Aidan's had a tough week, but seems to be starting this week in a better state. Last Monday, staff noticed that Aidan wouldn't come down for his daily meatball vitamin. He was reluctant to come any where near Maya and stayed near the den opening or on the den site. If staff waited for a while and distracted Maya, he would get his vitamin hand delivered by staff in the enclosure. This seemed to be caused by Maya's heightened anxiety. This behavior lasted all week, and even continued today, but with a shorter time for him to relax and interact. It's hard to pinpoint an incident that occurred, it's more likely an indicator of Maya's behavior than of Aidan's behavior, although, as you can see in this week's photo, he's not taking any dominance from her without a threat display.
Aidan had a knee strain and was on 5 days of anti-inflammatory medication, but he is doing well today. He has been reluctant to come to the fence for meds, so staff are designing some new protocol to ensure that he gets his daily vitamins. We have also started him on Cosequin, as his joints get a lot more stress from short bursts of Maya chasing him. He spends most of his time on or in the main densite, but will rally with staff and the pack depending upon tension from Maya. In the Youtube video this week, Aidan is howling with the pack, and even with Maya near the densite.
Aidan has responded well to the anti-inflammatory medication, and while experiencing some restrictive movement based on Maya's attitude, he does manage to get daily meds at the fence, and interacts with the pack. He was laying on the slate den this morning, a sign that he is more comfortable away from the main den. Staff make a point of giving him attention, and fresh straw on the densite makes him very comfortable. The Youtube video this week shows Aidan with many tail wags and relaxation time on the den.
Karen Pajari spent 3 days observing the pack after Malik’s retirement and provided the following observations. Aidan continues to spend most of his time very close to wolf den or resting on the den, constantly watching for Maya. The warm trend over the last several days has resulted in more panting, but when wolf care staff comes near the den he does relax and seeks them out. When Shadow walks by, Aidan greets him excitably, but he is reluctant to join in on howling since howling bouts create excitable dominance from Maya. If Maya is too intense, Shadow does come over to the interaction, not necessarily intervening, but observing. If dynamics changes over the winter and Shadow is retired, it will likely change the relationship between Maya and Adian. This month’s Podcast will review the USDA incident report concerning the aggressive incident that prompted Malik’s retirement and the subsequent management challenges
We can always tell when Aidan's comfort level is increased by seeing him towards the front of the Exhibit. He's been very interactive and social lately, but still very cautious of Maya's place in the enclosure. Recent gifts of pigs ears and beef bones have been a welcome distraction for the pack, and while Aidan initially has to deal with the competition of the other pack members, staff always make sure he gets his share. With temperatures below zero each night, ample straw beds are placed throughout the enclosure to ensure all wolves are warm and comfortable. Aidan seems to have the prime real estate, the main den. In the YouTube video this week, Aidan gets a bit excited with a beef bone, and his exuberant scent rolling draws Maya's attention.
The wolves are all doing well, and the wolf care staff certainly are appreciative of all the support from members and viewers of the wolf logs. As always, the wolf care staff will be doing wolf care throughout the holidays and people can rest assured that the wolves and wolf care will always main our first priority at the International Wolf Center. Have a great holiday season, and check out the Youtube video, it shows the pack in good spirits, especially Grizzer and Denali who have become great pals. Malik is joining in on pack howls, and has adjusted well to life in retirement.
Aidan and Denali have been observed in far more social interaction lately, but as Aidan's picture shows, he can only tolerate so much of Denali's excited exuberance. Denali is relentless on his playbows, pouncing towards Aidan and trying to ride up and pin him to the ground. These are all testing behaviors, and it appears that Aidan doesn't do much to stop it until it gets too much, then he follows Denali relentlessly. This causes Denali to raise his hackles, and flatten his ears.
Aidan seems to be gaining confidence on a daily basis. We're seeing far more following behavior towards Denali and some of his guarding behavior is getting intense. Then, there are observations of them sleeping together and at tonight's feeding, there were no issues as they shared a deer. Oscar seems to be the only one who can predict the tension between these two individuals. They did have a good time in the snow last week.
Aidan is really showing some confidence as winter approaches. He definitely possesses the wolf care staff and dominates our time when we are providing social contact. He continues to follow Denali when he gets excited, but they settle down and have been observed in some social wrestling interactions with Aidan on the ground for Denali. Aidan has grown a very thick winter coat and is going into the winter with a good supply of body fat. The following issues don't seem to affect the feeding activity, they both feed together on deer carcasses without any aggression.
Aidan has had a great week. Local deer hunters have generously donated their scraps and have provided Aidan with a lot of things to eat. He doesn't necessarily need extra food, but he does enjoy it. Staff observed Aidan and Denali in some good social interaction that didn't involve following behavior. Some of it was captured on video, but there were plenty of witnesses of both staff and visitors that observed this socially compatible behavior.
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