The signs of a good pack leader include knowing when to step in or when to watch from afar. Pack leaders who intervene in every interaction tend to get some redirected aggression when the tensions really increase. Aidan seems to maintain a calm demeanor despite the actions of the others.
We always know when a wolf is feeling better, they tend to display some of the same antics of a pup or juvenile. One of the more common pup behavior’s is ambush. This is where a pup crouches to the ground and pounces on an unsuspecting pup mate. Clearly, this is a hunting behavior usually reserved for prey, but with pups learning to apply their instinctual behavior, they ambush each other. Last week, I spoke of Luna’s continual “juvenile” behaviors as an indication that she would rather ambush and wrestle with her pup mate Boltz than be a more mature adult. I guess a wolf is never to0 old to display juvenile behaviors; This week, Aidan was photographed preparing to pounce on Luna with his tail wagging in a social greeting. We know Aidan’s feeling better if he takes the time to set up an Ambush.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 3 months since we lost Shadow. Certainly not a day goes by when I don’t think of him, his behaviors, his leadership and the incredible lessons he taught us all. When I turn my focus to the Exhibit Pack and watch the 2012 litter of Luna and Boltz maturing into adulthood, I see a bit of Shadow in Aidan’s response to their youthful exuberance. Aidan will willingly roll on his back and present a submissive paw towards the wolves as they stand near him. If they become too excited, a quick rise, lip curl and reinforcing growl sends them into a submissive posture.
As the winter breeding season quickly approaches, Aidan’s been dealing with more stress from the testing of the two-year-olds. Luna frequently goes into an obnoxious submission bout towards Aidan, but as the name suggests, this behavior can get old pretty quickly. Once it becomes too much for Aidan, he’s quick to attempt rolling Luna over, which can become very noisy, and at times stressful. Boltz often picks up on this opportunity and attempts to gains some status when possible.
In this week’s photo we see how this behavior can escalate and now Aidan has two two-year-olds on him, Boltz with a T2-tail posture, showing his confidence. As the younger wolves approach the age of 3, we’re looking at an interesting winter to come.
Aidan seems to love the crisp fall air and has been having some very good visits with wolf care staff.
During wolf care we have been holding Denali and Boltz in a separate pen so they can have some one on one with staff persons whom have a good relationship with them both.
This has given Aidan quality time with staff and fewer distractions. It also has caused Luna to become more responsive to Aidans status when it is just the two of them. She submits without anxious behavior.
It appears to be good for all. When Denali and Boltz go back into the main enclosure after these interactions all the wolves seem less anxious and very calm.
We’ve recently added some antacids to Aidan’s medication list, and for now it appears to be helping significantly with his discomfort. Alpha members witnessed a great number of playbows and chases initiated by Aidan. He’s been very social and engaged with the rest of the pack and their dynamics. Boltz continues to test now and then, and as I’ve said in previous logs, it’s a behavior we’ll likely see intensify through the winter. Young wolves in wintertime can always be stressful for the dominant animals.
Chilly days have reached Ely Minnesota, giving us the clear hint that winter is not far off. Because of this perhaps, the wolves have become quite active in the enclosure during the day. With the coming of winter, hormones are beginning to increase, and we may be seeing a preview of the winter dominance displays to come. Aidan has certainly been reminded of this as well, as Boltz has begun testing statuses again. Aidan doesn’t seem to concerned however, during this week’s ‘What’s for Dinner?’ program, where are wolves are fed in front of a live audience, Aidan was seen socially greeting and interacting with the two-year olds, rolling around and submitting to them.
This behavior doesn’t mean that Aidan has lowered his own status, it likely reflects his confidence in his status. We’ve seen this rolling around and submitting behavior from previous dominant animals, as more of a social display rather than a dominance one. If one of the other animals begins pushing his limits however, Aidan is quick to remind them of their lower rank.
Since Aidan’s temporary examination off site last week, he has returned to his more or less regular routine. The examinations came back negative for any diseases, so it’s been wolf care staff’s task recently to simply keep Aidan comfortable and as stress free as possible. Not an easy task when he lives with 2-year-olds that are quick to test rank order. Aidan is quick to make his point known however.
On Thursday of this week we immobilized Aidan to take to the local veterinarian in order to diagnose the recent medical issues he’s been facing. We’ve been noticing a distension in his belly, and it hasn’t been due to food. With the recent medical issues we faced with our older wolves Shadow and Malik, we were concerned about a potential mass or tumor in Aidan’s abdomen.
Thankfully we were able to determine that there was nothing physically abnormal about his abdomen, no masses nor tumors, the distension appears to be fat. We took blood and urine for analysis to determine the reason for this excess fat.
When taking a social animal, like the wolf, out of the enclosure, it is important to note the possibility of the pack not accepting him back in. The short few hours of separation can appear to be dispersal from the pack, meaning that he has left the pack. This often occurs in younger animals in the wild, when sexually mature wolves leave the pack, often in search of a mate for their own. This risk is why we seldom sedate an individual animal for diagnosis unless it is absolutely necessary. In this case, Aidan returned to the pack strong, and hasn’t had any major issues since returning. We are still waiting for the test results to determine how we can make him feel better, but for now, he has returned to the pack maintaining his status as the dominant male.
We started noticing Aidan’s guard hairs beginning to gray around his forehead and at the tip of his tail. It seems like it happened overnight. Denali has always been the gray ghost of the enclosure, but if Luna and Boltz keep testing their limits, Aidan may continue with this premature graying. Of course, we are always concerned with Aidan because he has an autoimmune disorder. Stress for him has some negative implications.
