Today, Grizz is 21 days old and has been engaging in more play behavior. Grizz and Groan are entering into the socialization phase and as a result social behaviors are becoming more evident. Grizz and Groan have been starting to jaw spar and they're social behavior continues to quickly develop. Grizz is more passive in instigating play behavior than Groan. Pup care staff took Grizz and Groan to see the Malik and Shadow and then they spent time outdoors in the grass for about 15 mnutes.
Written by Workin' For Wolves program participants: Joyce Wells and Cathy Jents: Throughout the Workin' For Wolves weekend, Grizzer was observed challenging the other males for status. During the "What's For Dinner" program on Saturday, Grizzer dominated the deer carcass but allowed Malik to feed, ignoring Malik's raised lip and growls. When not challenging the other males, Grizzer initiated playful bouts with Shadow and Maya throughout the enclosure. This weekend's enrichment project provided a stimulating and enjoyable search for hidden meatballs that were creatively placed throughout the enclosure. Grizzer is in the process of shedding his winter undercoat and appears robust and healthy.
Written by Planning for Pups program participants Diann Evans, Steve Lokker and Dawn Ewing: There was a noticeable increase in the activity level of the pack as the time for "What's for Dinner" drew near. There were numerous episodes of chasing through the enclosure during which Grizzer was the subject of Maya's predatory instincts. Grizzer spent time duirng the chase in a high tail posture. During the feeding, Grizzer briefly displayed a lip curl as Malik approached the deer carcass.
Grizzer has been enjoying his second ranking male status, as long as Shadow is close by to keep Malik in line. During Saturday night's feeding, Grizzer and Shadow guarded the deer carcass from Malik (no problem with Maya), and nearly finished it off. This left Malik a bit hungry. An extra deer carcass was fed on Sunday night to satiate all appetites. Malik was full on Monday morning, and most of the deer carcass remained. Grizzer was eating another meal on it Monday afternoon.
Grizzer has been less assertive with the arctics lately. Today, when all were resting up in the wooded area of the enclosure, Grizzer did a full submission when Shadow and Malik approached. The warm weather may be influencing the mellow behavior, although when staff washed the observation windows later during the check, Grizzer proceeded to scent roll on the clean windows. It's a full time job doing wolf care and facilities maintenance during the mud season.
Today, Grizz is 20 days old. He has been chewing on the nipple with molars. He also let out a bark when Nubee approached. He has also started to wag his tail during interactions with his littermates.
The logs for Grizzer today can be summed up in one word, Hot. Wolves tend to have a shedding period that begins in late May and extends into June and they generally shed their entire undercoat and are left with long guard hairs that make them appear long, lean and cooler. There may be some other benefit to keeping a winter coat a bit longer in the spring, and that's protection from the May-early June black fly population. But, if hot weather comes too early such as this past week in Ely, the wolves remain very inactive, and excessively pant to evaporate heat from their bodies. In this week's wolf logs, Grizzer can't seem to beat the heat, no matter where he goes. The pond has been cleaned, but a waterline below ground still has a bit of frost, so no water is flowing. If we get a good rainstorm, the pond line will probably thaw, vegetation will green, and the wolves will be cooler. Let's hope for rain
Growled and barked at staff when awakened. Howling often appears to be followed by defecation. Followed a rope bone for about 4 ft. then laid down. Increasing coordination and mobility-can walk distances of 10-15 ft. without falling. Was very relaxed during T-Touch demonstration.
Has been steadily gaining weight. Grizz has been highly active, howling off and on for about a half hour. When staff approached him, he ran away with a tucked tail. He has been feeding vigorously and regularly.
This week, all the wolves will have the same log text, although the photos will be different. We conducted an enclosure enrichment project, where a variety of unusual food scraps such as hamburger patties, frozen meat balls, fish and a few other food items were scattered throughout the enclosure. The wolves had a variety of responses to the items. Grizzer ran around and ate everything he could find, Maya scent marked, Shadow scent rolled, Malik investigated every spot with a high tail and excitability, Lucas food guarded, MacKenzie actually caught a burger in midair, and Lakota cached what she could take from Lucas. This type of stimulus creates high activity, a chance to use their sense of smell, and overall curiosity. Today was an overcast, cooler day, perfect for this type of high end stimulus.
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