Written by: Wolf Photography Weekend photographer Maureen Pavlochik
When Boltz first looked me in the eye, I felt his intensity in my soul. I was surprised at how a wolf with such intensity could be so gentle with the pups.
Boltz has been the surprise of this pup introduction, showing more interest and more protection of the pups than any of the other males. This could be caused by Boltz’s lack of pup interactions during his critical bonding period, when Luna was on surgery recovery and wasn’t allow to rough-house in at typical pup-mate fashion or this could just be Boltz’s personality, finally able to express himself in the absence of Luna from the pack. Regardless of the cause, the result is a series of expressive postures usually involving the pups. There is no “cookie cutter” recipe for working with wolves. Every individual and every social relationship will dictate the overall social interaction of the group and these situations can change when the dynamics of the pack changes. We are in the middle of a new pack formation with the introduction of the 2016 pups and the the new found social interactions of an otherwise, shy lower ranking male.
Boltz continues to show the most submissive behavior toward the pups, often approaching with ears pricked and turned sideways showing interest, but also a calm submissive posture when approaching the pups. In this photo, he shows the characteristic canine grin that usually indicates a bout of chase is about to begin. Initially, Grayson was intimidated by these bouts and Boltz took advantage of Grayson’s weakness by focusing on him, but now, the pups get equal attention from Boltz. Often the pups are found resting with him or there have been times when Boltz has entered the upper wooded portion of the Exhibit, displayed a little whining behavior and was followed down by a pair of pups.
This week’s wolf logs are written by behavioral team members Patty Kierski, Savannah Harness, and Kathy Kneeland based on their observations during the first week of introduction.
Boltz has been more actively interested in the pups since their introduction. He has been playful and seeks out time with the pups. He is spending more time with them than the other pack members. Boltz’ behavior has changed dramatically since the introduction, probably more than the other pack members.
The pups have been a source of interest for Luna, but Boltz seems to be the one with the most social interactions. He is frequently watching, greeting and whining to the pups as they approach the shared fenceline and peer through the protective hardware cloth. During a recent “dry run” of the pup introduction, Boltz showed as strong interest in the pup smells within the Pack Holding Area. His “Ears Pricked Forward” posture shows a much more confident wolf than when normally observe and we suspect he will display that confidence when engaging in social behavior with the pups when they become packmates.
Since the pups arrived, Boltz is whining at the fence, eagerly waiting for pups arrival in the yard and showing some interesting facial expressions and postures. In this photo, he displays a posture similar to Shadow with his legs crossed and an expressive ear posture. He is also the only Exhibit Pack member to regurgitate to the pups. One of the reasons why we introduce pups on the 4-year rotation is that the presence of the pups tends to take the focus of the middle-aged wolves (in this case, 4-year old Boltz) off of the 8-year old wolves (Aidan and Denali) and onto the social interactions with pups. It’s as if the 4-year old’s retreat to pup behavior. In the Youtube posted last week, we witnessed Boltz food begging to Denali. We also see some very cohesive behavior with Aidan and Boltz as they watch the pups together. The only strife is when Luna becomes a bit obsessed and unstable while guarding the pups.
The influence of hormones is certainly evident this summer. While Luna continues to guard the pups, Boltz seems to have reverted to pup like behavior. In this image, Boltz is food begging from Denali and attempting to get as submissive as possible. Denali has an ear posture we term “Pricked and Turned Sideways” this usually is displayed by an individual that is not at ease with the interaction. Boltz’s behavior is quite confrontational and can be a bit overwhelming, especially for a wolf like Denali that tends to avoid conflicts. I will be posting video of this interaction on Youtube in the upcoming days. Certainly the pup introduction in August will be interesting to see how Boltz responds to pups that will likely try to food beg as well.
Boltz has been showing some strong interest in the pups and has joined Luna in guarding Aidan and Denali from the pups. Initially we were concerned, but in the last few days, we have witnessed Boltz doing some appeasement behavior towards Aidan. This behavior includes licking Aidan’s face, submitting to him and approaching with a low head and posture. It seems the hormonal surge brought some changing and sometimes conflicting behaviors. In addition to appeasement behavior, there has been a noticeable increase in Raise Leg Urinations for Boltz indicating a higher confidence level. Some have voiced some concerns that getting male pups will put more stress on Aidan and the male rank order. In our experience, the mid-level wolves (and in the case of the male rank order, that would be Boltz) will take a more active role in pup interaction and dominance. The pups energy and attitude require so much time, that the pack is less focused on the older wolves and more focused on the young. We witnessed this in 2008 when we brought in Aidan and Denali to join Shadow, Malik, Grizzer and Maya. Grizzer spent a significant amount of time wrestling, rolling and chasing pups, while Shadow got some relief from Grizzer’s constant testing. What comes next for Boltz is likely to be a repeat of Grizzer, Aidan and Denali after the 2008 introduction. This is why we choose the 4-year rotation, by the time the pups are nearing 2 years of age and starting to test for rank, Aidan and Denali will be nearing 10-years of age and will be ready to get a break from exhibit life and join the comforts of retirement. We weighed the adult wolves today, Boltz is maintaining a good weight at 111 lbs. which is slightly higher than his 2015 weight of 109 lbs.
The introduction of the pups to the Exhibit Pack created some interesting dynamics. Luna seems obsessed with the pups. We’re not sure if that’s a good thing, she has the same expression about a deer leg. Initially, she had been blocking the other wolves whenever the pups were near the fence, now Boltz joins her and the two of them block Aidan and Denali equally. Fortunately, Aidan is tolerant of it and we know he has a good history with pups, so it’s probably best that Luna and Boltz develop a strong bond. One other noticeable change for us is that Boltz is much more interactive and social in the last few days. This may coincide with the pups spending more time outdoors and possibly stimulating a bit of prolactin hormone for the Boltz or as he sheds his winter coat, maybe the back scratches are too good to resist. Regardless, this facial expression seems to indicate some positive interaction.
We have previously discussed some of the challenges we face with Boltz. The mid-March whelping period meant that he was significantly older than our typical socialized pup. The challenge is that Boltz has some fear-avoidance behavior that makes him uneasy when there is a lot of activity in the wolf yard, specifically, unfamiliar faces. During a pup year, we rely on a number of Pup Care Participants to accomplish our 24 hour a day, 7 day a week pup care schedule. The hope is as the summer advances, Boltz will become accustom to the schedule, but if not, the wolf care staff are up to the challenge of helping Boltz through this busy season.
