Grizzer – Ease off on the People

While we are managing Luna to have a significant amount of contact and visits, Grizzer’s ear posture reminds us that not every wolf likes a change and stimuli around their enclosure.  Grizzer is showing an Ears Pricked and Turned Back ear posture which means he’s alert, but a bit intimidated by the activity around Luna.  We always need to be cognitive of each individual wolf’s needs.  Grizzer likes interacting with wolf care staff, it just has to be his guest list.  We started a new student worker, Justin, from Vermilion Community College to help with facilities, food acquisition and overall wolf care management.  Student’s don’t go into the enclosures with adult wolves, but their presence next to the fence requires that the wolves are familiar with them.  During Justin’s visits to the Wolf Care Center, Luna will frequently fall asleep next to the fence line, but Grizzer’s a bit more reserved.  It will take time before Grizzer opens up to Justin.  Calm, quiet visits next to the fence will go a long way to building trust. At 12 years of age, Grizzer deserves his space and comforts and we always want to monitor the impacts of activity around his enclosure.

Grizzer – Up to Weight!

Wolf care staff are happy to announce that Grizzer has gained back all of his weight from the initial weight loss during last winter, likely due to the constant activity and calorie burn associated with the construction of the Wolf Care Center. Not only did Grizzer benefit from pup leftovers this summer, but staff continue to provide a varied diet and a calm relaxing habitat to keep the calorie consumption high and the burn-off low.  At this age, we are happy with his prime weight of 123 pounds.  Grizzer is aware of Luna’s new location, but does not show any anxiety or increased activity based on her presence.   These two have never met before, as Grizzer was retired before Luna and Boltz were born, but there appears to be no stress from either wolf due to the others presence.  I know many have asked if Luna and Grizzer are compatible and at this point, we want to focus on Luna, her physical assessment and if there have been changes to her bone structure.  I also need to be mindful of Grizzer’s age and the impact of a younger, more agile packmember can have on a retiree.  You may recall Grizzer was in a reverse situation in 2014, when we tried to integrate him with Shadow, but Grizzer’s increased activity and active food defense was a bit too much for Shadow at the age of 14.  They were much more compatible sharing a fence-line than having physical interactions. .

Grizzer with his summer pelage

It took a while, but Grizzer finally shed his winter coat and is showing the sleek posture of a summer pelage.  Note what appears to be an oversized head compared to the winter photo of a complimentary neck of hair.  I was recently asked if Grizzer will have some anxiety with the pups moving into the Exhibit Pack.  Certainly, Grizzer has been communicating with the pups through whining, howling, visual contact and getting the benefit of pup leftovers.  But, Grizzer’s most stimulating activity is spending time in the pack holding area and the sooner the pups go into the Exhibit, the sooner Grizzer’s life will return to normal.

Grizzer – Back on Track

Since the last log, Grizzer has put on 10 pounds, is active in some very dense vegetation and has several holes and sand piles for relief from the flies and the heat.  He has nearly completed the shedding of his undercoat with the exception of his neck hair.  There are no other indications of any issues and our summer is definitely been tolerable.  We are fortunate to have temperatures that range from low to mid 70’s with overnight lows near the 50’s and sometimes even lower.  For older wolves who need their rest, these moderate temperatures are definitely a benefit.

Grizzer- Food Varieties

Grizzer has had some significant grooming to remove most of his undercoat.  He has the benefit of some dense vegetation in the East Side Retirement enclosure and a new level of shade cast by the Wolf Care Center.  Grizzer is not selective on his diet and easily consumes 3 – 5 lbs of meat a day, while still receiving a Saturday deer leg or beaver and the left over pup gruel and formula.   We vary the offering to keep him stimulated between chicken, beef, beaver, venison and even a bit of bison.  We will get another weight on Friday to see if we are making some headway on his weight gain, but at this point, Grizzer enjoys all the varieties and all the attention during a summer of pups.

Grizzer- Hair Galore

Grizzer has been losing his dense undercoat in large sheets of hair.  We often call this “blowing his coat”.  Wolves typically don’t shed all year like a dog, they shed for about a 2 week period, losing all of their undercoat at once.  They keep their permanent guard hairs, and will look sleek and thin until early August, when their undercoat begins the process to regrow. For a 12-year old wolf, Grizzer has a tremendous coat that is still soft and glossy.  Grizzer is very alert and attentive to the fact that he is one door away from the newest pack members.  Even after the pups move to the Pack Holding Area and Grizzer moves to the East side habitat, he will still be able to see the action, but it will be away from the watchful eyes of the Exhibit Pack.  WE weighed all the adult wolves today.  Grizzer is down to 106 lbs, a weight loss of approximately 20 lbs. that will prompt us to do some additional changes to his diet.  We will also draw some more blood to check for any underlying health conditions.  We had a similar situation last winter, and managed to regain his weight over the summer.  We are extremely grateful for new Wolf Care Center, we know at this age, that having access to a warm space indoors will be critical in managing our aging retiree.  Grizzer remains in great spirits, and welcomes to extra meals and extra attention of 24-hour a day wolf care staff.

Grizzer – Enjoying Staff Time

Grizzer gets a full check of teeth, gums, eyes, ears, tick check and gets the benefit of wolf care grooming.  He seems to enjoy it.  We commented on a previous Youtube that Grizzer would be moved to the “East Side” retirement area while the pups use the “Pack Holding Area”, but I should have qualified that statement.  The pups will not be ready for the “Pack Holding Area” until the end of June, so Grizzer has some time to be sharing the pup experience with a direct view of the pups as they leave the Wolf Care Center for programs.  We will continue to give Grizzer much greater access to the pups than any other retired wolves have had.  During the Working for Wolves program, we did some enclosure work so Grizzer can continue to use the “Back Habitat” in addition to the “East Side”retired enclosure once the pups move into the “Pack Holding Area”.  As he travels from one space to the other, he will share a fence-line with the pups out of the watchful eye of the Exhibit Pack.  Grizzer is the first Retired wolf to have face to face contact with the pups, and he does have contact.  Every evening, when the hectic daytime exhibit quiets, he spends time whining and howling to the pups who are separated by a small vestibule and a large guillotine door.

Grizzer – Vegetative Cover

Since the pups are too young to spend any significant time outdoors, Grizzer continues to use the “Pack Holding Area” adjacent to the “Wolf Care Center” and the pups nursery.  One of the pups let out a howl and Grizzer immediately answered.  This has been good for Grizzer who’s normally quite shy with a lot of strangers in the wolf yard, but the spring growing season has provided a good vegetative cover giving Grizzer a great vantage point to watch the pups as they settle into the routine of daily programs.

Grizzer – Ready for his Return

We have a tentative April 6th deadline for the contractors to finish their construction of the new “Wolf Care Center”.  We will then be able to reconstruct fences and allow Grizzer back in the pack holding area where he can watch the activity in the lab.  He is ready to return; Each night I work at the Center, I hear Grizzer display low-throated howls and he often doesn’t subside until I spend time at the enclosure.  Sometimes the pack responds, but more often, it’s just Grizzer.  After the Working for Wolves program (April 15 – 17th), we should have his enclosure ready for his return.  Then, he can hang out in the “Wolf Care Center” kennel while I write his logs.

Grizzer – Anticipation

The addition of the new Wolf Care Center adjacent to the wolf lab will be a tremendous benefit for the pups as well as for our retirees, but for Grizzer, the anticipation for a return to normalcy is getting to be too much.  When wolf care staff enter the east side vestibule, he looks for opportunities to check out the construction personally by slipping through a gate.  Of course, we are not ready for his return, but hope to have him back in the action by the end of March.  One good thing about his impatient behavior is that he is reminding wolf care staff  about the importance of gate protocol.  That reminder is a necessity when socializing young pups.