When we provide the cover hay in the front of the Exhibit, this is to provide comfort for Luna’s joint condition and Luna does take advantage of it. But, if we had to identify the wolf that seeks the most comfortable spot, it would have to be Denali. For being the largest wolf, one would assume that he’s pretty hardy and can withstand the cold, snowy conditions this winter has brought. Yet, he needs to have his own bed.
Many people ask how to tell the Exhibit Pack males apart. Certainly, Denali is easy, he’s the largest pack member and he has a distinctive color. Aidan and Boltz are much harder. Boltz still has the smaller body size consistent with a two year old that needs to fill out, but it won’t be long before that occurs. Our best descriptor for telling these two individuals apart is that Boltz has a unique and mesmerizing stare like not other Exhibit Pack member. This week’s photo is a perfect example.
With the loss of Malik on Saturday, staff have recorded very limited effect on the Exhibit Pack. We certainly wonder if the situation included a loss of Shadow, would Aidan respond. The Exhibit Pack has had a lot of social activity as the snow keeps piling up. We have observed some reduction of dominance towards Denali. This is the time of year where testosterone begins to wane and the wolves become a bit calmer. Of course, calmer behavior is also influenced by your packmates, and Luna keeps Aidan on the move.
Shadow has been having some really good days. He’s always alert, but since the last of the subzero weather, he’s been doing a lot of snowplows and facewipes in the snow followed by a race around the enclosure. He might be picking up a few points from Grizzer. When Shadow feels good, he also spends some time posturing over Malik, which might be why Malik is acting a bit subdued.
As excited as Shadow had been lately, Malik has taken on the opposite behavior. He’s become temperamental when eating, he has been staying toward the back of the enclosure and he’s showing less tolerance of activity in the wolf yard, especially the equipment used to move snow. Malik, as a lower ranking wolf, has always been a more nervous individual, but we always have to be mindful when a nearly 14 year old wolf shows these signs as it might be a symptom of another ailment. So far there are no other specific issues, but this could also be behavioral. Shadow is the more dominant of the pair and when Shadow is active, he may be asserting more status over Malik, resulting in a more timid response. This job requires a combination of physical and behavioral observations to assess overall animal health.
While wolf care staff worked with the construction crew to remove snow from the Exhibit Pack roof (yes, again), Grizzer is isolated in the back of his habitat. The front of the habitat is where we draw the Exhibit Pack when we need them out of the main enclosure. While in holding, the wolves can see Grizzer, but don’t have direct contact. Grizzer is kept occupied with some food treats, then upon his return; spend most of his time scent marking where the wolves have been. Grizzer still has a connection to the Exhibit Pack, even though it is spaced remotely in both time and place.
Boltz Wolf Logs written March 9, 2014 by Photography Workshop Participant Abbie Elrod.
Boltz gets last pick when it comes to food. He’s even challenged for leftovers, as seen in this photo. He put up a fight until Denali’s size overpowered him. As the summer progresses, Boltz will finish developing into his adult size and reach his potential adult weight. Since Boltz is a wolf more representative of a Great Plain subspecies and Denali/Aidan are representative of the Northwestern subspecies, it is unlikely that he will ever reach the size of hsi older pack mates.
Denali Wolf Logs written March 9, 2014 by Photography Workshop Participants Heidi Pinkerton, Barb Farley, Jen Ell and Darcy Berus. Photo by Jen Ell.
We heard numerous chorus howls this weekend, probably 5-6 over the course of 3 days. It was fun and unique to have so many chorus howls. One thing really struck us about Denali this weekend was his tremendous strength. At the “What’s for Dinner” program, Denali dragged the deer carcass effortlessly, whereas Boltz had a hard time moving it inches. The muscular structure of the wolf helps support the large elongated head and allows them to drag, drop and carry prey species much larger than themselves.
Aidan Wolf Logs written March 9, 2014 by Photography Workshop Participants Sally Sell and Darcy Berus with Photo by Sally Sell.
Participants wanted to show that the ambassador pack wolves also have a lot of quiet, resting time when the pack dynamics are very calm. Here we see Aidan resting on the top of a snow pile, giving him a great advantage point of the other wolves.
Luna Wolf Logs written March 9, 2014 by Photography Workshop Participants Sharon Pettit and Donna Crider. Photo by Sharon Pettit.
Luna had just dropped her bone and the pack was moving in. Luna is now defending her possession of bone and her position at the top of the snow mound. We saw many examples of food aggression with Luna throughout the weekend.
