Last Thursday, we had a bit of excitement with a forest fire that came within .8 miles of the Center. We implemented the first phase of the Center's fire management plan which calls for drawing the wolves into the smaller holding areas and giving them a light sedative. We then sprayed down the holding pens with water and fed the wolves small amounts of bone dust for distraction. Denali is the easiest wolf to manage in a crisis. He comes into holding without hesitation and is keyed into any treat that might come his way. Thankfully, the firefighters, air tankers and helicopters were able to contain the fire despite the intense winds. We are always thankful to those individuals who actively work a fire line in such dangerous conditions.
Denali has several interesting behaviors this week. I'm not sure if it's the stimulated prolactin or just the heat of summer, but he is extremely tolerant of brushing and stands still for not only one wolf care staff to brush him, but two at a time. It's like he's taken a trip to the groomers. The other amazing behavior is that Denali regurgitated for Luna at the fence. They had not had face to face contact with Luna since her surgery, and after a tentatively positive x-ray (see Luna's log), we decided it was time for her to get back to socially interacting with the adults. Denali was extremely excited to see her again.
Denali is interested in the pups, but not nearly as possessive as Aidan. We have observed him carrying deer parts over to the fence toward the pups. This is a behavior that we've observed in multiple litters over the years. This type of care giving behavior is a part of the hormonal influence of pups, but we must time the introduction well to ensure that prolactin hormone is still present at the time of the introduction and the pups have not increased to a size over 45 lbs. The way Bolts is putting on weight, we decided to move the introduction date to July 30th instead of the typical August time frame.
Denali is amazing when it comes to fly ointment. He stands still while I apply ointment to his ears, between his toes, on his legs and even lets me spray ointment on his back. Aidan is accepting, but not as much as Denali. Of all the wolves on site, Denali has the least amount of shedding. He has only a tuft or two on his hind quarters, but otherwise has a full winter coat. This is a challenge as we had temperatures in the 80's with high humidity. We attached set up a sprinkler hose for all the wolves to help them during this transition of winter pelage to summer pelage.
Denali has given a whole new meaning to socialized. He not only stands still while staff put fly ointment on the tips of his ears, but he also stands for a spray bottle of fly repellent over his back, legs and paws. We have no other wolf as tolerant of day to day management. In one of our daily inspections, we noticed an issue with discoloration of one of his incisors. It appears he may have broken a tooth and it's decaying. With tooth issues, we judge the pain condition and impact on the gum before we decide to immobilize the wolf and pull the tooth. So far, there is no response to us touching the tooth and we will send photos of the tooth to the Vet's to determine if they want a closer look. It would be best to wait for an immobilization later in the fall when the weather is cooler, especially since Denali has not shed a majority of his undercoat.
Denali has a very playful demeanor when approaching Bolts through the fence. He doesn't whine nearly as much as Aidan. We have discovered that Denali is also much more tolerant of fly treatment. Not only do we put ointment on their ears, but Denali doesn't mind a full body spray. Aidan is not so fond of the treatments, which may be related to his dislike of the suntan lotion on his nose.
Denali has taken a few opportunities to test Aidan, but while they may start with a lot of excitement, eventually the power struggle reverts back to Aidan. It's critical for Wolf Care Staff to be cognitive of the influences that can change the dynamics between the individuals. We think it's in the pup's best interest to meet Aidan first as he has shown more guarding behavior than Denali. This is still our introduction plan, but that's still 30 days away and a lot can happen in a wolf exhibit in 30 days.
Denali has the most interesting expressions and body language. We can see that he wants to socially engage with Aidan, but Aidan has to be in the mood to interact, otherwise, he follows Denali around. That doesn't stop Denali from doing a playbow and inviting Aidan to chase him. It does appear the Aidan is far more serious when wolf care are in the enclosure, but once we go about our day, the observations from the viewing window show Aidan being more social and engaging with Denali. The playbow behavior will be very welcoming for the new pups, it is a bit reminiscent of Grizzer's behavior with Aidan and Denali when they were pups.
This week, we fed an entire deer that resulted in the wolves pulling the hide from the carcass. This hide was a great source of entertainment for Denali. The Youtube video this week shows him plucking the hide, tossing it, head shaking it and generally spending a lot of time interacting. This also reduced the time he was testing Aidan, so, when we know Denali is getting to be too much, our plan is to throw him a deer hide.
As described in Aidan's log, the Exhibit Pack had a visitor. Denali was much more excited with a tail wag, hackles and some hopping behavior as the wolf stared into the enclosure. Aidan was a bit more territorial showing some posturing behavior, but both seemed to be stimulated by the wolves presence. Denali has claimed the top of the slate den, and will always possess the new layer of straw. The ravens have been very active as a series of warm days has decreased the wolves appetite and resulted in a lot of left over food in the enclosure. This is probably what drew the wolf to the outer fence, the sound of ravens calling can be a signal to wolves that there is something to scavenge nearby.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.