shadow – Apr 27, 2009 12:00 AM

As video clips will show, Shadow is still a very active dominant male, and has been observed in a lot of interactions towards Grizzer, most often when Grizzer gets too excited towards staff, the pups (yearlings) or Malik. This might be protectionism behavior, as Shadow is aging, he will act quickly and swiftly to any sign of Grizzer gaining status, which is more likely than Shadow taking on an active role to protect staff. Shadow's weight is a bit of a concern, in May of 2005, he weighted 95 lbs, in July of 2008, he weighted 92.5, now, he is 88.6 lbs. It is common for older animals to lose weight, but when a dominant wolf does, it might have negative impacts. Of course, it's probably the role of the dominant wolf that is making him work so hard. By the look of the photos, the stress is not just physical.