Written by Planning for Pups participants Awen Briem and Janice Klink: Grizzer continues to test Shadow for dominance, but as shown in this photograph, he lacks the confidence to follow through with the challenge. Grizzer is averting his gaze from Shadow's in order to avoid making eye contact, as this would escalate the interaction. His ears are pinned back, indicating intimidation. Shadow is in full threat display towards Grizzer, with direct eye contact, ears pricked forward, and lip curl. Maya, who is pair bonded with shadow frequently, as in this picture, demonstrates appeasement behavior toward Shadow. Despite grizzer's ongoing testing of Shadow, he continues in the position of second ranking male in this Pack.
Grizzer has been observed in much more submissive behavior than in previous weeks. A program called Wolf Watch occurred on August 2nd, where participants spend the evening hours observing the Exhibit pack and analyze the cohesiveness of the pack and the behavioral interactions between individuals. The night of the observation was one of the first nights where temperatures have cooled down in the early evening. The participants observed some very social interaction between the pack with Grizzer willingly submitting to Shadow, but keeping an eye on Malik to assert dominance when the opportunity arose. As you see from Grizzer’s video this week, he still wrestles with his littermate Maya as they did when they were pups.
The Exhibit pack has been dealing with the heat by remaining inactive, as all of the videos show this week. Grizzer has completed the summer shedding and has begun growing a winter coat. The photo shows the physiological structure of a wolf with a significant amount of rotation to the front scapula or shoulder. When wolves travel, they display a pattern termed direct registering, where a slight rotation of the shoulder blade or scapula, allows alignment of the front and back paw when traveling. This is very efficient, especially when breaking trail in the snow.
The cooler weather has increased the wolves activity levels. Grizzer is growing a good winter coat which has increased the appearance of his body size. Just a few short weeks ago, staff was commenting on how skinny he looked, now, he's back to the bulky frame that is very recongizable in winter photos. He hasn't increased in weight, just in winter undercoat that pushes his guard hairs out making him appear larger. Grizzer and Maya continue to socially interact as litter mates, and Grizzer continues to push his dominance as would be expected with a young adult, but overall, the exhibit remains calm and very compatible. This week's video of Grizzer shows him spending time on top of the den. The wolves use of the enclosure tends to be very seasonal. The den is the most likely spot to see the wolves during the winter months, and they are already showing more presence there now.
This log written by Working for Wolves Participant: Joyce Wells Grizz was very active this week-end. He climbed and jumped at trees in the exhibit enclousre searching for food treats hidden by staff, wrestled with Maya prior to the what's for dinner program on Saturday and stalked minnows in the pond on Sunday. He stationed himself on the rock in the pond and checked minnow activity then slowed to stroll to the back of the enclosure. Earlier he occupied himself pulling some of the protective fencing down in the holding enclosure while the exhibit area was under spring reconstruction.
Sorry for the delay in the logs, Summer programming started last week and there were many hours dedicated to training new education staff members as well as hosting a board meeting in Ely. The wolves have had many new stimuli over the last several weeks. Grizzer is still a bit shy when it comes to strangers next to the fence, but he seems to be fine with the new group of interns. Summer heat has driven the wolves into the den for most of the viewing day, so the interns are making regular visits to the wolves to bring them into view after the Wolf 101 program. To make this a positive experience, the wolf care staff have chopped up a variety of small treats including chicken, burgers, fish and sausage. These small treats serve as incentive for them to visit the new interns, and keeps the wolves in view for the public display. If you visit the Center, it is strongly recommended that you schedule your visit early in the day or late in the day to maximize viewing potential. We are offering weekly member's-only Behind the Scenes programs on Thursday's in June, then twice a week Behind the Scenes programs, one for members and one for non-members in July and August. Grizz likes the treats, but chooses to keep his distance during the Behind the Scenes programs.
Summer has arrived earlier than usual this year and the wolves are inactive during the heat of the day. In this photo you can easily see Grizzer's teeth as he yawns.
The following log was written by Ethology students: Casey Eganey; Pat Middleton; and Crisanne Werner. For the first part of the week, activity amongst the wolves was slow and minimal due to the heat. As soon as the rain came and the temperature cooled down, Grizzer showed much more energy. They had an unexpected treasure hunt consisting of their favorite foods. Grizzer displayed the most intense and persistent investigative efforts, was successful in his findings, and was the last one to give up the hunt.
In the interest of saving time, all wolf logs will be the same today. Most of the wolf care staff time is spent attempting to keep the wolves cool during an unusually warm stretch of weather. The temperatures over the Memorial Day weekend soared to 90 degrees with high humidity. This is problematic weather for wolves that have not completed shedding, and who's primary method of cooling is through panting. Wolves pant to evaporate heat from their system, when the humidity is high, little evaporation occurs. This is why wolves in the wild are commonly termed nocturnal animals, meaning they are active mainly at night. Here at the Center, sprinkler hoses were installed to keep the temperatures cooler. In the retired enclosure, modifcations to the hose installation were made, when MacKenzie became anxious about the hose over her head. Her vision is declining, and the hose over her head must have been too much. The hose was re-installed to follow the north fence line, which will also spread a nice layer of water over the newly planted vines. To add another summer task, biting flies hatched over the weekend, requiring the first application of fly ointment. All wolves were treated, except of course, Shadow, who heads for the hills when fly ointment appears. The arctics were started on a dose of brewer's yeast with garlic in hopes of providing some natural repellent. This gift of garlic as well as a long list of other treats and equipment was generously donated by Miss Susan Sweeney's Biology I class – period 2+3; from Pennsylvania…
Grizz is 14 days old today. Staff started to feed Grizz with a new bottle but reverted back to old bottle due to nipple problems. He has been suckling vigorously and has to be slowed down by those feeding him. He has been steadily gaining weight and is more passive than his sister, Groan. His mobility has been increasing and he is walking well.
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.