The logs will all be the same today. We’re doing some improvements to Malik’s enclosure, so Malik gets all of my time today. This past week has been busy getting the Exhibit enclosure ready for a Chamber of Commerce mixer on Wednesday night. Windows were washed, straw was removed, the summer wood chips were added and the pond waterline thawed with enough time to fill the pond. Of course, the upper pond line is still frozen in the concrete, so the waterfall isn’t flowing, but the main pond has been a source of stimulus for the pack. When it finally thawed, the weather was 70 degrees and sunny, and all wolves romped in the water, followed by a Grizzer/Denali chase though the woods. Aidan is still getting some dominance from Maya, usually followed by one of the excitable chases though the woods, but as the photos show this week, Aidan is engaging Maya in social behavior. He does a double foreleg stab while she is on the top of the den. We have noticed some instability with Shadow after he was chasing Grizzer and Denali, he seemed to have a dizzy spell, was off balance, before planting his paws in a wide stance and gaining his stability. As with any aging wolf, we will watch Shadow closely. The YouTube video this week shows the Chamber of Commerce mixer, giving the view of a visitor to the Center. Malik had a good week, enjoying the well shaded tree cover in his enclosure.
Grizzer seems to have the hardest time with the heat. It's possibly due to his larger size or his thick pelage, but his activity levels are near zero if temperatures are over 65 degrees. He continues to be extremely submissive to Shadow, and tolerant of Denali. He shows no dominance towards Aidan, but occasionally, Aidan gets nervous when he sees Grizzer running at him. Grizzer and Maya turn six years old on May 5th.
Grizzer's testing of Shadow has diminished, although Denali has increased. It does seem that these two work in tandem. Initially, we had some concern that Shadow was overcompensating dominance towards these two, meaning that he was dominating at a higher intensity, but after watching the video of the pack this week, Grizzer and Denali are getting what they need to keep them in a lower ranking position.
Grizzer has been a bit stressed by the contractors working on his new habitat, but we calm that with a dose of valium and make sure that a core wolf care staff member is always near the enclosure. After the contractor's leave, the staff spend a significant amount of time grooming him and giving him a distraction from the tension. We also installed sprinker systems on all enclosures, so if he is a bit stressed, the cool water misting on him will reduce any overheating. Fortunately, this is a short project that will be very beneficial in the end.
Grizzer has been extremely social with staff, getting excited, playbowing and running in circles when staff interact. The enclosure work is nearly done, with some ground wire and concrete pads left to pour. We will also build him a densite similar to Shadow and Malik's, but the hope is, he will be exploring his new habitat by the end of next week.
This week’s photo of Grizzer is very telling as to the intent of his action. While a canid lifting a paw may indicate a submissive posture, when Grizzer places his paw on Shadow, it is a sign of dominance. One other notable point of this photo is that Grizzer’s ears are pricked forward a sign of intensity and Shadow’s ears are pricked but turned sideways, a sign of intimidation. If you look to Shadow’s photo, you will see Shadow respond with a full snarl in defense. The video for Grizzer shows him testing Malik. Malik responds with a tucked tail and full threat display of growling and lunging. With non-breeding captive wolves, it’s difficult to assign rank position, but it does appear the Malik is now the lowest ranking male.
Grizzer has a great personality and likes to be the center of attention. Fortunately for staff and wolves, his behavior is rarely intense. In this week’s video clips (Maya’s Malik’s and Grizzer’s videos), you will see Grizzer ambush Maya as she comes to the rock, then take a break on his back with the other wolves watching him.
Grizzer is developing a mature howl, as his video shows him matching Shadow’s pitch. The subtle communication among wolves is interesting to watch. In this week’s photo, you will see both Grizzer and Maya avert their eyes from a threat display by Malik. Avoiding eye contact avoids conflict, and wolves seem to prefer to avoid conflict than constantly push each other around. It’s been a great experience watching Grizzer and Maya mature.
Due to time constraints, there will be one log posted for all. Spring has arrived, causing significant snow melt filling the pond in the main Exhibit Pack enclosure. The colder weather quickly followed and created an ice covered pond that the wolves have been enjoying. Initially, they tested the ice for stability, now they run across without consideration. More snow fell on Sunday night, requiring new straw beds and more shoveling. Dominance was calming down, but this new snowfall stimulated the pack again. The dominance seems to be focused toward Malik, but Shadow is alert and assertive if Grizzer shows and testing behavior. In this week’s photos, Jacky Fallon from the Minnesota Zoo provides two great photos showing the dominance hierarchy and Shadow’s strong role when leading the pack in howls.
It’s been an interesting week, from record high temperatures last week that melted the pond, to a predicted snowstorm with up to 7 inches of accumulation. Weather has a great impact on wolves’ behavior. When the weather was warming, the wolves were moving into a pattern of decreased dominance and increased resting patterns. All of the photos this week are of wolves in various routines of sleeping. The sleeping arrangements of the wolves are of interest to the wolf care staff. Grizzer took over the top of the den, Shadow and Malik were sleeping together on the side hill and Maya spent some time in the woods. The pack dynamics seems to be calming as spring approaches and the natural hormonal decline occurs. In this week’s video, you will see Shadow and Malik directing some displays toward Grizzer, but Grizzer ignores them.
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