Grizzer is using his new enclosure, especially the den top. He likes high vantage points to watch activities and this den is perfect for that purpose. He has done much better with activity in the wolf yard that used to stress him out, now, when there's too much going on, he just heads to the new enclosure and finds a secluded place to rest. One of the staff had some experience using cinnamon in healing wounds on horses, and we may try this with Grizzer to encourage the last growth of tissue and hair follicles. We continue lanolin on the wound, but the downside is that we're getting more sticky lanolin in his hair. He does let us comb it out, but before we get to cleaning him up, his appearance is a bit rough.
The summer is nearing an end, and the cooler weather is a welcome relief for wolves. The logs are all the same today, As I write there is an approaching thunderstorm and I don't have much time. Aidan continues to show relaxed behavior coming in and out of the medical pen. Denali's increased interest in Oscar makes Oscar a bit nervous, but they are getting along well. Grizzer is very relaxed, and when Oscar returns from field trips, he play bows and rolls over at the fence line. Shadow is showing more dominance which is typical of this time of year. Malik is a bit nervous of the change in Shadow, but does respond with the appropriate body postures.
We moved the Slate Den cam from the Exhibit Pack into Grizzer's enclosure. I know the housing of the camera lid is giving some distortion, I will fix that on Monday. We see some great social behavior in Grizzer and he is so much more relaxed with the new habitat. He spends a fair amount of time racing between the two enclosures which gets both the Exhibit and Retired packs up and moving. Grizzer weighed in at 119 lbs.
We know Grizzer is feeling good when staff experience what we term as the Grizzer 500. This is where he races back and forth between the pack holding area and his new habitat. He may stop to playbow at staff, but if we're sitting on a rock, he might just jump over us. He may be middle-aged, but he still has a lot of spunk. The cinnamon treatments are continuing, but we are not seeing much hair growth, but the brown coloration gives him nice highlights and he likes the feeling when we rub his head. We will use lanolin if the skin starts to feel like it's drying out, but so far, his skin is very soft.
Grizzer has had a good week with a variety of staff. Due to some changes in teaching schedules, two of the staff came in on Thursday afternoon, after a full day of work. Grizzer got very excited, we were in the enclosure at a different time and smelled like a full day of work. He likes that kind of stimulus. We received an email from someone suggesting that we try castor oil on his skin. The cinnamon didn't have much of a response (probably because the wound is closed, so there's not much healing needed). We hope the castor oil will possibly stimulate the skin and hair follicles needed to give him a full head of hair. I bet he will scent roll with this treatment.
With the colder nights, we have decreased the use of oils on Grizzer's head. We have found that his hair can get quite matted, and we want to make sure it stays dry and has some insulating value. We had another suggestion from a member to try melatonin supplements. We are having our Veterinarians review the research periodical, and may try this oral supplement. I was able to comb his hair over the new skin, and can nearly cover the area. He usually gets a think growth of winter hair, which is developing quickly. We don't have a concern for cold weather, last winter when the wound was stitched, he generated a lot of heat on his head and had no skin issues in the cold.
Happy President’s Day, Due to the Holiday, all of the logs will be the same posting today: The Nanny selection process has been completed and award letters were mailed on the 15th of February. We are still in the selection process for the Behavioral Observation program, and have extended the deadline until April 15th. We intend to have the Behavioral Observation award letters for those current applicants sent by February 22nd. Please be patient, as this is a very important task. We want to make sure we have a good fit for each crew to have the most positive experience for the pups. One other comment relates to a new face you may be seeing on the Exhibit Pack webcam. After 6 months of training, work with the Retired Pack and an opportunity to gain Shadow’s trust, Don Gossett and Sharee Johnson have been successfully integrated in the Exhibit Pack as a Level I wolf care staff. Shadow was a bit hesitant at first, but has been very responsive to the newest staff members. Being a Level I handler means that they must always be accompanied by a Level III for safety, with a Level 2 for backup. So, when new staff are in the enclosure, you are likely to see 3 or 4 staff. We want to make sure that all staff that will be handling pups are perceived as part of the program by Shadow and Maya. If a staff person is not trusted by Shadow, and they are observed handling the pups, it can create an aggressive situation. This is why we are so stringent on the Nanny program, it is critical to the social dynamics of the wolf yard that all people interacting with the pups respect the adult wolves, especially Shadow. Remember, this pup introduction’s purpose is to maintain a socially cohesive pack.
Grizzer's video this week displays a behavior we term "Shadowing". This is an intimidation factor to make another wolf more submissive. You will see Grizzer walking up the hill behind Malik, with Malik showing a submissive ear posture. Although, Grizzer is not that focused and is distracted by a scent in one of the beds. Grizzer's picture this weeks shows a confident "T2" tail, which means it is held straight back, but it did drop to a T3 (below the back) when he approached Shadow for a pack rally.
The seasonal hormones are calming with the wolves spending more time in social interaction than dominance interaction. In Grizzer's video this week, you will see him submit to Malik, then continue to roll in the snow. The winter weather continues here with snow over the weekend, and cooler temperatures keeping the snow from melting. But, by the indication of wolf social behavior, the influence of the spring is right around the corner.
It is apparent that high prolactin levels are affecting Grizzer’s behavior. Since the pups were introduce last May, Grizzer’s tolerance level to Malik’s growling and lunging at him had been noticeable to wolf care staff. This weekend, while Grizzer, Maya and Shadow were interacting in a playful way, Malik took advantage of this and lunge at Grizzer’s neck. Grizzer did not respond the first two times, but at the third, he turned around and chase Malik back to the upper enclosure, followed him for a while, and then went back to his business with Maya. This is quite a different behavior from the wintertime interactions.
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