shadow – Jan 15, 2010 12:00 AM

Sorry for the delay in the logs, the spring semester started at Vermilion on Monday, and the Curator has a full teaching schedule on Monday and Tuesday mornings. The Priority for time at the Center was placed on the wolves, leaving other duties to wait until Friday. We will transition the logs to be posted on Friday's throughout the spring semester. This week has been especially busy for wolf care staff trying to understand some issues with Shadow. Shadow has started to show some growling, testing behavior towards some of the staff, and that has required some changes in staff interaction. Shadow has always been a complex animal, with some great behaviors, which is what has made him a strong leader for so many years. It's our job to figure out what this testing means. We know from observations that Shadow is always aware of the dynamics in the pack. Denali and Grizzer's constant activity keeps Shadow active. But is it possible that Shadow is getting overworked and looking for a bit of a confidence boost by showing status over some staff members or is it just redirected frustration? This is the task before us, we know the psychological aspect of retiring wolves is much harder to identify than the physical. At this time, Shadow has quality visits with the curator, and extra time is being dedicated to make sure he feels comfortable and relaxed.