In this week’s photo, we see Aidan resting and showing tolerance for Grayson who comes to greet. These two have a special bond and the tolerance we witness from Aidan is different from his interactions with the other pack members. Not much more to say except that we are fortunate to work with a pack of non-related members who show such strong social bonds.
It is Aidan and Denali’s Birthday today. They had a stimulating start to their day by being moved to the East Side Retired area so we could cut some hazard trees in the enclosure. The Center will resume summer hours on May 15th which means 7 day a week viewing. It’s important that we get as much work done while we have the freedom to draw the wolves off for a few hours. Once we are open, we rarely bring them off display except for a few hours on the Working for Wolves weekend. As the weather warms, the wolves are showing more of these “hide and ambush” behaviors. They are usually accompanied by tail wagging by both the instigator and the receiver. Of course, warmer weather is relative. This photo taken over the weekend is not representative of the weather today. Northern Minnesota was blanketed with sleet yesterday and now snow today. On Monday April 17th, we conducted a medical exam as part of our USDA Vet Care protocol. Unfortunately, Aidan was a bit too stressed about the pack (mainly pups) being separated and despite a required dose to immobilize him, he did not show the level of sedation safe for an exam. His role is extremely important in this pack and we chose to allow him to stay in the Exhibit and reversed the drug that was injected. We will look at another opportunity to complete his exam later in the season when the pack displays a more calming nature due to the seasonal influence of prolactin hormone. Clips of the wolves reuniting after the exam will be featured on our Youtube channel this week.
We can always tell when Aidan is feeling good, he seems to increase his “Ambush” behaviors. These behaviors include crouching behind an object, waiting for an unsuspecting wolf to wander by and springing a full force towards them. Denali or Boltz are usually on the receiving end, so there is likely to be a rank order motivation, but, when Aidan reaches his intended target, it’s usually with a aroused tail wag and a not aggressive response. Lately, the pups (soon to be yearlings) have been curious about Aidan’s posture and approach him, giving away his position, but the behavior is still played out, only the pups do the springing on the target. On Monday the 17th, wolf care staff and the Ely Vet clinic will be conducting a veterinary exam that will require immobilization on all adult pack members to get blood samples and do a complete health evaluation. As Aidan nears 9 years of age, this is an important exam to know of any health concerns as he ages and pack leadership may transition in the next few years.
To hear more about Aidan’s pack leadership and the pack dynamics related to aging leaders, consider joining us for his Birthday Webinar on April 27th at 6 pm Central Time. Follow this link for details and registration. https://wolf.org/programs/webinars/
When we observe pups, we often look at associations made with the adult members of their pack. In the first months of Grayson’s life in the Exhibit Pack, we know he had some anxious moments caused by Denali’s exuberant interactions. Grayson sought out Aidan when those interactions were too intense. Staff recorded Grayson sleeping near Aidan as well as many observations of Aidan intervening on behalf of both pups. As Grayson matures to a yearling, it seems that Grayson is now a wingman for Aidan’s interactions. Notice Grayson’s tail in a confident T1, over the back posture. But more noticeable in this photo, is the look of Aidan who seems to step back and let Grayson take the lead in showing Denali who leads the pack. It’s nice to have help when your nearing 9 years of age. If you haven’t participated in a wolf care webinar, we feature 12 webinars throughout the year sharing the history and current status of each wolf on their birthday. Aidan and Denali turn 9 years of age on April 27th, join us to hear our discussions on life in the Exhibit Pack.
In the last week, we have returned to cooler temperatures and this seems to have stimulated some dominance behavior. Boltz has been quick to test Aidan and is posturing for rank, likely motivated by a hormonal response. In addition to this stress in Aidan’s life, he suffered some stiffness in his back legs likely due to the glare ice conditions of a warm spell followed by an artic blast. When Aidan is showing weakness, Boltz gains confidence. As Aidan reaches 9 years of age, we need to increase our diligence in observing any physical or behavioral vulnerability to the pack leader. In the case of Aidan’s stiffness, he responded well to a 6 day course of anti-inflammatory medication and re-affirmed his rank.
In this photo, Grayson is paying homage to Aidan. Note Grayson’s flat ears, crouched body while licking Adian’s face; a classic sign of submission. Grayson has a strong bond with Aidan and certainly spends more time in appeasement behavior than his littermate Axel or any of the the other pack members, This is certainly in line with Grayson’s more gentler approach to interactions. We even notice that Aidan does less dominance over Grayson than he does over Axel. Of course, that’s probably because Grayson doesn’t need much dominance. The Vermilion Community College Wolf Ethology students will start their data recording sessions in March and we suspect their behavioral data will support our interpretation of a strong bond between the current pack leader and the pup that came into the pack with a host of social anxiety.
Log written by Kim Wheeler, Executive Director, Red Wolf Coalition, Inc. During my visit at the Center I had the opportunity to see Aidan’s impressive skills at keeping his pack in order. If you watch the web cams or have the opportunity to visit in person, you will see that Aidan always has a watchful eye on what is going on with all the exhibit wolves. Aidan was quick to step in if playing got out of hand, especially if Boltz was involved. Denali was the focus of his attention one day and I witnessed him dominate and roll over Denali on two occasions. At almost 9 years old, it is amazing to watch Aidan keep up with the pups as they run through the exhibit. He is a great pack leader.
Despite having two pups testing their boundaries here and there, an excitable larger brother, and an ever aware up and coming 4-year-old, Aidan has not wavered in his dominance. He is quick to calm the pack down should things become too excitable and lead to redirection, and he is quick to remind pack mates (including pups) of their boundaries. Aidan is a confident pack leader however, and has often been seen playing with the pups, and rolling around in the snow with pack mates. Though he is approaching 9 years of age, Aidan has shown no signs of losing his dominance.
Photo by Heidi Pinkerton
A few weeks ago, staff noticed some behavior that appeared to look like shivering when Aidan was lying in the cover hay beds. This isn’t typical for an adult wolf, especially one that has no problem obtaining his fair share of food resources (and the shares of others). Unfortunately, a vet check for a wolf is not as easy as loading them in a car and going to the clinic. Any more detailed diagnostic such as blood work would require chemical immobilization which is risky in colder temperatures and even more risk when removing the dominant pack leader from the pack. Captive wolves are known to close up rank orders when an individual wolf is moved out, not allowing them back into the pack. We suspect Boltz could be antagonistic towards Aidan if there was a separation. So, in Aidan’s case, we started with a sample we could acquire. With the help of some smelly items, he did an RLU and the urine sample verified that he had a urinary tract infection that wasn’t causing him to be hypodermic (shivering from cold), but showing a quivering likely caused by discomfort or pain. A treatment of antibiotics cleared up the infection and he’s been active every since. Although, being the pack leader and an older pack member, we do try to make sure he has all the comforts that he deserves.
Winter has arrived and despite typical dominance occurring during the winter season, the Exhibit Pack is calm and Aidan has done an outstanding job of socializing the pups. There have been many observations of Aidan stimulating pup interaction by rolling over, submitting and submissively pawing the pups in a social greeting. But Aidan’s role is not only social, he shows limits to the pup’s often gregarious behavior and keeps Denali and Boltz from becoming too exuberant. It does seem that Aidan has a more youthful level of activity during the many bouts of interactions, but at the end of the day, we are still reminded that he is nearing 9 years of age. The pack leaders seem to show their age more than other pack members and we often catch Aidan in an eye’s closed, resting posture. These are often short-lived as the pack has a lot of energy.
