We started Aidan on a treatment for Discoid Lupus, so far, he's responding well with no side affects from the treatment. He's been very social lately, demonstrating a lot of whining behavior towards the yearlings as he draws them to the upper enclosure. This is the same behavior he displayed when they were first introduced into the enclosure and he may be influenced by a seasonal spike in prolactin hormone, even though there are no pups to create a strong stimulus. We managed to get all wolves weighed this week and Aidan weighed in at 129.6 pounds. Here's a review of his annual weights since he was a yearling. <li> 4/22/2009 Aidan 106.70 lbs (YEARLING) <li>4/29/2010 Aidan 106.92 lbs <LI>6/5/2011 Aidan 124 lbs <li>6/14/2012 Aidan 123 lbs <li>6/4/2013 Aidan 129 lbs <br> The wolves will reach their peak size between 3 and 6 year of age.
It’s a busy time as we are in the middle of tier evaluations for all wolf care staff, finalizing the updated Ethogram and selecting video for the Updated Highlights of the Ambassador Wolves DVD. The tier evaluation includes filming wolf care staff with each wolf and observing the dynamics between each wolf and handler. As the wolf curator, I meet with all staff and view this video footage to determine if there are issues or if a particular handler would like to advance in the 3 tier system. We get several hours of footage and it gives us a lot of perspective about the social nature of each wolf. Boltz is testing Aidan when Aidan allows it, but is putting limit on Boltz. Boltz may have some defiant moments, but when Aidan is serious, Boltz submits or leaves. Aidan still rolls over for the pups more frequently than he dominates the pups.
We captured some great video footage of the Aidan as a confident pack leader. No, the video doesn't show him hard muzzle biting the pups or pushing his status on them. The video shows a truly confident animal that is relaxed and not concerned about rolling over on his back and letting the pups have a bit of social grooming. If a pack leader is really confident, they're not intimidated to have these social moments. Shadow displayed this same behavior and we are so impressed to see Aidan in similar behavioral displays. We are so fortunate to work with such uniquely independent personalities that blend into a very cohesive pack.
Aidan had some great social dynamics with Luna. It is the season for pair bonding, even in a spayed and neutered exhibit, but Luna doesn't quite understand a tender social moment. When Aidan starts some behavior, it usually ends up with Luna jaw sparring and showing a bit more activity than Aidan intended. We've been observing a lot of ambush behavior from Aidan in the past few weeks. Most of it is social, he spends a lot of time trying to engage the other wolves in some behaviors and less time dominating Denali.
Written by Ethology Participant: Gailyn Barela<br> Aiden status as alpha male is still very evident. He displays a lot less anxiety in his position than this time last year. Although when necessary he will display dominance by a hard muzzle bite. I witness him enforce on all three other wolves. Aiden is often seen observing play sequences, rather than being directly close and involved with the activity. He seems more selective in his participation, but he certainly can enjoy some chase involving the whole exhibit pack. Aiden is a pack leader, who is not overly aggressive, has the respect of his pack which allows sustained peace. It will be interesting to witness how the pack dynamics change after the yearlings become two years old.
The text for today will all be the same for each wolf. Why? Well, for the first time in my nearly 27 years of wolf care, we are sump pumping the water in the wolf yard. The snowmelt and day of rain has left a 10 inch deep layer of water. This usually happens in April, when temperatures are near 40 and the ground is still frozen, but in April, we know it will drain in a week. It is January and the weekend forecast is for temperatures in the single digits Fahrenheit with a wind chill and more snow coming. If we let this pond freeze in the yard, we will have a serious safety issue for wolf care working on slick ice. The wolf enclosures all have good topography and other than wet from the rain, they have no issues with standing water. They’re just standing on the edge of the fence watching us pump and sweep as the roof keeps dripping. Hence, I don’t have a lot of time to write wolf logs. All wolves are doing well and the warmer temperatures have been kind to Luna.
The pigmentation in Aidan's nose has completely returned after a diagnosed issue of Discoid Lupus. This auto immune disorder may be triggered by stress, and if that is the case, then the pups introduction has been a stress reducer for Aidan. Although, there are times when the video doesn't portray that sentiment, this week's photo reinforces that stress free attitude.
The logs will be the same this week. We had snow on Monday that required a lot of effort to gain access to all the gates, water containers and dens. Thanks to Danielle and Linda for helping in that Monday morning check. We also had to redistribute straw beds for all the enclosures, a task that can only be appreciated during the spring Working for Wolves program when we have to remove all that straw. We are very pleased that Shadow and Malik are back to their usual invite chase behaviors and both have fully recovered from the gastrointestinal virus that occurred a few weeks ago. Grizzer is more social than ever and staff continue to have relaxing checks on a daily basis. Most of the extreme sub-zero weather is behind us and even if we do have a cold night, the days warm up quickly. Rank order traits are starting to emerge in the Exhibit Pack with Luna showing Denali that she will jaw spar despite his over-towering height advantage. Fortunately for Luna, Aidan watches from and pins Denali if things get a little intense. Spring fever starts kicking in for staff and wolves alike as the warm days of March seem to stimulate some strong social behavior (at least for the wolves).
Aidan has been far more active pinning Denali, especially when the pups are involved. There may be two reasons why this is occurring, Aidan may still have some protective behavior towards the pups, and he may see Denali's posturing as a possible increase in his status and a possible threat to his own.
Thanks for checking for the wolf logs and cameras, even when we aren’t always live. We seem to have an intermittent router problem, and we’re currently working with more tech support people than wolf care staff. With that said, the due to other obligations, the logs are all the same this week. I did produce a Youtube video this week and used some of the surveillance camera footage. The surveillance cameras are motion activated with noise activated sound. They are sometimes choppy, but it is good to have a view of the activity after dark. Shadow and Malik have the most activity, since the camera focuses on their main densite. Grizzer tends to sleep near the wolf yard, and is always resting and waiting for Oscar to make his morning rounds. Aidan and Denali had an interesting week, Aidan has been carrying the crook of his tail with a bit of status. There were several days when Aidan was keeping Denali in a wooded area of the pen, but today, they seem to be back to their usual interactions. We will be doing some concrete work on the Slate Den next week, and will be testing the new enclosure configuration, keeping Aidan and Denali in the Pack Holding area for a few hours, while Grizzer stays in his new habitat. I would expect to see Grizzer with a lot of activity during that project.
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