Grizzer – Ears Pricked and Turned Sideways

In the the Center’s Ethogram (behavioral dictionary), we code body postures to help interpret behaviors. One of the codes is EPTS, which means, Ears Pricked and Turned Sideways.  When the Wolf Care Center construction began, Grizzer showed a lot of anxiety and we decided to help him through the anxious times with a mild sedative, daily food distractions and a good layer of cover hay to find a comfortable place to watch the action.  This combination seems to have worked and while he shows anxiety by pricking his ears sideways, he shows interest in that the ears are still pricked in an alert fashion.  Wolf Care Staff need to be very cognitive of all the subtle details that might express anxiety, especially when socializing pups.

Grizzer- Moving to the East Side

We have some great news!!!  The Wolf Care Center expansion and upgrades will begin within the next few weeks. We are so excited to have this work completed, not only for our new pups arriving later this spring, but also for the potential care it will provide for our aging wolves.  The new building will have a direct connection to the Pack Holding Area, with an access door that allows the wolves to enter the heated (and cooled) space of a building directly from their outdoor enclosure.  We can’t wait to share this with Grizzer, who already spends a fair amount of time staring at the lab door trying to figure out the day to day activities of the Wolf Care Staff.  Due to the excavation work, we will be disconnecting Grizzer’s camera during the construction and Grizzer will be moving solely to the East Side Retired Enclosure.  Don’t worry, we will try to add additional footage of Grizzer and the construction on Youtube.  When the construction is completed, we intend to install a new camera viewing Grizzer’s densite as well as share his experiences accessing the lab.

Grizzer – Hay Beds are here!

We had put straw in the dens for the exhibit pack, and Grizzer a few weeks ago, but we’ve more recently acquired Timothy Hay, which has fewer burrs in it, creating a more comfortable rest for the wolves. This hay was added to the mix in the last few days, and Grizzer seems to be enjoying it. He has his two favorite spots: one on top of his den, and the other under his favorite spruce. These beds provide a warm resting place for the wolves. Though in the wild, wolves do not need these beds due to the insulating snow. In captivity however, snow quickly becomes compact, and loses its insulation value.

Grizzer – Getting ready for winter

Grizzer and the rest of our Ambassador wolves have received their first of many straw bales of the winter. We add straw to the enclosures every winter to ensure that the wolves have a warm place to rest on a cold or damp night. These straw piles tend to be added in the den a few times, as well as their favorite spots in the enclosure. Grizzer quickly padded and shifted his straw piles around to his liking, and has been using his den more than usual with this new bedding layer. This can provide more viewing opportunities on our webcams as well, you can see Grizzer’s den right from our website on our wolf webcam page!

Grizzer – Reverse the Signs of Aging

I know we can’t reverse the signs of aging, but in Grizzer’s case, his improvement in his physical condition has him acting like a middle-aged wolf instead of a wolf entering the “Golden Years” of his life.  It’s hard to believe that earlier this summer we saw Grizzer with no energy, no interest in interactions or on some days,  no interest in taking a daily meatball.  Since his Milk Thistle treatment, nothing gets past Grizzer; He is aware of every action within the wolf yard and every person who enters the lab.  The nice thing is, his response is not negative, just alert.  We are so anxious to see the capital campaign construction begin so Grizzer can expand his world into the wolf lab.  This stimulus will be so helpful in keeping his mind alert as his body ages.

Grizzer – A Front Row Seat

I do want to acknowledge that Grizzer has not been as visible on the webcams lately.  This has less to do with Grizzer’s health and more to do with the pre-construction activity around the pack holding area.  We have retained the services of summer educator, Travis Stoll, to assist with fence, pipe, tree and roof removal in anticipation of the expansion to the wolf lab.  He has been surprisingly tolerant of the activity and is often found resting in the sand near the front of the pack holding area.  We are impressed with the thickness of his winter coat, which is still soft and glossy, a good indication of health at 11 years of age.

Grizzer – Changes in retirement

As we prepare for the expansion of our wolf lab for the 2016 pups and our older animals, we have been removing portions of fences, concrete slabs, and other in-the-way structures. This causes a great amount of noise and potential stresses for Grizzer. Volunteers and seasonal staff have been doing an amazing job at preparing our wolf yard for the construction, and as we have found, as long as we ignore Grizzer, he does fairly well with the commotion.

Grizzer – Where Art Thou?

With only one wolf in retirement and having three enclosures to roam, we have noticed an increased amount of vegetation throughout the retired enclosures.  There are times that staff need to search for Grizzer.  Sometimes, he’s in the East Side Enclosure under a dense cover of Elderberry shrubs escaping the heat of the day.  One staff person even witnessed him sleeping on his back with his legs up in the air, certainly a picture of relaxation.  One thing Grizzer does well is relax.  Especially with the wolf care staff giving him their full and undivided attention.  When the pups come next year, the Pack Holding area near the wolf yard will be dedicated to pups, leaving Grizzer to roam his back habitat and the East Side Retirement enclosure.  I suspect he will not be pleased with that management decision.

Grizzer – High Wolf Yard Traffic

Grizzer did remarkably well for having so much traffic in the wolf yard and wolf lab during our Wolf Ethology program. While no observations were conducted on Grizzer, to ease his stress of new people in the yard, he remained engaging with staff, and seemed to enjoy his time with wolf care over the weekend. Grizzer has finished shedding out his winter coat, just in time for him to start growing it again. In the coming weeks, we imagine we will begin to see some of that thicker coat coming in again for all of our wolves. We are already beginning to see the smallest of hints of the coming cold, and we know that soon enough we will be in the full swing of autumn.

Grizzer – Back to the top

Wolf care staff are pleased to announce that Grizzer has returned to his normal weight and social activity. We are seeing more restful sleeping patterns, as well as much more social greeting with staff when conducting wolf care. As you can see in this week’s photo, we have been frequently weighing Grizzer to get a sense of and loss/gain of weight as we treated him with new medications. We are extraordinarily thankful to all of those who have supported us in the care of our retirees at the International Wolf Center.