For the most part, Malik has had a good winter. This may be due to the fact that, with the addition of Aidan and Denali to the Exhibit Pack, Grizzer’s attention is frequently on the pups when they are biting and grabbing at him and less on Malik. This is not to say that Grizzer is not exerting his dominance over Malik; he still does, as we can see through his body language and behaviors. However, Malik is quick to defend himself with lip curls, growls, and an unexpected nip when Grizzer is occupied with the pups.
Malik continues to have some hair loss, although it's not indicative of a skin condition, meaning there's no redness on the skin at the sign of the hair loss, only a bald patch. We have one more test that requires a urine sample, which is a bit of a challenge to get on an active wolf, but we have a long pole with a container that tries to collect a sample mid-stream. Malik shows no signs of scratching these patches, they just exist. If we rule out any medical issues, then we are left with psychological, which is a bit more challenging to fix. Certainly Grizzer's close proximity to Malik may be causing some internal anxiety, once we get Grizzer some more space out of view of Malik, that may help. Otherwise, we will need to design management activites that provide a different stimulus for Malik. A majority of our wolf care management is psychological and therefore, not an exact science.
The wolf logs are all the same this week due to the obligations to the Ethology class and an 80 degree heat and humidity spell that requires the curator to be spending time keeping the wolves cool. We had a great Ethology course this week, and the staff at the Center learned some great new techniques for managing anxiety, thanks to some tremendous resources among our program participants. The wolves did extremely well, even allowing for small group tours of Grizzer’s enclosure extension on the last night. Grizzer’s ground wire is in place, the next week will focus on burying the ground wire, completing the concrete pads and laying out the den. Our hope is to move him by July 15th. Shadow and Malik have a significant amount of hair remaining, but we continue to hand pluck the hair on a daily basis. Today is extremely warm and humid, so extra sprinkler time and use of the water hose is critical. Enjoy the 4th of July weekend, and be safe. Someone had asked if the wolves panic due to the fireworks noise, and the answer is no, we do some very positive conditioning as pups to fireworks, and they are very accustom to thunderstorms, showing no negative issues with this noise. Wind on the other hand, makes them nervous.
The pack interactions with Malik have been pretty calm lately, right now the tension is Maya and Aidan, which sets Grizzer to follow Malik, but not too much other than that. Even though Malik is the bottom of the rank order at this time, he is still able to get his fair share of food. There have been times when he feeds right with Denali, not an easy task. Malik still has his moments of testing Grizzer, especially if Shadow is actively dominating Grizzer, but that's a wolf. There's always the instinct to be an opportunist, and that is the best way to describe Malik. One note to all wolf log readers, we are experiencing some difficulty with video editing software. The curator has purchased a new computer and an upgrade of software, but it may not be arriving for a few days. Please be patient, we know the importance of the video, and will solve it before the next YouTube is due on September 1st. In the meantime, a podcast is being produced today, discussing the behavioral observations of the summer Ethology and Pups at One Year participants.
In preparation for the transition to the new log format, we will be posting a YouTube video on a weekly basis, rather than the 20 second clips linked in the weekly log posting. This format should give a better appreciation for the tone of the pack, rather than the individual wolf. There may be a 1 – 2 day delay in the YouTube video posting after the wolf log postings. We still don't have a weight on Malik, he's too nervous to stand on the scale and wonder what's behind him. We will likely have to wait until retirement to get him weighed. Malik has been doing well, despite his tendency to try to bite Grizzer when Shadow has Grizzer on the ground. Grizzer may get up and chase Malik, but so far, we haven't observed any focused behavior from Grizzer to Malik. We would like to convince Malik that it's in his best interest to stay as the 3rd ranking male and not try to gain status over Grizzer, but a wolf is going to do what a wolf is going to do. We have a management plan for retirement, and are watching Malik's behavior to see when he no longer wants to be part of the pack, but he gains so much confidence from Shadow, it's apparent that he is part of this pack structure. Our hope is that once the construction and dawn to dusk noise is over that Shadow will relax, making the rest of the pack relax.
Due to the fact that we're a bit short staffed, and it's been a busy weekend with the Alpha Member's/Board Meeting weekend, we will be posting the same log for all wolves. The video this week will be featured on the International Wolf Center's YouTube video channel, and will include a video on the factors we monitor when deciding a wolf needs to be retired, and a feeding program that we did without public viewing. Usually, when we feed, the public is on site with people at the windows. Shadow is a bit shy about feeding in front of people and cameras. On Tuesday night, September 8th, the Vermilion Community College Wolf/Deer Interaction class did a deer dissection, and Curator, Lori Schmidt fed the torso after everyone had left the site. Shadow was the actively feeding the entire time, and was very dominant on the carcass. All wolves are doing well, although this unexpected 80 degree weather in September has been keeping the wolves calm. They have grown in their winter coat, and are adapting to the heat by staying down for most of the day.
As the last YouTube video highlighted, staff are actively looking for signs that Malik wants to be retired out of the pack. At this point, we're not seeing any signs of isolationism, intimidation, tucked tail or harassment directed at Malik. We're seeing Malik take advantage of Grizzer and Grizzer responding, but at this point, Shadow's been so dominant on Grizzer that Malik has been gaining status and is frequently in a high tail. One thing is for sure, if Shadow needs to be retired, Malik will need to go with him, as Shadow is Malik's source of confidence.
You may have noticed that we are experiencing some technical difficulty with the webcams. We hope to have them repaired this week. We appreciate your patience and support for the Ambassador wolves at the Center. The Nanny Application deadline has passed. Now we will begin to coordinate teams and make selections. We plan to have the award letters mailed by February 15th. The wolves are doing well, and have fared the recent cold snap without issues.
Malik is doing well, although he is the barometer of this pack. All wolf care staff need to do is look at Malik, and they can judge a sense of tension in the pack. If Malik holds his tail in a T-3 position, down, but not touching his haunches, and he willingly comes up to the fence to greet, staff can expect the pack to be calm. But, if Malik is weary, and stays to the back of the rocks when staff arrives, that generally means, Grizzer’s caused a bit of anxiety. Earlier this winter there were many days of anxiety, but lately, Malik is right in the mix when Shadow, Grizzer and Maya have a social bout of dominance. In this week’s picture, Malik is showing a T-3.5 tail, meaning that it’s down, but touching his back haunches. This is a sign of a little less confidence or anxiety. If staff concentrates on making Grizzer calm, Malik reaps the benefits. As a reminder, Nanny and Behavioral Observation applications are still being accepted until February 1st. We are willing to accept the application as an email attachment.
Wolves are opportunists, you will hear this statement about wolf predation, taking whatever prey is available and weak at the moment, and we will say this over and over again when referencing social interaction. If a higher ranking wolf looks weaker, a lower ranking wolf will take advantage of it. This is the nature of social rank hierarchies and why we are diligent with the management of Behind the Scenes situations that alter an individual wolf’s status. Malik is doing well, interacting with his pack, and doing what lower ranking wolves do, watch and act when possible. Of course, when Grizzer gets up, he may redirect based on Malik’s actions, but it is all part of the social dynamics of a wolf pack. The Nanny Application deadline has passed, and Assistant Wolf Curator, Donna Prichard and I are meeting to organize teams. We will have the award letters mailed by February, 15th. The Behavioral Observation team has a few positions remaining, so, you will continue to see this program advertised
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