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.
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.
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 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.
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 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’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.
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.
Grizzer has many cache’s throughout his enclosure. Last weekend was our annual Working for Wolves program and the crew did an OUTSTANDING JOB!!!!, not only cleaning the straw from the enclosure and preparing the ponds for summer, but also reducing the dead and downed wood within and adjacent to the wolf enclosure that could be a fire risk for our packs. Grizzer spent a bit of time searching for some cache’s that were buried in the straw, but he soon forgot them in favor of the new treats used to keep the wolves content while in holding.
Luna attempts a Denali squash and fortunately, Denali goes along with the idea. As you can tell from Luna’s ear posture, she is intent on the behavior. Luna continues to be the most assertive and most active wolf in the Exhibit Pack.
