Malik is doing well, still trying to act dominant with Shadow and still getting chased up the hill by Shadow and Grizzer. Interactions have been much calmer than previously anticipated, most likely due to the warm weather. There is one winter issue that is on the minds of wolf care staff. Shadow seems to take on a much more defensive almost fear based behavior during winter time Behind the Scenes programs, bark howling with a tucked tail. While many program participants have observed this during the summer, he is much more stressed by groups in winter. Staff are very cautious about the impact of these groups on the dynamics of the pack. When Shadow shows this defensive and sometimes fearful posture, Malik immediately responds with a high tail and aggressive move to take advantage of Shadow's vulnerability. We certainly don't want a status change in rank order due to Behind the Scenes groups. Staff monitor Shadow's response closely and make the decision if a group stays or goes.
Malik is still attempting to gain back status anytime he gets an opportunity. It's actually been pretty quiet on the exhibit lately, they must have worked a few things out. Malik still has an issue with dogs on site, whenever the boss's dog is in the lab, Malik becomes a bit obsessed. The territorial response of wolves is one of those behaviors that is hard to stop. In the wild, it's necessary to ensure the pack guards it's resources and offspring.
While the focus most of this winter has been on chasing Malik, there doesn't seem to be any impact on the rank order. It's been a generally calmer winter than last winter as far as wolf dominance. Malik gets plenty of time for rest and relaxation and even starts a few of the chase scenes.
If you read Grizzer's log, you'd know that Shadow had a bit of testing from Grizzer this morning, which caused Malik to approach with high tail looking for a chance to increase status. Shadow puts an end to this test through the use of direct eye contact, and if that fails, a chase begins. In this week's photo, you see Malik with a high tail, with Grizzer inbetween Shadow and Malik; Maya is on the rock offering a paw.
Malik is doing well, there must have been some communication between he and Shadow that results in less dominance towards Malik. Now, Shadow only shows dominance towards Malik when Malik shows aggression towards Maya; then, Shadow intervenes immediately. As I write these logs, I gave a deer hide as a stimulus to the Exhibit Pack. Malik took it immediately from the gate, Maya submissively crawled over and attempted to gain possession. As soon as Malik growled and grabbed Maya, Shadow came running over and Malik left the hide. Maya went running up the hill with her possession. Lori Rhodes visited the Center on November 11th and 12th and contributes this week's photos of the Exhibit Pack.
There isn't much different in Malik's world, even though he doesn't choose to show active submission, he seems to be on the bottom of the male rank order. Chases continue with Shadow taking the lead and Grizzer following close behind. There doesn't seem to be any action when they catch up with him, but Malik sure is nervous to have Shadow behind him. I don't know if Grizzer even realizes he's got status over Malik, probably because the only time Malik respects him is when Shadow is close by. The winter has been extremely calm, even though these ritualized dominance displays can be noisy and quite physical. The behavior is strongly linked to the function of survival in the wild. Packs need to have leaders and the other wolves need to follow or survival is threatened. In captivity, even with plentiful resources, this behavior is very strong.
Malik seems to have toned down his testing of Shadow. This has created a much calmer exhibit and Grizzer seems to respond with more playful behavior and less redirected aggression. Shadow has very subtle ways have making his dominance known.
So sorry for the delay in the wolf logs. Preparation for the Wolf Symposium in Colorado Springs has taken a bit of my time. In addition, protocols and contingency plans during my absence need to be written to ensure that every possible wolf emergency is covered. International Wolf Center members and former nannies, Brian and Ellen Dietz will be driving up from Illinois to spend the weekend at the Center assisting with any pack issues that may arise. I am most grateful for their offer to help keep an eye on the pack. I plan to feed a large deer carcass to both packs on Thursday night prior to my departure. A full wolf is usually a sleepy wolf. Dr Chip Hanson and wolf care staff Matt Fetterer and Jim Ziburski will be monitoring the pack as well.
The males of the Exhibit pack are demonstrating some interesting behaviors. There appears to be a lot of close observations as the the vulnerability of the other males. When there's a chance to display some dominance, they take it. Grizzer takes his turn on Malik and Malik in turn looks for Shadow's weaknesses. During a recent feeding program, Shadow was showing a little intimidation towards the large crowd at the window. He held his body posture low, and appeared a bit submissive with the camera flashes through the window. Malik took the opportunity to actively drive Shadow away from the deer carcass. It appears that Shadow was able to eat later in the evening, as his belly was full and a fair amount of the deer was gone, but staff are very congnitive of the situations that make Shadow vulnerable to a Malik dominance display.
Even though Malik is getting a bit of unexpected attention from Grizzer, it doesn't seem to stop his behavior of instigating a dominance interaction with Shadow. Last week, while staff attempted to treat Shadow for a reoccuring ear mite problem, Malik took a couple of bites at Shadow's rump while he was distracted. This just led to Shadow getting a bit more serious when the ear mite treatment was done, and of course, Grizzer followed Shadow. Attempts to maintain high rank are critical in a wolf pack, even in captivity.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.