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The logs are all the same this week. As the curator, I work full time during the summer months and when I return back to school, my hours are reduced to part time status of 20 hours a week. Friday was my first day back, so the Friday routine of Youtube and log postings was affected. I hope to return to the Friday schedule as I get settled into a routine, but the 20 hours are dedicated to wolf care, and combined with other wolf care staff, the wolves won’t notice a change in schedule. As far as the wolves, we have had a very calm, socially active week. It’s also been over 80 degrees, which might have an influence on behavior. I will be back to posting individual logs next week.

Summer Weight

We weighed the wolves this week and Aidan is now 133.76 lbs. That’s about 3 pounds heavier than the spring weight, which is to be expected. The late summer weights are usually the heaviest weights as they had a summer of enclosure enrichment programs that always means treats. We have had a vet consult and some medical testing for Aidan because of a concern over his sensitivity to areas on his stomach. He also has a bit of a stomach distension that may be more than just eating too many treats. The challenge is, Aidan’s status can be affected if he is immobilized while Boltz and Denali are not. The separation can cause them to test Aidan more intensely and is Aidan is still groggy from the medical exam, it can affect his ability to maintain status. We will weigh this option carefully as we try to make sure Aidan is as healthy as he can be, he will have a busy fall and winter establishing the Exhibit Pack rank order.

aidan – Jul 12, 2013 12:00 AM

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.

aidan – Jun 21, 2013 12:00 AM

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.

aidan – Jul 19, 2013 12:00 AM

We actually recorded the pack howling and Aidan took the lead in the howl and did some barking towards a stranger in the wolf yard. He's starting to act a lot like Shadow, and Shadow seemed to hold the pack together for 8 solid years. Of course, he had Maya at this side helping, in the upcoming months we will see if Luna is at Aidan's side helping or if she chooses to just be in his face.

aidan – Aug 3, 2013 12:00 AM

There's been many video and photo sessions this week showing Luna dominating Denali with Aidan just watching from the side with a wagging tail. He only seems to step in when Denali asserts too much status, but mostly leaves the activity to Luna. As summer is in full swing, we do see Aidan getting a bit more defensive when there's too much activity around the wolf yard. It's always important to remember the influence that external sources have on the pack dynamics.

aidan – Jun 14, 2013 12:00 AM

All the wolves were vaccinated this week for Rabies, and the wolves under 10 years of age were vaccinated with a 5 way vaccine which protects against parvo, distemper and a few other things. Aidan and Denali did extremely well with their vaccinations, Luna and Boltz need a bit of work. Aidan is responding well to the new treatment for his Lupus condition and doesn't seem to have the discomfort and lethargy associated with Doxycyline. Aidan utilizes the den or the wood chips to escape the bugs and the heat. He is the least likely wolf to be out on display to the public.

aidan – May 4, 2013 12:00 AM

The logs will all be the same this week. The weather creates added challenges to the daily job of caring for wolves and we've had a variety of weather. The warm spell that melted a significant amount of snow led to standing water which later froze when colder temperatures returned. This week's Youtube video features some great demonstration of Aidan doing a stiff leg jump to crack the ice. Boltz is a bit hesitant on the ice since he fell through the ice into about 2 feet of water (thanks to Denali's hefty body size on the ice). Luna's displaying less stiffness as the temperatures warm and she's been spending a lot of time digging. This week is another special week as Grizzer turns 9 years old on May 5th and Shadow and Malik are 13 years old on May 8th.

aidan – May 10, 2013 12:00 AM

Aidan continues to show tolerance of Luna, but even the most tolerant individual can be annoyed by the constant "in your face" personalities. Aidan's pigmentation loss on his nose has not progressed any farther than previously reported, but it does seem that he has some stress that may trigger this condition. He's especially vulnerable when submitting for wolf care staff and Luna can't resist the opportunity to jump on him and do a quick grab bite. This could just be an immaturity issue with Luna and she may grow out of it, or we could be looking at a personality trait. Time will tell, but we still observe times that Aidan protects Luna especially if Denali is a bit too aggressive.

aidan – Jun 1, 2013 12:00 AM

We are starting Aidan on another treatment for Discoid Lupus. While this bout isn't as bad as the last outbreak, we want to reduce any risk of sun exposure on the areas of his nose with pigmentation loss. Aidan has been very tolerant of Luna who regularly does a "Stand Over" showing dominance over Aidan. He continues to show a lot of tolerance for Luna despite some less than social greetings.