Today Grizz is 19 days old. He was checked today by Ely vet, Chip Hanson. No problems were noted, and he appeared to be in good health. Groan defecated when Grizz walked by, Grizz smelled he scat and went over and marked on top of the scat. He is the most passive of the pups and is submissive to his handlers.
Today is a special wolf log reporting the results of the arctics veterinary check. As you've read in previous logs, the arctics have had trouble with ear mites. As the summer season approaches, we wanted to make sure they were healthy and ready for a summer of viewing. Wolf care staff joined veterinarian Dr. Chip Hanson for an immobilization of the arctics to get a scope of their ears and do some intensive cleaning. Grizzer and Maya weren't immobilized, since they are very tolerant of ear cleaning (thanks to the Nannies…) We are happy to report no signs of mite, just some slight debris and a possible response to allergeries. Their ears were cleaned, the drugs were reversed and they successfully rejoined the pack. Care was given to ensure no loss to Shadow's status by placing him in the main enclosure first while Malik, Grizzer and Maya waited in holding. Grizzer spent most of the exam whining outside of the holding pen waiting for the arctics to return. Maya whined a bit, but was distracted by a variety of things to chase in the enclosure. All went well, and as a precaution to not single out the arctics, Maya and Grizzer had their ears cleaned and smelled of the same medication. I'm posting several pictures of the reunion back into the pack.
Grizzer was very tolerant of the immobilization process that took place last week Thursday. He exhibited a lot of anxious whining, and was very excited to see the arctics back in the pack, but didn't show any signs of dominance due to their absence. This is a big concern when doing medical care on a few members of the pack rather than the whole group. In the wild, wolves disperse or leave their pack and can be perceived as outsiders after dispersal. In captivity, even a short removal for veterinary care can create a similar behavioral scenario. The age of Grizzer may have been a factor. Grizzer and Maya turned two years old on Friday, even though they are physically mature, they tend to still exhibit juvenile tendencies. An immobilization like this would not be a method recommended if Grizzer were 3 years of age and acting like a full-fledged adult. In that case, all the wolves would be treated equally.
Grizzer is starting to mellow with age. He still has a few testing moments with staff when the staff are occupied with other tasks (such as the curator when she's photographing the wolves and not watching Grizzer). He showed a great tolerance for his recent vaccinations, standing motionless for both subQ injections. Shedding has begun in the Exhibit Pack with Grizzer shedding the most. During this time of year, signs of wild wolf shedding in present in the forests surrounding Ely, wild wolves rub up against some vegetation, leaving a tuft of shed hair.
Sorry for the lack of logs over the past week. The curator was at a State Wildlife Society meeting. It was a great meeting and one of the most important messages from this meeting is the need to preserve contiguous tracts of habitat for species. As the human population grows and land development occurs, we need to always plan for the greenspaces that keep wildlife populations viable. Even in a captive facility, we have a need to manage for vegetation and quality habitat. This weeks photos of Grizzer and Maya prove why this is a challenge, but the Workin' for Wolves programs and the Adults at Two Years programs that are offered this summer, will aid in that endeavor. So, in the interest of getting photos up on the log, all the text will be the same. For each log, all wolves are healthy and during the curators absence, they were in the capable hands of wolf care staff Jen Westlund, Matt Fetterer, Jess Edberg, Andrea Lorek Strauss and Laurie Fella.
Wolf care at the International Wolf Center involves daily checks of all the wolves on-site. In the Exhibit Pack, Grizzer and Maya are the two that are most tolerant of having their ears, teeth, etc. checked. On most days, Grizzer will jump onto the greeting rock, eager to receive hands-on attention from staff. This week during the Saturday night "What's For Dinner" program, the pack was fed a deer torso. Grizzer showed little interest in it, most likely from not being hungry due to all the deer scraps brought in during deer season.
Again, we apologize for the delay in wolf logs, our intent is to post once a week, but wolf care is always the priority over every other job. These past few weeks, the facility and grounds area of wolf care has needed our attention. This season is best known as the ice season, when daytime temperatures create melting, but nighttime temperatures revert back to freezing. Conditions are slippery and hazardous, not only for the staff, but the wolves as well. Thanks to the kind donation of straw from Theresa Williams, the enclosures are getting a fresh layer of straw to increase traction. This is most problematic for the retired wolves, as any slip on the ice can affect older, more brittle bones and joints. The wolves are doing well, and are spending a significant amount of time sleeping in the sun. Lakota seems to have been up to a few other things, as she has a new canine bite on the nose. Staff seem to think the bite was from MacKenzie, but based on our interactions with Lakota, she pushes the limit with both Lucas and MacKenzie. Our plans are to return to weekly logs next week.
The weather has been extremely mild this winter, with daily temperatures generally between 20 – 30 degrees farenheit. This has impacted the hunger levels of the wolves, leaving a lot of left over carcasses in the enclosure. With the extra meat, scavengers such as nuthatches, chickadees and ravens have been plentiful. Grizzer continues to be a bit shy with groups, likely in response to Shadow's bark howling towards people he doesn't know.
A second photo showing Grizzer's interest in shelf ice
Fear response; startled by fast movement sensory response and or noise. He is the only puppy showing a fear response at this time.
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.