a stronger interaction between Aidan and Boltz than we do with Aidan and Luna.

Aidan – A Social Display

Aidan’s was photographed rubbing up against Denali.  His submissive ears and partially closed eyes indicates a calm, social greeting.  As true littermates,  Aidan and Denali have displayed these behaviors since they were pups, and continue to have strong bonding moments as adults.  You may notice the dark pigmentation has returned to his nose and he definitely seems to be in better shape than this time last year.

Shadow – Management Discussions

We have Shadow’s pond filled and he is starting to shed, but the summer season is usually the hardest on the wolves.  We are seeing some very strong signs of social interaction between Shadow and Grizzer through the fence and Grizzer’s high tail response towards the retirement enclosure has diminished.  These changes have prompted discussion about bringing Grizzer and Shadow together .   We are very mindful of the 4 year age difference  options.  We also know, without social stimulus, older animals can become so sedentary that they compromise themselves physically.   We don’t know what is the best course of action until we see the interactions, but wolf care staff are committed to our retired wolves and will do what we can to ensure both physical and psychological well-being of all pack members.