We had some snow removal on the Center’s building roof that created an excess amount of snow in the Wolf Exhibit. This required a bobcat with a bucket attachment to move the snow away from the building and resulted in several huge piles of snow. All the wolves climbed on the piles, but Luna seemed to take advantage of the addition to her height.
Shadow has focus similar to Malik’s, but it’s not about which staff member is wearing a hat with strings, Shadow’s focus is on the sounds of dominance and interactions from the Exhibit Pack. Shadow was the pack leader for 8 years in the Exhibit Pack and he didn’t lose his status, but was retired for his own health reasons. This means that Shadow kept the pack leadership role in his attitude and focus of any wolf sounds in the wolf yard.
Malik is quite adept at looking for unattended items by wolf care staff. When we say wolves have a great power of observation, we often refer to the fact that they can pick out a weakness in a prey species from a distance. In captivity, wolves can also pick out items that have no clear sign of guarding behavior from staff. Malik is the fastest wolf to remove a set of keys, hats or unattended gloves. If it’s not protected, then it’s available for the taking. It’s nice to see that the wolves nearing fourteen years of age are not slowing down.
Luna has taken to the role of the dominant female and she shows no hesitation to assert her status. Typically, the issues are over food possession, but despite her physical limitations, Luna will actively chase and pin her larger pack mates. Aidan will join in if there’s a compelling reason that the male rank order needs a little reminder from the dominant male, but Luna often runs solo with Denali and Boltz. In our observations, Luna is probably the most active pack member in the Exhibit Pack.
Grizzer will be ten years old in May and his pelage is showing some gray. The tips of his tail are all silvery gray and his guard hairs throughout his face have the same pattern. At this age, the best interactions for Grizzer are the massages from the wolf care staff. He often rolls to the ground to get attention and quietly lets his eyes drift shut. Although, when there’s a fresh snowfall, he runs like a juvenile, stopping long enough to rub his face in the snow before making another lap. It’s nice to see the older animals with this kind of spirit. Even if their pelage says they are aging, their behaviors offer a different take.
Denali is the largest wolf in the Exhibit Pack, but he is the least likely to start any dominance, of course, unless it’s over food. Denali seems to avoid conflict, but he seems to like social engagement and greetings with his fellow pack members. Every wolf personality is different and they all seem to mesh to produce a cohesive pack structure. At this point, Denali is frequently observed in a tail wag greeting, unless Luna or Aidan show some dominance, then he is quick to drop to the ground and submit.
Boltz will be reaching 2 years of age in a few months and he is reaching the final stages of maturity where his muzzle is elongated and he looks like an adult. Because Boltz was integrated in a pack with strong pack leadership, he maintains a lower ranking posture. He attempted a few dominance tests of Aidan during the fall, but Aidan quickly showed dominance and the tests ended quickly. Boltz spends most of his energy jaw sparring with Luna in some residual dominant behavior and taking advantage of Denali, because Denali allows it.
Aidan and Luna do pair up when it comes to dominance, but Luna is not quite the roll on the ground pack mate seeking to form a social bond. Aidan seems to know when to interact, and when to to let the rest of the pack mates wrestle. Aidan continues to maintain good pigmentation on his nose, showing little indication that the Discoid Lupus is returning. Our Veterinarians believe this may be stress induced and so far, Aidan has complete control of the pack without any indication that he is being tested by Boltz or Denali. Aidan is the Dominant male of this pack.
Shadow’s greetings are great, but when it’s -40 degrees below zero, it makes wolf care a challenge. He is the only wolf that has so much exuberance that it can be painful on a cold morning. Some sacrifices are important, we certainly don’t want to curb his enthusiasm. Every wolf has a different personality and we can honestly say there is no other wolf like Shadow.
Malik continues to seek opportunities to possess items from wolf care staff. Today, we fed some extra ground beef in a tupperware bowl (metal sticks to meat and wet noses), so of course, Malik had to focus on sneaking in and taking the bowl for a tour around the enclosure. It’s these moments that make us forget these arctics will be 14 years of age in May. These are more of the antics of a 4 month old pup than a 14 year old male. Forever Young, Malik will never outgrow this personality trait.
