In Malik’s video, you will see him using Shadow as a buffer to Grizzer. He is very dependent on Shadow for social interactions and has been observed resting near Shadow on a regular basis. But, as the clip also shows, he is very capable of defending himself with a threat display that even Shadow respects. He’s a unique individual that has a different interaction than the other wolves. It is very critical that the pack remains calm, any tension in the social order and Malik gets redirected aggression from Grizzer. It is also tense when feeding small amounts of food or treats, in the end of the clip, Malik has a rawhide chew that becomes the focus of Grizzer. Unfortunately for Malik, Grizzer eats his treats quickly and moves on to the other wolves. Treats are limited here, and is the one reason why large carcasses are fed to the pack, so all the wolves have a plentiful amount of meat to eat. As a reminder, the Nanny and Behavioral Team applications are on the website under the Programs tab… the deadline is February 1st
Malik’s defensiveness often starts issues with Grizzer, but Grizzer seems to be taking this behavior in stride. One thing you may notice on the Webcams is the addition of rocks in the front of the pond. This incredible amount of work occurred during the “Workin’ for Wolves program. In Malik’s video, you will see the front of the Exhibit was left open, so the wolves can comfortably walk the edge of the pond, although the wolves do like to climb on the rocks as well.
Grizzer intimidates Malik, but he does have a tendency to be the most vocal with growls and chatters towards all members of the pack. While the wolves were in holding, Malik started a fight with Grizzer after Grizzer attempted to pass by him on the fence line. In the video this week, most of the background noise you hear over Shadow and Maya’s howling is Malik’s vocalizations. One thing the wolf care staff watches is the overall attitude of the pack, and especially the omega position. It’s important to see that when there’s not a dominance display that the omega appears to relax and look content in the Exhibit. Malik’s photo was taken after a short 3-minute howling session that included some following behavior and he has a very relaxed, content appearance.
Play behavior and chasing scenes seem to continue as the pups get older. While Lakota generally receives the brunt of the pack chase, on 9/25, Malik was on the receiving end and Lakota appeared to display more intense aggression and was described in the log as being "hard on Malik". Jen Westlund posted a log in the Center office to record the number of chase scenes and who was on the receiving end of the chase as well as Malik/Shadow dominance interactions. This information will be particularly useful as the pups mature and we see them vie for positions in the rank order. Right now, it appears that Malik is on the bottom of the pups dominance interactions more often, but it's usually because he falls over first and chooses to stay on the ground.
Malik is still a bit skittish with me since the immobilization. Any quick movements make him take a few steps out of reach. He may be a bit jumpy since he and Shadow are still posturing to show dominance. In the last few days, Grizzer and Maya seem to be more socially active with Shadow, whereas Malik tends to be more aloof with the pups. Shadow has clearly taken the role in instigating play again.
Malik had a good week, and while it is too cold for the pond, he certainly has other stimulus to occupy his time. The ground has thawed, so caching becomes easier. Managing one wolf usually gives staff a good idea of how a wolf is consuming food, since they are the only one in the enclosure (other than ravens). But, with a wolf that is so efficient at caching, it's hard to determine if he's eating all his food or caching. Staff do have an idea if we get too close to a cache, Malik will still defend his food like a wolf.
Malik has been very active lately, as last week’s logs discussed. This week, when he was photographed, we noticed a bit of an odd stance, and will be monitoring it closely. His back left knee seems to be turned a bit to the side. While this could have been an odd moment caught on camera, Malik does have a history of knee weakness. He’s been on cosequin since he was 2 years old. Staff have not noticed any favoritism toward this knee or inability to run, but will keep observing for any problems. In this week’s video, you see Shadow doing a threat display keeping Malik from the carcass, but Malik returns the display with a growl and hackles. This is why we feed large quantities, so everyone gets their share.
Malik is actively in the middle of the male dominance order, as observed by this week's clip. Sometimes, Grizzer and Shadow are chasing him, sometimes, he's chasing Shadow, but most days, he's growling at Grizzer whenever Grizzer comes near him. While this seems like a lot of strife, it actually helps reduce more serious aggression. Each wolf knows where they stand by the communication of growling, ear postures and tail positions. This type of dominance ususally occurs in the mornings, but later in the day, the wolves are all bedded down. They even share the whole den together, so they are still maintaing a cohesive pack group.
This week's logs were written by Walter Loesberg, a regular visitor to the wolf center from the Netherlands. When wolf care staff arrived today, Malik appeared quite nervous, looking up repeatedly towards the branches of trees surrounding the greeting rock and avoiding eye contact with his packmates, and lots of whining. When Shadow and Grizzer interacted, he approached them with his tail held high, but backing out at the last moment. On Wednesday, November 8th, Malik and Shadow will be turning 6 1/2 years old (born May 8, 2000)… We also know of another birthday on Wednesday, Happy Birthday Eamonn Briem.
There isn't too much to report in retirement, the days are spent resting in the shade and evenings are active according to the security cameras. Malik appears to be the most active, moving from various resting spots throughout the enclosure. He and Shadow do share den spots, but if there's one wolf inside and one on the top, chances are it's Malik on top.
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