It was a hot, humid day, and Grizzer decided to take a nap on the cold concrete next to the fence. His activity was low today; he seemed to prefer the shady area of his enclosure, or as seen in this picture, the refreshing concrete. Summer is here, and this normal behavior, prevents them from being overheated.
As the spring approaches, the pen is getting muddy and wet. The snow melt has filled the pond, but the frozen ground doesn't allow for drainage. So for the time being, the wolves have a half-filled pond that freezes at night and thaws during the day. Grizzer likes the mornings when he can walk on the ice and pounce on it, watching the ice move under the force of his full weight. He's not big on getting his feet wet, so he's usually a morning pond visitor. When the ground thaws and the snowmelt drains, the pond will be washed, filters and pumps installed and the waterfall from the upper pond will return. Grizzer was always a big fan of the waterfall, even sliding down the falls when he was first introduced into the pack.
A student recently contacted the Center and inquired about the wolves jaw capacity to break open a coconut. We’re always encouraging scientific discovery as long as it doesn’t negatively impact the wolves. So, we tried it and we discovered, although wolves have the jaw capacity to break open a moose bone, which is obviously harder than a coconut, the coconut is too wide to get good leverage with their molars (that teeth closest to the jaw joint). Without the leverage of their temporal muscles, the wolves did nothing more than stare and roll the coconut. Grizzer continues to be more subdued in his testing behavior, but clearly takes his number two role seriously. In his video this week, you will see him standing with Shadow on top of the den watching the activity in the parking lot
This is the first true subzero weather this winter and the wolves are handling the temperatures well, even the 30 below zero evenings. In an effort to ensure that the wolves have enough energy to stay warm, the Exhibit pack had an extra feeding this week, primarily for Malik and Shadow, as Grizzer and Maya have no problems getting their fair share. Usually after a Saturday feeding, the pack has plenty of leftovers and caches, and will often be observed feeding on carcasses through the following Wednesday or Thursday. But, last week’s deer was completely gone by Monday, so the extra feeding was helpful. We also included 2 beaver with the full deer carcass for the feeding this past Saturday. Beaver have a good fat content and are a valuable food in the cold season. We would also like to thank Wendy Watson for her recent donation of 8 straw bales to the wolves. With the snow arriving so early, we have been using an abundance of straw, including the donation from Andi Nelson and Theresa Williams.
The text for all the wolves will be the same. The wolves are enjoying the deer scraps donated by local deer hunters, with scraps arriving daily and wolves feeding opportunities on the increase. This is the time of the year when resources are plentiful at the International Wolf Center. Vermilion Community College student, Nick Budzien, made a trip to the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake Minnesota, where they graciously donated 24 road kill deer to help feed our wolves over the winter. Road kill are much more plentiful in the urban areas in southern Minnesota, than the more remote forested regions of Ely. We do get local road kill, but not in the volume that will sustain the wolves through the winter. The weather is moderately cool, ranging between 20 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit, ideal for both wolves and wolf care staff.
Grizzer continues to be the focus of Maya’s increased dominance. He tolerates it well and he remains subordinate to his littermate. This helps reinforce Shadow’s status and results in a calmer response from Malik. Grizzer may look like a mature adult, but he still displays some juvenile play behaviors. The Exhibit received several inches of snow in the past few days, and Grizzer has been observed pouncing in the fresh snow. When the wolf curator was blowing snow on Sunday, Grizzer was on top of the den, sliding down the hill in the snow. The pack should have been very visible on the webcams on Sunday morning.
This week has been a challenge for Shadow recovering from a knee injury and for Grizzer who has the potential to take over Shadow's dominance. When staff called on Sunday 12/9, reporting that Shadow was limping, the reality of treating a dominant wolf weighed heavy on the minds of the wolf care staff. In an active pack of wolves with a dominance hierarchy, removing the dominant wolf for even the shortest periods of time can result in a pack structure change, not allowing the dominant to return to the pack (similar to a dispersal). It is also common for lower ranking wolves to look for weakness and take the opportunity to push rank. This was our concern with Grizzer as we assessed Shadow's condition, but video this week showed Shadow remaining confident and strong and Grizzer seeming to respect this. Staff on Sunday's (12/16) check observed Grizzer rolling over and submitting to Shadow.
It’s been a quiet week of dominance, Shadow’s knee injury has healed and Grizzer seems to be less testing. Several bouts of chase have been observed with Grizzer and Maya taking turns chasing each other. The arctic’s join in and the social behavior including pack rallies with full tail wags seem to be increasing. Grizzer has been very submissive to staff as well with his video footage showing him in a calm posture, before getting excited at the arrival of the plumber for the wolf lab. Wolf care staff will be in on Christmas day to make sure all continues to go well for the pack.
One thing good about Denali's testing is the Grizzer is more active, which is good for his weight issue. We see Grizzer showing more pair bonding behavior with Maya, rubbing up against her and spending time interacting. Although, Maya can be just as cranky with Grizzer as she is with Denali and Aidan.
The pack dynamics continues to support a clear distinction in rank order. Grizzer is the number two male, and despite a few brief tests of Shadow, he shows submissive ear posture and body posture when Shadow's vocalizations become intense. It is a noisy time of year, driven by a surge in hormones as the wolves reach the height of their breeding season in the next month. Of course, the wolves here are spayed and neutered, but while that may calm some of the behaviors, it does not eliminate the behavioral push for being the strongest, most dominant pack members. In this week's video clip, you will see Shadow defending food from Grizzer, with Grizzer showing a submissive status. Of course, Maya comes in and takes Shadow's deer scraps.
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.