Written by Pups at One Year Program participant Annette Good: Saturday there were three different groups behind the scenes. While he didn't approach the fence like Malik did, he seemed to do ok with all of the extra activity. During some activity Behind the Scenes on Sunday, he started to bark-howl. He did do well when Lori applied new bug repellent.
Written by Pups at One Year Program participant Kathy Rundquist: This weekend the Pups at One Year program attendees cleaned the retirement den and added cedar chips. Afterwards, Malik sniffed the enclosure and scent-rolled in the new bedding. He was alert and curious while greeting the attendees at the fence line. After having fly ointment applied, he scent-rolled in the vines and shrubs next to the den. Malik enjoyed finding pigs' ears during the daily enrichment.
We hope everyone has had a Happy 4th of July and continues to enjoy the days of summer. All wolves are doing well here, we are monitoring a growth that opened on Shadow’s cheek and are doing some repairs to the pond. Grizzer had a new concrete floor installed in his den because he was continually digging under the foundation. Luna’s growing back a winter coat, so we must be on the downhill side of summer. The Ethology Course begins on July 20th, we are sure to have some good behavioral observations to report next week.
Last week I referenced a growth on Shadow that the vets determined to be benign. It's not a fatty cyst, which can be common on older animals, but appears to be a skin tag that increases in size. For those of you who have been supporters of the ambassador wolves for a while, you may recall Lakota had a few of these around the time she was 13 that required surgery to get at the root of the growth. He's much more active since this growth opened up. I was able to clean it, placed him on a week of antibiotics and have removed some of the matted hair around it. Of course, he could be in a better mood because it's not 90 degrees today.
Someone had recently inquired about Oscar, so I thought I would take time in Grizzer's log to give an update. In early May, one of the wolf care staff resigned from their position at the Center to assist with a family resort business. She was the primary caretaker for Oscar, taking him home each night and developing a very strong bond. It was in the best interest for Oscar to be adopted by this staff member and we are happy to report he loves his new life. Grizzer had some adjustment and spent a lot of time focused on the lab, but I have begun bringing one of my dogs (actually, my grandson's dog) Tina, an Australian Shepherd to work. Tina is much more timid than Oscar, but Oscar was a one in a million dog for wolf work. On his first day to the yard, he greeted the wolves with a canine grin, a wagging tail and an attitude of total confidence. The wolves were tail wagging immediately and really accepted Oscar. Tina might have a different relationship, but at this point, Grizzer is interested, and the stimulus is good for him.
With the start of summer comes new staff, longer hours, more Behind the Scenes and for Aidan, a bit more anxiety. Aidan doesn't do well with change, but we are creating a lot of distractions for him and for the yearlings, which gives Aidan a few moments of peace. We like the progress of healing on his nose and hope for a full return of pigmentation. But, we do know stress can aggravate this situation, so if we can keep Luna occupied, stress levels are much lower.
Malik did extremely well with last week's vaccinations, here's hoping that he does the same with the start of the fly ointment season. We have are starting to see the biting flies return and I noticed some black spots on Malik's ears. Unfortunately, Shadow and Malik show strong avoidance behavior when they see or smell ointment on our hands. We have been fortunate to discover the cedar oil that can be applied inadvertently through scent rolling, but it would be nice if the tips of their ears could be covered.
The fly season is a problem, but Shadow is more tolerant of ointment than Malik. This might be due to the fact that Shadow is much more engaged in social greeting behavior than Malik and is so excited to greet that we can slip in some fly ointment while he's trying to do a face lick. There is no wolf here that matches Shadow's enthusiasm for greeting staff.
Written by Pups at One Year Program participant Lynn Kaveney: Grizzer enjoyed a busy weekend due to a buss full of guests enjoying the center. Between the group and the Pups at One Year participants, Grizzer was kept busy watching and changing enclosures. New bedding was added to all dens, along with cedar chips to aid in odor control and bug-repelling. He immediately scent-rolled and rubbed in and on the cedar chips. When I cleaned and refilled his water bowl, he watched intently, and then went back to enjoying his new digs.
We hope everyone has had a Happy 4th of July and continues to enjoy the days of summer. All wolves are doing well here, we are monitoring a growth that opened on Shadow’s cheek and are doing some repairs to the pond. Grizzer had a new concrete floor installed in his den because he was continually digging under the foundation. Luna’s growing back a winter coat, so we must be on the downhill side of summer. The Ethology Course begins on July 20th, we are sure to have some good behavioral observations to report next week.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.