In this week’s photo, you will see Malik doing a threat display to Grizzer. Maya intently watches, and only gets involved if the excitement level escalates. This was a short, but noisy dominance ritual, that was likely caused by some anxiety over holding pen use and a large truck in the wolf yard that delivered rocks. Initially, we thought Grizzer started this dominance, but as we go through the photos, it appears that Malik went after Shadow, with Grizzer on Shadow, then switching to Malik. There was one bite wound behind Malik’s shoulder and on Grizzer’s muzzle. As a precaution and because Malik is nearing 8 years old, he was started on anti-biotic. The wolf care staff is very aware of the negative influence of activity in the wolf yard, and is doing a significant amount of planning to reduce the stress as much as possible, yet be able to get the necessary work done.
Malik’s had a good week; the straw bales added to the enclosure are a real comfort to these middle-aged wolves. As the temperatures dipped to 22 below zero Fahrenheit, the wolves in the wild may be bedding down in fresh fallen snow, in captivity, were the snow may become compacted; they depend upon the insulating effect of new straw. We would like to thank members Andi Nelson and Teresa Williams for their recent donation of 30 straw bales, it is critical to the quality care the wolves deserve.
Malik has been expressing more anxiety since Shadow was injured. Shadow and Malik share a strong bond, and certainly Malik can identify when Shadow is vulnerable. In previous years, Malik might have taken advantage of Shadow to gain some status, but with Grizzer in the # 2 roll, Shadow's vulnerability could make Grizzer higher ranking, and that makes Malik nervous. Fortunately for Malik, Shadow has been very diligent in maintaining rank.
Malik benefited greatly from the extra feeding last week. Staff commented on Malik’s movement and had concerns that he was not dealing with the cold as well as the others. Malik has always been a more trim body frame than Shadow, and because of this, he is a bit more fragile. Staff also noticed white scat in the exhibit on Monday. White scat is an example of scat that doesn’t have much meat in the system, which is unusual to see so close to feedings. Feeding Malik requires locking Grizzer into holding, giving Shadow and Maya (these two don’t go into holding anymore) something as a distraction. It worked well, but staff must always remember to provide Grizzer with a distraction when he comes out so he doesn’t redirect.
With the exception of Malik, almost all the wolves have completed the summer shedding of their thick undercoat. Malik has been the last wolf to shed and has recently started "blowing his coat" This means that the thick undercoat that keeps wolves warm in the winter is starting to come out. He has big tufts of white, downy undercoat hanging from him that get sloughed off by low-lying brush and/or trees. Wolf care staff attempt to help the shedding process by brushing him, but due to his anxiety level and nervousness when Grizzer is near, this can be a difficult task. We take full advantage of brushing time, on days when he is more relaxed and social with wolf care staff.
Written by Leslie Brown, Ray and Deb Wells: Although there is still occasional tension with Grizzer, Malik continues to be a cohesive pack member. The picture this week shows a relaxed and alert Malik observing the pack from a distance. He has recently been cautious and reluctant about entering the holding pen, and was too nervous to get weighed this week. Wolf care staff will continue to work with him on these issues over the coming weeks.
Malik is interacting well, but there are moments when he continues to test Grizzer, and this is probably causing the tension for Grizzer. Staff are carefully monitoring his interactions to ensure that he still feels comfortable in the pack. Malik is still getting his fair share of feed, and was observed eating on a beaver carcass with Denali. He finally let staff brush his undercoat, and is nearly complete in summer shed. Malik remains too intimidated to stand on the scale.
Many people ask about Malik's future. Certainly the dominance fight between Grizzer and Malik was very concerning for staff, but we know from experience that a wolf must by psychologically ready to be pulled from the pack. In order to judge this, we watch for a wolf's cohesiveness with the pack. Are they interacting or isolating themselves, do they join in on the pack rallies, such as howling, jaw sparring, chasing etc. In this week's video clip, you see Malik interacting, and even displaying a T-1 tail posture high over his back. This is a good sign that he's confident and a member of the pack. When we start to see a T-4 or tucked tail response, fear avoidance and isolation behavior, we will be more inclined to pull him from the pack. So far, he's doing well as the 3rd ranking male. Of course, this winter there will be 2 yearlings maturing and joining the rank order, so we will have to monitor this closely.
Malik is doing very well, and showing some high tail responses when the pack rallies. He is still a bit testing of Grizzer, but when Grizzer does chase, Malik displays the right body postures. A recent visit the Retired Enclosure showed strong interest in the new den by both Shadow and Malik. Grizzer is still a bit concerned about the den, but he has a few years before retirement. We are very watchful of Malik's situation, and will be keying into T-4 tail postures, his ability to feed on the carcass (of course, when Denali is satiated…), his willingness to participate in howling bouts and his sleeping associations. As of this posting, he is very much a part of the pack, and wants to be in the mix.
Malik and Grizzer had a scuffle last Sunday that resulted in a puncture wound to the back of Malik's thigh,and a week of antibiotics. After further investigation, it was believed to be triggered by a dog that was tied to the kiosk in the front of the building that had a high pitch bark for over 5 minutes before one of the staff discovered it, located the owners in the building and brought the dog into the office area. When there's tension in the rank order, it doesn't take much to trigger redirection, a barking dog creates tension. Malik is still interacting with the pack well, even though he and Grizzer have their moments. We are closely monitoring this, and as soon as Malik seems too stressed, he will retire. But at this time, he shows posture of high tail, stays with the group, and howls with the pack, all good signs.
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