Malik has been taking advantage of the packs calm personality to get some full feedings. The pack has been eating the deer, beaver etc. within days, versus previous summers, when food was often left in the enclosure and the wolf care staff needed to dispose of some fly ridden food. The influence of prolactin and the activity of watching pups must have stimulated the appetite.
Malik has been taking advantage of the calmer version of Grizzer on prolactin. He has been observed doing many stand-overs, growling at Grizzer while he rolls over and being very defensive with food. Of course, the fall increase in hormones will likely change that, but for now, Malik is walking tall with a high tail and a full belly.
Malik had his fill at the feeding program, then came over to the fence and regurgitated for the pups on three separate occasions. He proceeded to guard the pile from Grizzer by growling, and the pups anxiously pawed at the fence. They would have eaten the whole pile if they had a chance to get to it. Malik is showing more submissive whining at the pups in the past week.
Written by Working for Wolves participants Theresa Williams and Darin Groeneveld: Working for Wolves participants worked primarily on improving and installing privacy fencing around the retirement enclosure. Malik did quite a bit of pacing to keep track of everyone around his enclosure. When staff arrived Sunday morning, he was relaxed and sleeping on top of his den. Staff removed straw and added cedar chips in his den boxes and cleaned and filled his pond.
Malik showed a bit of anxiety with the work projects that were completed on his enclosure last weekend, but as the Youtube video shows, the stress was worth it. He is finding great comfort in having a wood privacy fence on the back side of his enclosure, and we are so grateful to the people who participated in the Working for Wolves program that tolerated the lack of squareness on the fence, the fumes of the paint and stain, and the marginal toolbox to get this job done. We thank you on Malik's behalf. We spent several thousand dollars on Malik's project, and as a non-profit, we don't have an unlimited supply of resources, but our wolves care is a priority. As part of our 25 year anniversary celebration, we set a goal of 2500 new members, if you're reading this and are not a member, consider joining this year. The wolves appreciate your support.
In the ethogram, there is a behavioral category for grin. Malik's photo this week is the true definition of this behavior. A grin appears on a wolf that is very content about a particular situation, either socially, or food related. In Malik's case, he had a great wolf check with his favorite staff. On YouTube, you will see a clip of Malik encountering a woodchuck on the back side of the enclosure. The woodchuck was actively hissing and growling at Malik through the fence. Malik was very cautious of the woodchuck, then as he was getting hissed at by the woodchuck, a fly landed on him, making him even more nervous.
It's been a very uneventful week for Malik, although he has been stimulated by the wolf care staff making measurements and getting the supplies ready for the Working for Wolves weekend. I think the improvements to his enclosure will be very beneficial, even though he may be a bit overwhelmed by all the help. He's much more accustomed to a small amount of wolf care staff or Vermilion Community College volunteers. Malik and Shadow turn 10 years of age on May 8th.
The Exhibit Pack does receive some enclosure enrichment activities to encourage them to be in view during the warmest parts of the day. The most common enrichment is the use of ice cubes in the pond, not only will it stimulate activity, but it encourages the wolves to swim in the pond an cool off. Even though Malik is not on display, and he has the right to sleep the whole day away if he wishes, he still enjoys some enclosure enrichment. This week's YouTube video shows an enrichment for both packs.
Malik is really doing well, and the Retired Enclosure has had so many improvements in the last two years, it is really a relaxing environment for older wolves. We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to John Virr for making these improvements a reality. If it's a sunny day, Malik is most likely located in the tall pines, unfortunately, out of webcam range, but in a comfortable location for a wolf.
It's the start of the 25th anniversary celebration weekend, and the Youtube Posting will be delayed until Monday to show some of the weekend events. Malik has had a busy week. While staff cleaned his pond, he managed to grab the garden hose and make a run with about 30 feet of hose, breaking off 2 newly planted trees. Then, after the hose was secured, he managed to steal the curator's water bottle. These possession issues seem to be more common with single animals, Lakota did the same thing in retirement. It may just be that social nature of wolves inviting chase behavior. Regardless, Malik was very active, in high tail and showing confident ear postures.
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