Attila gained .5 lbs yesterday, and will likely have more growth spurts in the upcoming weeks. Attila is 21 days old today and has increased his feeding dramatically in the last 24 hours. He was feeding on average 18 -20 ounces of fluid in the last few days, his food consumption was 29 ounces in the last 24 hours. We have commented before on his temperamental behavior about his bottle, and these issues, while still present, are diminishing. Wolf care staff began conditioning the pups to the auditorium where they will be featured in an open house for the surrounding area residents. Attila had some nervous behavior, especially to noise, but is more tolerant than Red Paw. It is very critical that the pups have some positive associations with the building before they begin programming with large crowds. In order to accomplish this, staff waits until the facility is closed, and brings the pups into the auditorium with their familiar blankets, stuffed animals and anything else that makes for a positive experience. Assistant curator, Donna Prichard and wolf care staff member, Jen Westlund brought the pups in during their shift. Attila was very eager to explore the new sights and smells. This conditioning will continue whenever possible until the Open House on Thursday, May 22nd. The Wolf Curator brought in a stuffed moose that was originally purchased when Malik and Shadow were pups. Attila vigorously grabbed the moose, biting and head shaking without hesitation, which is why we nicknamed him Attila. The audio recording posted is a demonstration of a relaxed pup just settling in for a rest, and letting out a heavy sigh.
I am including observations from the Working for Wolves participants who had the opportunity to spend the night in the observation area adjacent to the wolf viewing windows. The benches may have been a bit hard for a comfortable night sleep, but I hope the chance to observe the pack throughout the night and be awaken by a pack howl was worth it. Observations include the following about the What's for Dinner program. <br> "Luna, Aidan and Boltz enjoyed the deer carcass for What's for Dinner. Denali tried to sneak a few bites but was turned away by a lip curl from Aidan. The pups ate repeatedly, especially Boltz, who feasted for the longest. After they got bored with the deer, they had a nice chase around the enclosure. Denali hung out on top of the den and did not join in on the chase with the others. The chase lasted about 15 minutes until they all dispersed and laid down."
Attila is 22 days old today and continues to be the bolder pup of the two. In anticipation of the summer pup programs that begin on Thursday, wolf care staff have been taking the pups into the auditorium each evening to get them used to the environment before they meet a crowd of people. So far, Attila is the curious wanderer, ready to take on anything that comes his way. He continues to be more likely to seek out contact than Red Paw. There is one new behavior to report today, both Red Paw and Attila demonstrated a Play Bow, a behavior where they lower themselves on their front legs, and spring up to pounce on something. The stuffed moose has been a source of behavioral stimulation. It’s mere presence has brought out more predatory motor skills such as pouncing, biting, headshaking and grab biting. These behaviors are innate and present themselves when a stimulus is present. We will continue to bring in items that stimulate behaviors. With the growth rate of the pups nearing nearly .5 lbs per day, they need all the rest they can get. In the audio clips this week, you will hear snoring, and moaning when the pups are sleeping in the dream response.
Attila is 23 days old today, and had a bit of weight loss in the last 24 hours, possibly caused by teething. As I write these logs late on the 20th, he has increased his formula intake and should show a weight tomorrow. Attila's shoulder to paw measurement is 23 cm. While .1 of a pound weight gain is not a great concern, it does put him behind Red Paw, who continues to gain on a daily basis. These weights will fluctuate based on external stimulus, activity and physical situations, but our preference is that they are always gaining. <br>Both pups have been showing signs of dominance towards each other, and more coordination on grabbing and biting. Attila was biting at his legs and the sleeping bag; He bit the stuffed wolf and dragged it around; Both pups are demonstrating stand over behaviors, where one wolf stands erect over another. The head shaking is also a predatory behavior, and this instinct seems to be fully developed. The video today show the bite response on the ear of the stuffed moose, and the audio recording is of a dream phase when Attila is vigorously kicking his legs.
Aidan’s photo says it all, he has assumed the role of the bottom of the pack, and he understands the body language necessary to be accepted in this rank. As the photo shows, and as we will talk about in Shadow’s logs, Shadow is back to being an active participant in rank order, and has had more social behavior this past week. Aidan still seeks Shadow out, and finds himself in the middle of Maya/Shadow dominance.
Aidan's had a tough week, as Maya peaks in dominance. There have been a few good things, Shadow is feeling better, so Aidan has a chance to greet and interact. An other good thing for Aidan is that when Maya focuses on Aidan, Denali has been posturing and even grab biting Maya. This is obviously a distraction, that draws her attention to Denali, and as one staff person commented, the dominance over Aidan "fissles" out. The morning temperatures seems to be consistently 15 – 18 degrees below zero, and that makes wolf care a challenge, as well as filming with cameras.
Aidan has had a noticeable increase in his boldness around the enclosure, which has gotten him into trouble. Maya likes to keep Aidan around the densite, but recently, Aidan has been observed in the woods, around the slate den, and basically showing more freedom around the enclosure. On Saturday, wolf care staff reported: "Maya was standing on top of the wolf den with Aidan. She proceeded to let Aidan smell her (lifted her tail and he smelled all along her, etc.), then she trotted off to the direction behind the slate den…. Aidan started to follow her staying maybe 15' behind and he kept going and going and going! Then all the wolves came from all directions…." When the pack discover Aidan outside of his safe zone, it caused a rally that turned into a short mobbing. It was intense, as is all aggression during this time of the year. Aidan was stiff, spent some time on the den, but was active and eager by the time Saturday night's feeding occurred, getting 10 lbs of extra venison in the holding pen.
Staff have been noticing a few instances where Aidan has done a raised leg urination on a spot the Maya has previously marked. Raised leg urination in the wild is generally a territorial marking behavior of the dominant pair. In captivity, the rules are not so rigid, as lower ranking wolves will RLU if they are feeling confident. We certainly take this as a good sign, Aidan may not be this position for the long-term.
Sorry, the logs will be the same for all wolves today. Spring is a busy time with a winter full of straw, bones and raven droppings creating a busy workload for wolf care staff. The pack is doing well, general observations show Aidan getting bolder and definitely spending social time with the pack, mostly Shadow. A recent cold spell has created a situation where Maya became more intense and Shadow showed more status to Grizzer, but these are short-lived situations. Spring is here and the days will continue to get warm, even though we had below zero wind chills yesterday. Denali made a sprinkler hose out of one of our good garden hoses. While the curator was spraying the rocks trying to clean the white streaks left all over the rocks from the ravens, the pack was occupied with the beaver, and all was going well. Grizzer came over and pulled on the hose, but quickly stopped. Denali watched this and decided he should try the hose, but being a younger undisciplined youth, he didn't stop as quickly as Grizzer and proceeded to tug and tug until he bit through the hose. Staff moved Grizzer and Denali into holding and continued working. There is far more to do in the enclosure, but after this week's experience, Grizzer and Denali will a challenge.
With the warmer weather and onslaught of spring hormones, Maya is calming down, and that makes Aidan's life better as the omega of the pack. Aidan has been observed in areas throughout the lower enclosure, he is still mindful of Maya, but if she does chase him, it's not with as much physical interaction. Aidan is really bonded to Shadow, that's apparent every time you see him near Shadow. This is why Shadow's place in the pack is even more important.
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