Malik has been using the underground den that Shadow dug, but he seems to be able to handle the heat better than Shadow. Even on one of the hottest days, he was laying on the den. We mist the enclosure several hours a day to dampen the soil and give them a cool place to rest. Malik is still a bit too skittish of the scale, so he doesn't have a weight recorded.
Malik has been trying his hardest to posture over Shadow, but Shadow is so good at body language, that it is a fruitless effort for Malik. He has been in a really good mood lately, showing no real anxiety. His favorite wolf care staff comes in tomorrow and we look forward to having some quality time with him. When staff go in, it is usually Shadow that dominates the visit.
The summer is nearing an end, and the cooler weather is a welcome relief for wolves. The logs are all the same today, As I write there is an approaching thunderstorm and I don't have much time. Aidan continues to show relaxed behavior coming in and out of the medical pen. Denali's increased interest in Oscar makes Oscar a bit nervous, but they are getting along well. Grizzer is very relaxed, and when Oscar returns from field trips, he play bows and rolls over at the fence line. Shadow is showing more dominance which is typical of this time of year. Malik is a bit nervous of the change in Shadow, but does respond with the appropriate body postures.
Malik tried to scent roll on some beaver juice (left over scraps that sat in the sun too long), and he found himself in a vulnerable position when Shadow approached. Shadow is quick, observant and always looking for an opportunity to posture. While I didn't get video footage of this, I did observe Shadow and Malik racing under the garden hose when I was spraying the ground during a recent warm day. They looked like pups, running toward the mist, putting their heads down and squinting as they got wet. It is good to know that 11 years old wolves can still act like pups.
Happy President’s Day, Due to the Holiday, all of the logs will be the same posting today: The Nanny selection process has been completed and award letters were mailed on the 15th of February. We are still in the selection process for the Behavioral Observation program, and have extended the deadline until April 15th. We intend to have the Behavioral Observation award letters for those current applicants sent by February 22nd. Please be patient, as this is a very important task. We want to make sure we have a good fit for each crew to have the most positive experience for the pups. One other comment relates to a new face you may be seeing on the Exhibit Pack webcam. After 6 months of training, work with the Retired Pack and an opportunity to gain Shadow’s trust, Don Gossett and Sharee Johnson have been successfully integrated in the Exhibit Pack as a Level I wolf care staff. Shadow was a bit hesitant at first, but has been very responsive to the newest staff members. Being a Level I handler means that they must always be accompanied by a Level III for safety, with a Level 2 for backup. So, when new staff are in the enclosure, you are likely to see 3 or 4 staff. We want to make sure that all staff that will be handling pups are perceived as part of the program by Shadow and Maya. If a staff person is not trusted by Shadow, and they are observed handling the pups, it can create an aggressive situation. This is why we are so stringent on the Nanny program, it is critical to the social dynamics of the wolf yard that all people interacting with the pups respect the adult wolves, especially Shadow. Remember, this pup introduction’s purpose is to maintain a socially cohesive pack.
Life for Malik is mixed with calm moments when the pack is resting and uneasiness when the male rank order gets a bit intense. Staff attempt to keep everything calm in the Exhibit and while the tendency is to favor the lower ranking wolves, greeting Malik first can often cause redirected behavior towards him. The protocol is, greet Shadow first, then Grizzer and when they are calm, approach Malik. It is helpful if the wolf care staff can spread out in the exhibit to reduce the concentration around the greeting rock. Of course, it wasn't too long ago that Malik was the cause of strife for Lakota, so this is all part of the social dynamics of the wolf pack. When the pups arrive, life for Malik will improve significantly, as the calming influence of Prolactin hormone will make things easier. We are still in the process of bringing in Level I handlers to the Exhibit Pack, so Shadow is familiar with all staff that may be around the pups. Things are going well for Don Gossett, but Shadow has been a bit testing of our other Level I handlers. We will probably postpone the other Level I handlers for a month, until these increased hormones subside. I would also like to make a note to the Nannies selected for this year’s pups. We are still juggling teams, and once the teams are set, we will send out a briefing packet to each team member (probably by email), so teams can have some opportunity to converse prior to arrival and possibly offer to carpool to Ely.
At first we were just thinking that Malik’s behavior was nervousness caused by his rank as 3rd ranking adult male, and as the pack calmed, he would calm. Lately, it appears that his behavior is probably more of a personality trait. He wants to be on the fringe with every interaction, and is vocal about everything, and seems to push the tolerance of the other wolves. He makes the choice to get involved; no other wolf seems to target him. We did get an email from someone concerning the arctics, the email asked “were they sick, they seemed to be laying down a lot, and the arctics are fine. It’s just that 60 degrees is warm considering that they haven’t shed their winter coat. Wolves don’t typically shed until late May or June; so warm April and May days will cause the wolves to switch to a crepuscular patter n (dawn and dusk).
Malik continues to have some intense growl response towards Grizzer, but with the warming weather and the peak of the hormonal surge behind us, Grizzer is less intense in responding to Malik's growls. Malik has been displaying some "foreleg stab" behaviors towards Grizzer. When Shadow is dominanting Grizzer and has him on the ground, Malik comes in and stabs at Grizzer with his foreleg. We will try to get this on video for the ethograms, as it is primarily a winter behavior. Malik usually gets a redirected response from Grizzer when Shadow lets him up.
As the lowest ranking male, Malik is not as likely to start social interactions or play bouts, as Grizzer may get excited and focus on him. But, if the other wolves start interactions, he’s sure to be looking for an opportunity to join in. In his video this week, you will start to see higher tail responses in than in previous weeks, a sign that the dominance rank order issues of winter are calming. He’s usually around when Shadow dominates Grizzer, which can cause a bit of tension between Malik and Shadow. This is classic wolf behavior, and certainly these social pack members are very adept at communicating the importance of rank order through facial expressions, ear postures and vocalizations.
Malik did extremely well during the medical exam on May 2, 2008, and fared well when Grizzer re-entered the enclosure. It is critical that any separations be kept to a minimum, as rank order can be affected. The drugs used during the medical exam are fully reversible, which allows the wolves to return to full physical and behavioral function within minutes. The normal procedure after a medical exam allows for the dominant wolf to be reversed first and returned to the enclosure. Then, we often return the lowest ranking wolf, so they are not entering the enclosure with the whole pack already in place. The last to go into the enclosure is the middle ranking wolf, in our case, Grizzer. There is a fine line between holding Grizzer off, and giving Malik time to regain his stability, and Grizzer building frustration because he is in holding, then redirecting to Malik. For us, this was about 5 minutes, when Grizzer was returned; he chased Malik around the pond and over the log, but didn’t follow through with much more. If he would have been held much longer, he would have likely become more frustrated.
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