Last Thursday's wolf check was interesting for Jen Westlund and I, not only in the retired enclosure (check Lakota's log), but also in the Exhibit pack. Jen generally gets along better with Malik, and I get along better with Shadow. When Jen comes in and Malik gets a lot of attention, he displays many more dominant postures and tests towards Shadow. It is important to note the influence handlers have on the individual wolf dynamics as well as the impact of Behind the Scenes tours. If one wolf is more comfortable than another, it may be the confidence they need to take on another wolf. Staff need to be watchful of this influence and adjust accordingly.
Nancy Gibson writes: The wolf pups have new names and weights. Shadow, the red-collared pup, finally caught up to his brother, Malik, the blue-collared one with his weight. Both of them weigh 9.15 pounds according to the scale on June 15. That is a three pound weight gain in one week! The addition of solid food contributed to their accelerated weight gain. They are also 27 inches long from the tip of the tail to the nose. Their adult premolar tooth also has emerged. This development is several weeks ahead of a domestic dog such as a labrador retriever. They now have 28 sharp teeth in their mouth. Malik and Shadow are howling more regularly in response to handlers that is accompanied by a series of loud whines. The pups have also started to take notice of the fluttering of birds and scampering squirrels near their outdoor enclosure. Malik continues to be the more adventurous pup with further explorations while Shadow tends to watch his brother near a secure spot.
Malik was eating a cricket and while chewing on it, Maya displayed food begging behavior. Not one of Malik's favorite things, but we was tolerant with Maya. Anyway he didn't share any part of his cricket!
Malik (blue collared wolf) and Shadow (red collared wolf) are six weeks old on June 19 and are beginning to look and act more wolf-like each day. Their heads are quite large in proportion to their body to house all of their senses needed for survival. Eyesight, hearing and smelling have increased dramatically and they are perceiving their surroundings better by faster reactions. They will show fear by running together into a corner and huddling close to each other and they will also more readily show excitement when familiar handlers approach. Malik is close to giving up nursing and typically sucks the first half of the formula then laps the rest. Shadow continues to show more interest in food by eagerly nursing and eating at every opportunity. His weight reflects his diet as he now surpassed his brother's weight at 11.11 pounds. Malik weighs 11.6 pounds. They love being outdoors chasing bugs and digging in the dirt to seek cool spots.
Nancy Gibson writes: The pups had their bi-weekly weigh-in on June 22 and Shadow (red collared wolf) continues to gain on his brother with 12.2 pounds. Malik (blue collared pup) only gained an ounce at 11.7 pounds. The pups are much more active now so their weight gain will not be as rapid as it has been. Both of the pups gave up nursing from the bottle yesterday, but they will continue to be fed the formula in a bowl for a couple of more weeks in addition to their solid food. The wolf pups did quite well at their first public appearances and howled in response to the children's howling contest. They are beginning to feel comfortable sleeping outside for short periods of time in preparation for their journey to the International Wolf Center where they will be housed outside permanently. Their feet are getting quite large in addition to their long legs.
Meds to all; fed artics two deer legs for "What's for Dinner" program. Shadow and Malik took off with the deer legs up the hill and out of sight for the program. This is why we like to feed a deer torso or beaver rather than a small leg…
Malik is taking many opportunities to test Shadow's dominance. Even though the arctics are neutered, it doesn't completely eliminate the hormonal cylce that goes on during this time of the year. So far, the dominance displays between the arctics have been noisy, but have not resulted in any bite wounds. Malik and Shadow spend many hours posturing and showing each other just how high a tail posture can go.
Sorry for the lapse in logs, I was at 2 professional conferences in the last two weeks; Wolf Care staff took great care of the wolves in my absence. As a distraction, I fed a bison hide to the Exibit pack before I left. The wolves were very intrigued by the hide. Malik made several attempts to possess the hide, but the large size of the hide was a bit difficult to possess. Malik and Shadow continue to display dominance towards each other. Shadow appears to be maintaining the top status, but Malik doesn't give up easily. Malik and Shadow do a lot of posturing, are noisy, but haven't inflicted any bite wounds on each other. They do tend to get the whole pack excited when they start a display.
Malik jumps from behind and grabs Jen Westlund's hair. Mackenzie is very aggressive with Shadow. In response, Shadow bares his teeth and growls in Mackenzie's face. Later Shadow is seen with tucked tail, avoiding Mackenzie.
Staff have really noticed a change in Malik's behavior. Shadow was clearly more dominant in all of his previous interactions until recently when Malik was observed being more aggressive in his response to Shadow and in some cases, instigating an intense dominance display. Shadow still seems to be the arctic in charge, but Malik still thinks he deserves a shot running this pack.
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.