Grizzer – Sled Dogs

This time of year sled dogs are commonly fed and let out to use some energy across the street from the International Wolf Center. It’s always interesting to see how the wolves react to all of the activity. As you can see in this week’s photo, Grizzer is very alert to the activity across the way.

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Grizzer – A Year in Review

Grizzer started the Year 2014 in the middle of two packs, the Retired Pack and the Exhibit Pack.  The Retired Pack stimulated most of the howling and kept Grizzer stimulated to rally with high pitched chatter that was unique to his personality.  Grizzer howled the low toned howls with Shadow after Malik passed away, and joined the silence of the Exhibit Pack as Shadow, the true pack leader passed away in July.  It has been a year of transitions for Grizzer.  In late July, he transitioned into a 3-enclosure design, using the pack holding area, the pine habitat and the east side enclosure (formerly Shadow and Malik’s area).  This freedom to roam throughout three enclosures has increased Grizzer’s stimulus and has made him more active.  We have also incorporated more staff into Grizzer’s enclosures, increasing his opportunity for social contact.  We are also in the design stages for an expansion to the wolf lab that will allow direct access from and indoor kennel to the Pack Holding area.  This will be used by the 2016 pups, but as Grizzer ages, he can also use this design to get some relief from cold nights.  We have a good start on funding this project and hope to have some building designs available soon.

Grizzer – Exciting Visits

Grizzer has been very excitable in his greetings recently. Some wolf care staff are only able to visit him on a monthly basis, but when they do return he seems to take great joy in seeing them again. We’ve seen many more Grizzer 500’s as of late, and we’ve been greeted many times with Grizzer rolling to his back and soliciting scratches. Overall, Grizzer appears to be in a great mood.

Grizzer – Winding Down

After all the commotion in the past few weeks, some rest has done Grizzer well, and he appears to be back to his old self. Most of his time has been spent resting under his favorite pine and on top of the east side den. A special thank you to Steven Houglum for the donation of shore hay, as Grizzer has certainly benefitted from a warm bed on his den!

 

Grizzer – Lots of Visitors

We’ve had a lot of animal activity outside of the enclosures recently. Earlier this week, a volunteer who had stayed overnight at the center woke to Grizzer bark-howling. This is often a territorial response, a severe warning to another that they need to back off. We do know that there is a wolf that has frequented the exterior of the enclosure, but we were unable to do a perimeter check before the snow had covered any potential tracks.

Grizzer – Big Turkey Days

 Recently we’ve given Grizzer a few fawns during our What’s For Dinner programs, even a few adult does as well. This morning during wolf care we realized that he had consumed an entire fawn overnight, upwards of 25lbs. He demonstrates the wolf’s feast or famine diet very well with a meal like that, and due to a full stomach, he’s been spending a good lot of time under his favorite tree.

Grizzer – Rolling in the Deep Hay

Every winter we place hay inside of our enclosures to ensure a warm place to rest for the wolves. We also try to put these beds in open areas that receive sun, and guests may be able to view the wolves from our observation area. For Grizzer, this means on top of the East Side den, and to that Grizzer appears to have no complaints.

Grizzer – When the Pack Visits

There are several times when we need to isolate the pack from the Exhibit and utilize the front of Grizzer’s Pack Holding Area to house the pack.  Of course, Grizzer is locked in the East side before that happens, but when he returns, he has plenty to sniff. 

Grizzer – What’s Beyond those Trees

One disadvantage Grizzer has is the fact that he doesn’t have a pack to to rally with when he’s a bit intimidated.  We have had a wild wolf around the parking lot and tracks have been viewed around the enclosure.   There are times, when the surveillance camera shows the reaction of the pack with a high step as they race to the back of the enclosure.  The Exhibit Pack takes on the challenge as a group displaying the fight response and while they still may be intimidated with tucked tails, they are dealing with it as a group.   Grizzer may be more reserved and take a more passive side to the wild wolves or human strangers that are in the yard and he may display the flight response.    If wolf care staff are with him, he’s more confident, and may even display his tail in the air, ready to take on anything.  When wolf care are not in the enclosure, he generally comes up to the yard and rests close to the building.  As the daylight shortens as we approach the solstice, we need to be mindful that things go spook in the night even for captive wolves.

Grizzer – Life from the East Side

Grizzer seems to enjoy the access to the three enclosures.  His photo this week shows him resting on the den in the “East Side” enclosure, formerly known as the Retirement enclosure.  Grizzer, who will be eleven years old next spring, acts a bit more active than the average retiree, hence the name change to the enclosure.  On this week’s Youtube, I featured a video clip that shows Grizzer pawing and rolling a piece of birch bark, then going into a full race around the enclosure.  His stimuli, a group of neighbors with a high energy level (Luna).  He certainly seems to partake in the Exhibit Pack chase scenes even if there is a fenceline between them.