Aidan was the first to meet the adults in the pack holding area. Unfortunately for Aidan, we had a wind storm the night before the intro and he was quite intimidated. His first response was to run from the pups, doing muzzle bites towards them as they were very actively food begging. For all the regurgitation prior to the introduction, we were surprised that we didn't witness anything when they were physically together. Aidan clearly assumed a leadership role and Boltz continually submitted to him, although Luna didn't. It's not that Luna was intimidated or avoided the adults, she just wouldn't submit. When the pack was released in the Exhibit, Luna ran throughout the upper enclosure. Both adults were actively chasing her and Aidan made several attempts to get her to stop and submit. It was a tense few hours for staff as Luna wouldn't slow down. By the second day, Aidan was bringing the pups food and Luna seemed much calmer, which kept the pack much calmer. Luna's excited behavior can really change the dynamics. At this point, Aidan is clearly guarding the pups from Denali, and we will likely see some dynamics between these two as winter approaches.
Staff have observed some interesting behavior between Aidan and Maya. As previous logs have stated, Maya has been quite dominant over Aidan, but last week, Maya was observed walking in a parallel gate with Aidan, a sign of bonding. Maya was also observed grooming Aidan and Aidan appeared to be stimulating play from Maya. This is all part of the individual social relationships that form within the pack. In this week's photo, you will see Shadow doing a rub under Aidan's chin, a very social greeting. Of course the video clip shows that Shadow is still dominant and Aidan willingly submits, but there is certainly a level of respect from the dominant wolves for Aidan that is not viewed with Denali.
The wolf logs will contain the same text for each wolf, as snow conditions again dominate the staff's work load. The most noticeable snow issue was a recent clearing of the snow from the Center's roof. With over 2 feet of snow on the roof, and the predicted forecast of rain adding to the weight of the snow, the decision was made to shovel all the snow from the roof, which lands directly into the wolf enclosure. To avoid giving the wolves free access to the roof, the snow had to be blown out of the front of the enclosure, resulting in a large bank in the front of the exhibit, that is at least 8 feet from the roof line. You may have noticed increased activity in front of the pond cam, as the wolves have been very actively climbing and digging in the snow bank. The wolves have also been observed sliding down the snow bank, and pushing each other off the top of the hill. It is a great vantage point and wolves do enjoy the view from the top of the hill.
The depth of snow here has created some narrow openings to the den. Being a long, streamlined pup has an advantage for Aidan. He is much quicker at crawling through the den hole than any other wolf here, and when Maya's quick on his trail, this has become an advantage. Of course, the snow melt is in full force, so this advantage will be short lived, but with the warm temperatures, so is Maya's winter season aggression. His photo this week is rare, Aidan usually is in the mix of some behavior, and rarely poses for a face photo.
This past week, the curator was out of town attending conferences for the HP grant and the Society of American Foresters. While we manage with a style of multiple wolf care staff, the change in routine can have an impact on the wolves. To distract the pack from this change, items are given to provide them a behavioral outlet. Last week, a bison hide that was donated from a hunter was given to the pack on Monday. This provided a significant amount of behavior including tug of war, guarding behavior, active submission and dominance and overall excitement. Aidan's photo for this week shows him actively seeking dominance from Shadow as the wolves interact with the hide. Aidan seems to be the most focused on the wolf to wolf interaction of the hide. The full video clip of the bison hide will be included with the YouTube video this week.
We had a stretch of warm weather here that really calmed behaviors, but with the forecast of a blizzard, with up to a foot of snow, the wolves are getting excited again. This morning during wolf care, Aidan was very social, but also very mindful of Maya. Maya continues to eye stalk, and follow through with a full run at Aidan. Aidan has taken to running into a corner by the windows, with a threat squeal before she even reaches him. Then, as if nothing happened, he goes about wrestling with Denali and finding scraps from the recent feeding. He has become very submissive to wolf care staff, frequently rolling over for staff. Denali on the other hand, doesn't roll over for much.
The logs will all be the same this week due to some other obligations of the Curator. Malik has adjusted well to the new privacy fence erected on the fence line facing the Exhibit Pack. He still has an area to view the pack between the fences at the main entrance gate, but by having the 100 foot wall protected, it gives him more security. There was a lot of debate about the wood privacy fence among staff. We weren’t certain that he would have more anxiety if he could hear the pack, but not see them. We also had to determine if his anxiety was about getting back in with the pack, rather than not being the focus of the pack. If he wanted to get back in with them, he would likely become more excited at the lack of visual connection. If he was insecure about them seeing him, and wanted to be protected from them, then he would likely relax. The fact that he was sleeping comfortably in his den within 15 minutes of the fence completion is probably indicative of an attitude that he wanted protection from the pack. He is very relaxed, and as I write this (we have a security camera on him so he is always visible in the lab), he is very relaxed, watching ravens on his food caches. Many people have asked when we will put a webcam on his enclosure, at this time, we don’t want to make any changes to his environment, and want to give him time to adjust. The webcam boxes are large and bulky, necessary to keep the cameras heated in winter, but a bit intrusive for a wolf that is getting used to his life and enclosure. He will be filmed for the weekly YouTube video, and when he is ready, there will be a camera. The main pack is very calm, Maya and Aidan still have some issues, actually, Maya is just dominant, she has no issue. Shadow is extremely social with all pack members, and Denali likes to wrestle, eat and foreleg stab at things. Grizzer is extremely calm, and the removal of the stress between he and Malik has done wonders for him, and the pack tension overall.
Aidan's been displaying more play behavior this past week than in previous weeks. He's still very aware of Maya, and Maya will still chase him back to the den, but staff have observed Maya doing some courtship behavior, and Aidan and Grizzer spending some time wrestling. The interest by Grizzer is still very social, but staff need to watch this interaction to ensure that there isn't more dominance interest from Grizzer.
Aidan continues to be wary of Maya, but that doesn't mean he's restricted in activity. He often follows Maya after a chase, and has learned her tolerances and behavioral cues. He was observed in social play behavior with Shadow, and when Grizzer and Denali do a chase, he stays at the top of the hill, prancing to join in, but wise enough to keep his distance.
Aidan is continuing on the antibiotic treatment for the Discoid Lupus Erythematosus condition. We're seeing pigmentation return to the sides of the nose, but it's slow. He is not very tolerant of the suntan lotion for his nose, but Denali doesn't mind. We put it on both wolves so there's no issues with Aidan smelling differently than Denali. What can we say about Aidan and the pups other than that he whines for them, and Bolts runs to the fence to greet him. Aidan is showing protectiveness over the pups and that's a great sign for the introduction, but not so great for some of the wolf care staff who try to pick up a puppy next to the fence.
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