Grizzer has had some good views of the Exhibit Pack. When they are at the top of the enclosure, Grizzer can stand on the den site and see the entire hillside. This is good stimulus for him, and occupies a lot of time. We frequently see him on the webcam as he uses both the straw on the top and inside the den. As I look at the other log postings for December, it appears that I need to get a different pose for Grizzer. Sorry for the duplication in photography, he's just so photogenic when he stands on the den, we can't resist.
Grizzer did the "Grizzer 500" today, which means he raced around the enclosure, jumping over and around wolf care staff as he was stimulated by Aidan and Denali's behavior. There are no words to express the feeling of a 120 lb wolf that jumps over you and narrowly misses your head. The expression on his face is certainly worth the risk. He is doing so well and we certainly see his excitement towards Oscar having a positive influence over his entire attitude. When Oscar came back from a staff overnight, Grizzer did his submissive rollover at the gate.
I hope everyone has a healthy and happy New Year. The wolves are all doing well and are having a calm winter. We have not experienced temperatures in the sub zero range, which usually drives a bit of wolf aggression. We would like to announce that the Pup Care Program Applications are online at www.wolf,org. Select the Programs Tab, click on Educational Programs and you will find the applications under the Seminars title. We are adamant that special training and an understanding of wolf behavior is critical before interacting with wolf pups. This program is only available to individuals who have been previously involved in the pup care program or who have participated in the Planning for Pups prerequisite seminars offered during the summer of 2011 or 2007. Applications will be accepted until February 1st, and teams will be assembled and notified by March 15th.
As the temperatures grew colder, we were mindful of the fact that Grizzer still has an area with limited hair growth on his head. During wolf checks, we check this area for any indication that it is affected by cold weather. His hair is so thick on the rest of his head that his scar is completely covered and shows no signs of heat loss. He had a bit of frost around his face from his breath, but the rest of his body is significantly covered. We had some additional predatory behavior towards the rake, but this is more of a stimulus than a problem. Speaking of stimulus, Grizzer has some great footage submitting to Oscar (always through the fence) on this week's Youtube.
Grizzer had some good positive conditioning earlier this week when he submitted for nearly 20 minutes as the Curator cleaned ice balls from his pads. A recent snowfall and warmer than average weather created the right conditions for ice balls to form between his toes. It takes some time, but if you hold his paw in your hand, the ice melts and the ice ball falls off. The other option is for the wolves to chew them off their paws, a task that is easy for young animals, but not so easy for those older wolves.
Sorry for the delay in the logs, the water and sewer to the lab project starts today and the wolf care staff have been actively working on installing the stabalizing rocks for the pond rip rap project this weekend. The text this week will be the same for all wolves, the Exhibit pack remains calm with wolf care staff doing the brunt of the physical labor in their enclosure. MacKenzie and Lakota are doing great, it's hard to believe they're 14 years old when you see them pounce around the pen. We found 2 dead ravens in the enclosure yesterday, certainly their predatory and territorial defense skills are alive and well. Grizzer's testing seems to have diminished, but we anticipate some anxiety when the construction project and heavy equipment gets underway. The next set of logs will be written by the "Workin' for Wolves" participants and should be on time.
Written by Workin' for Wolves participants Theresa Williams and Darin Groeneveld: This weekend was the Workin' for Wolves program. Grizzer took the activity in the wolf yard very well and seemed relaxed. He still lets the pups climb all over him while Malik still looks for a way to take advantage of his laid back attitude. In this weeks video you see him soliciting assurance from Shadow and in the photo you see Malik walking by looking for an opening to take advantage.
Grizzer has received a few nose bites, likely from Malik, but they could be aggravated by the yearlings, who seem to constantly greet Grizzer by muzzle biting. As we have written in last month's logs, Malik has been testing Grizzer's status and patience ever since the pups were introduced and Grizzer became super docile in all behaviors. Grizzer has won the tests between Malik, but there's still some tension, as you can see by the eye contact in Grizzer's photo this week. Wolf care staff met last week to talk about a management plan if these two don't settle their rank order issues. Based on our observations and interactions with the two, Grizzer isn't pushing any issues, only responding to Malik when Malik starts intensively growling and snapping. But, those behaviors are much calmer than they were this winter. Our hope is that summer will calm this even further, but Malik's comfort level is our greatest concern.
On the afternoon of May 12th, 2009, Grizzer finally made a pro-active attempt to discourage Malik's testing. As we've been writing in the logs since the pup introduction in August, 2008, Grizzer has been unusually calm and passive toward the pups, and this passive behavior included his defense of his second ranking position. The many hours of video taken this winter, showed Malik either fore-leg stabbing Grizzer, growling at him, charging him or just taking advantage of him when the opportunity arose. Grizzer was quite calm about this, only displaying some chases, grabs and following behavior, while Malik had high pitched growls and whines during most interactions. Something changed on the afternoon of the 12th, and Grizzer responded with a heightened aggressive attack of Malik. Wolf Care staff were able to get them separated (Grizzer, Maya and the yearlings went into holding), and assessed the injuries to Malik and Grizzer. A lengthy separation of Malik was a concern, as the pack could view him as a disperser, and not allow him back in. Retiring a wolf alone (as there was no threat to Shadow), would not be a quality life for Malik. So, it was decided to bring the group together, with wolf care staff on site all night on the 12th, and throughout the days following. The reintroduction, and subsequent days have been very calm. Malik has reduced his testing of Grizzer, and has only displayed a fraction of the aggressive threat displays toward Grizzer. Grizzer has not shown any focus on Malik, and still remains calm toward the yearlings. It appears, that the order has been re-established, with Grizzer as second ranking male and Malik accepting his position as third ranking male.
Written by Planning For Pups program participants Sharon Herrell and Kathy Kerns: The What's For Dinner program was being presented by the educators in the auditorium and lasted longer than usual. The wolves were aware of their weekly meal coming in. Grizzer anxiously pawed and jumped at the fence as he awaited the food. When delivery of the food was delayed he, in frustration, began chewing on the log. He would continually look towards the fence to see if the food was coming.
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