Karen Pajari spent 3 days observing the pack after Malik’s retirement and provided the following observations. The tension in the Exhibit pack is much calmer, but Maya continues to be aware of Aidan’s location at all times, occasionally stalking him and chasing him, although the chasing was at a lower level than prior to Malik’s retirement. She joined in every episode of howling, and showed interest in the fence line toward Malik with the other pack mates. It does appear that Maya is showing more dominance to Denali, but this is usually not initiated by Maya, but more in response to Denali’s behavior. This month’s Podcast will review the USDA incident report concerning the aggressive incident that prompted Malik’s retirement and the subsequent management challenges
Maya has been showing some strong pair bonding behavior with Shadow, rolling in the snow with him, and generally sleeping closeby. Staff have observed some minor incidents of pairbonding between Maya and Aidan, which could explain why Aidan's so much calmer this week. Maya clearly is a dominant pack leader, and her scent marking as well as interaction with all pack members is always interesting to observe.
The logs will all be the same this week due to some other obligations of the Curator. Malik has adjusted well to the new privacy fence erected on the fence line facing the Exhibit Pack. He still has an area to view the pack between the fences at the main entrance gate, but by having the 100 foot wall protected, it gives him more security. There was a lot of debate about the wood privacy fence among staff. We weren’t certain that he would have more anxiety if he could hear the pack, but not see them. We also had to determine if his anxiety was about getting back in with the pack, rather than not being the focus of the pack. If he wanted to get back in with them, he would likely become more excited at the lack of visual connection. If he was insecure about them seeing him, and wanted to be protected from them, then he would likely relax. The fact that he was sleeping comfortably in his den within 15 minutes of the fence completion is probably indicative of an attitude that he wanted protection from the pack. He is very relaxed, and as I write this (we have a security camera on him so he is always visible in the lab), he is very relaxed, watching ravens on his food caches. Many people have asked when we will put a webcam on his enclosure, at this time, we don’t want to make any changes to his environment, and want to give him time to adjust. The webcam boxes are large and bulky, necessary to keep the cameras heated in winter, but a bit intrusive for a wolf that is getting used to his life and enclosure. He will be filmed for the weekly YouTube video, and when he is ready, there will be a camera. The main pack is very calm, Maya and Aidan still have some issues, actually, Maya is just dominant, she has no issue. Shadow is extremely social with all pack members, and Denali likes to wrestle, eat and foreleg stab at things. Grizzer is extremely calm, and the removal of the stress between he and Malik has done wonders for him, and the pack tension overall.
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. Maya has really put on the weight this fall, we are still feeding twice a week as a distraction from the noise, and it definitely shows on the wolves weight. Maya's dominance is probably tied to Shadow's anxiety, and we hope it subsides after October. The roof construction should be done and we go to winter hours, of Friday and Saturday hours of operation after October 1st. This gives Sunday's to be a day with only wolf care staff on site, with the entrance gate locked.
This week’s logs are written by “Workin’ for Wolves program participants Kim Wheeler, Theresa Williams and Ann Briem Maya seemed relaxed during the Workin’ for Wolves weekend, staying in the woods or laying on the hilltop watching. However, she displayed a fear response to entering the holding area at feeding time Saturday evening. While this has been an issue over the last couple of weeks, the work done within the holding pen may have been a contributing factor. This week’s video shows Maya gnawing on bones from a deer carcass. As you watch the video, notice the strength in her jaws as she crunches through bone. At this week’s “What’s for Dinner program, Maya cached food rather than eating immediately. This morning during wolf care Maya waited to be approached rather than approaching wolf care staff. Of the four wolves in the pack, she seeks human interaction the least. Maya had possession of a bone from last night’s feeding, carrying it around the enclosure. When Maya laid the bone down, Grizzer picked it up. Maya confronted Grizzer, took the bone and gave it to Shadow; an action indicative of her social tie to Shadow. The “Workin’ for Wolves volunteers here both last October and this October found that Maya’s body structure has filled out considerably during that time.
Maya has been alert to whatever the activity is at the back of the exhibit. (See Shadow's log.) She was very eager to check out (and mark) the cedar chips the wolf care staff put down to help discourage the flies.
Maya is keeping the pups in line, but at times, she is finding that to be a challenge. Aidan has mastered the threat display and snapping behavior, and Denali has taken to giving her direct eye contact. When moments are tense, she does assert herself well, but with Shadow remaining calm, the situations rarely escalate. Maya is even comfortable enough to do some rolling in the fresh snowfall, with the pups watching and interacting intently.
Maya has calmed considerably and her video shows that she is more likely to jump out of the way of the male rank order than participate in it. We haven't had nearly as many dominance interactions between Maya and Aidan, it is typical that hormonal surges cycle. Maya continues to show bonding behavior towards Shadow and wolf care are attempting to film some of the parallel walking or gating that goes on between this dominant pair.
The wolves did well with the recent cold snap last week. Wolf care faced temperatures of – 39 below on 2 mornings, – 32 below on one morning and a warm spell of – 26 below and Friday's balmy – 16 below… The wolf care staff are here 7 days a week, 365 days a year to ensure that the wolves have the best care possible. Maya has really taken to one of our new level I handlers, Tara Johnson. It is always good to see a wolf excited about the wolf care staff, and Maya was one of those who would greet, but never spend too much time with staff. When Tara arrives, Maya can't get enough of her and this has created a more positive situation for Aidan. Maya still has her moments, when out of the blue she lunges at Aidan barring her teeth, but they are less frequent and seem to be tied to the excitement of the pack when they do a rally howl. Each wolf has a different relationship with each handler, and the most successful way that wolf care works is by having a variety of people deliver the care. A big thanks to the wolf care staff that brave these sub zero temperatures to make sure the wolves are well.
Showed an improvement in sucking, was aggressively sucking the staff's ear, but less aggressive on the bottle.
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.