Grizzer is healing well, although we are still seeing weeping from the wound. He does allow close inspection and cleaning of the wound as long as you don't have anything in your hand that resembles a medical supply. This is a challenge; we would certainly like to scrub the wound with cleanser, but the risk of drugging him again, and having to pull him out of the pack even for a short period of time is too great. He has the top ranking status, he has all he can do to manage Denali now, and the medical benefit of cleaning his head is not worth the risk of the procedure, and him losing status. Even if we were able to clean his wound, the smell of the product would probably stimulate scent rolling in the straw after the procedure, and we don't need straw in the wound. Grizzer is very associative with wolf care staff and spends time circling the staff and guarding the staff from Denali.
The pups were given a taste test this morning to determine food preference. They were given the options of ground beef, beaver, venison, and bone dust. The pups showed a strong preference for beaver meat and so staff put a beaver carcass in the pen for the pups to eat. Initially they all took their time in getting down to the carcass. Grizz stayed on the carcass longer than his littermates, but all pups fed on the carcass throughout the course of the day. Grizz decided cool off from the hot day by taking a swim in the pond. While he was swimming he was also chasing his tail and having a good time. Grizz has really taken very well to the pond and he is seen much more frequently in the pond than the other four ambassador wolves. As fall approaches and the Curator goes back to full-time employment at the college, wolf logs will be posted only once a week.
Today was the first time the pups were fed as part of the pack with the Artic wolves. Malik and Shadow started eating first, but when Grizzer exhibited food begging behavior the Artic wolves backed off to let the pups eat. Grizzer chewed on the deer carcass for quite awhile before running off to play.
The Behavioral Team completed the observations today, it appears that the introducion was a success. Of all the pups, Grizzer seems most relaxed in the main exhibit, frequenting the pond and spending time staring at little kids in the window. He did a mimicking head bob to a small boy at the window today. The boy bobbed his head, Grizzer bobbed his head. This went on for only a few seconds, but it was entertaining.
Sorry for the delay in postings, the Curator is back teaching at the college and is getting back into the routine of 2 jobs. The pups are doing very well in the Exhibit pack. While weights have not been taken, their appearance shows definite signs of growth. Grizzer looks like he has the potential to be a big male. His size sometimes affects his ability to climb on or stay on rocks. He was first to loose is pup teeth and has permanent teeth have been erupting over the past week.
I apologize for the delay in posting these logs, I again hope to post once a week, preferably on Mondays. Grizz is growing into a strong healthy puppy. He continues to maintain a very playful personality. Although staff have noticed Grizz's tendency to follow Malik around continually pestering him. At first it just seemed like a social greeting, but in the last few days, Grizzer's added a level of intensity that seems to get Malik nervous. We don't have a weight on any of the pups, but Grizz's height is catching up; maybe Malik realizes Grizz's potential.
The logs seem to have more information about Grizzer than any of the three pups; That's probably because staff realize Grizzer's potential to be a large adult wolf and they want to stay on Grizzer's good side. As reported in earlier logs, Grizzer does seem to focus on Malik or Nyssa when he wants to engage in "play" activity. Although it's up for debate if this is play or just honing in on his skills for dominance. It will be an interesting fall and winter season.
This week's photo is a clear demonstration of the wolves ability to blend in with their backgrounds. Grizzer is still in his full winter coat, and while the grayish coloration of the rock is a bit atypical of some of the Great Plains subspecies, the concept of camoflauge is easy to understand.
Pups were selected at the Game farm today. Staff concentrated on getting the pups to eat. Grizz liked to bury his head in people's hair – suckling. This is how he was first convinced to take a bottle.
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