28 September 2020

Even though Grizzer’s world has been altered by the presence of Boltz in the Pack Holding Area, he seems to take it in stride. He actively travels the paths in the back habitat despite his advancing cataracts.  He uses his sense of smell as the dominant sensory ability and is quick to get up and move if there is something unfamiliar.  We are working extremely hard to keep things calm and help Grizzer process the addition of another food supply next door that doesn’t involve him.  For most of the month of August and September, he was found sleeping either on the “Back Habitat” den or in the den, only moving to the “Transition Area’ to sleep in his straw bed an night.  Since the days have gotten cooler, he is no moving to the “Transition Area’ during the daytime.  We will start using straw inside the dens this week.  We generally wait until we are certain the 75 degree weather has left for the season.  It seems wolves have more trouble dealing with heat than they do cold, so we always want to make sure they can escape the heat in the darkness of the dens.

17 September 2020

This is just a quick report to say that Grizzer’s abscess is decreasing with the Antibiotic treatment.  He is eating well, seems to be indifferent to Boltz’s presence in the adjacent area, but we all know  he liked having all the space.  With 20 degree nights, he tends to sleep in the Back Habitat Den to get the full benefit of the sun during the day and in a 10 inch pile of hay in the transition area at night.  So, it really isn’t much of change for him.  Here is the photo taken by wolf care today; if you compare it to the last posting, you will see the improvement.

15 September 2020

Grizzer is enjoying the cooler weather, but not so thrilled with our movement of him to the East Side Retirement enclosure while we try to get Boltz to come into holding.  He does have face to face interactions through the gate with Axel, Grayson and Denali, and at the end of the day, he gets to remark all of Axel’s marked stumps. On Friday, staff noticed the slight swelling of an abscess returning on his cheek.  In a previous medical exam, Grizzer had an upper pre-molar removed due to decay, but at this age, a surgery will not be performed unless the issue is impacting his ability to eat or causing significant discomfort.  This is the 3 issue he has had in the past year, and each has been addressed by Antibiotic.  He continues to eat well; and has been increased to 4 pounds of meat a day in the anticipation of colder weather.

21 August 2020

Behind the Scenes is a seasonal members-only program held on Friday mornings during the summer. Usually we have 20 spots available, but we have had to make changes this year due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. We have been hosting 3 Behind the Scenes programs throughout the week, with a max of 6 guests per program. Grizzer has been doing great during these programs. He is usually a bit timid at first, but eventually his curiosity wins out and he comes over to the fence to sniff the visitors. Grizzer gets special treats during these sessions, some of which include: beaver tails, pigs ears, venison cakes, and blueberry ice cubes. These programs provide stimulus for him, which is great for an older wolf. Grizzer also continues to get daily stimulus from the Exhibit Pack through the fence. Axel and Grayson often run along the fenceline that Grizzer shares with the Exhibit. Although he cannot run as fast as the younger wolves, Grizzer definitely gets excited and trots after them along the fenceline.  After the excitement of the morning, Grizzer usually heads back to his preferred summer sleeping spot: the Back Habitat Den.   We are now broadcasting all 3 webcams in retirement, so you may have to search a while to find Grizzer.
Written by Assistant Curator, Leanne Martin

22 July 2020

Grizzer continues to enjoy the cool shade provided in his three areas of retirement.  When the heat becomes oppressive, his favorite location is on top of the den in the back habitat.  This den is well shaded by the numerous elderberries stems.  This colorful fruit bearing shrub is native to northern Minnesota and are quite prolific.  It takes a hardy shrub to take co-exist with wolves.  Grizzer has been receiving a new anti-inflammatory topical gel that has had a noticeable improvement in his activity.  Shortly after his treatment, he has been prancing around the pack holding area, definitely feeling good for a 16 year old.  We plan to do a webinar on August 8th about previous pup introductions (since we are missing the intended 2020 intro).  During that video, we will be sharing some video including a combination of clips that highlight the life stages of Grizzer.  If you are interested in registering for that webinar, check out the link on our website.

1 July 2020

Grizzer is managing well as a sixteen year old wolf in some excessive heat (at least for Northern Minnesota).  We have a good cover of vegetation for shade, he has a staff hose down the retired areas to cool off the ground.  We leave the Wolf Care Center door open allowing him to come in and rest on the cool concrete or is new orthopedic bed donated by wolf care support Kim Wheeler.  He still has a bit more hair to shed, and thankfully is willing to allow staff the chance to pull lose strands of undercoat.  He has had an added bonus of getting a deer leg during the summer time Behind the Scenes program.  He certainly enjoys that.  Staff are closely monitoring his weight for signs of any decline, but a recent blood sample indicated that he is in good health and he weighed in at 110 pounds.

3 April 2020

We did two special things today during our Free Friday Webinar broadcast this morning.  We opened up the gate between the Pack Holding Area and the Exhibit to give Grizzer some stimuli with the Exhibit Pack.  Grizzer was very relaxed, but it did get Grayson and Axel a little excited, and Grayson did some excited lunging and he and Axel redirected some dominance to Boltz.  We will continue to allow these opportunities, expecting the more frequent the experience, the less intense the response.  This is the area that the pups and the Exhibit Pack members will interact, so we don’t want to create a negative conditioning to the area.

The second special thing we did for Grizzer is to get his weights.  He currently weighs 118 pounds, which is a nice weight for a nearly 16 year old wolf.  Here is the pattern of his last few years to see that they lose weight during the heat of the summer, gain weight over the winter and start to reduce again as spring approaches.

3/2/2018 Grizzer 118 13 years 10 months
4/18/2018 Grizzer 114.6 13 years 11 months
6/1/2018 Grizzer 115 14 years 1 month
7/2/2018 Grizzer 112 14 years 2 month
8/23/2018 Grizzer 120 14 years 4 months
6/28/2019 Grizzer 121 15 years 2 months
8/12/2019 Grizzer 118 15 years 3 months
12/9/2019 Grizzer 125 15 years 7 Months

13 March 2020

Temperatures have been rising in Ely, and that means snow is starting to melt. If you watch the IWC webcams, you may have noticed the Pack Holding Den looks a little shorter than usual. Wolf care staff took advantage of a warm, nearly 50-degree day, and were able to remove most of the compacted snow and hay on top of the den. Grizzer watched curiously as a wheelbarrow was brought in to aid in the removal of the old hay. Contractors have been on site this week, working on adding additional roofing to the Pack Holding Area. This is the area that the new pups will utilize when they are old enough to spend time outside.  You may notice that we use a lot of dark wood around the fence-lines.  This darker color helps absorb heat, creating a quicker snow melt for walking paths.  The roofing will provide additional protection from the elements, for both the older wolves and the new pups.

Wolf Log written by Assistant Curator: Leanne Martin

20 February 2020

One question you may be wondering is “where does Grizzer sleep?” The answer is: the Transition Area of Retirement. We are extremely grateful to the Working for Wolves crews over the past three years, who have worked hard to make this area a comfortable, protected place for an old wolf to sleep. The Transition Area connects all three Retirement areas and it features a roofline/wood paneling on the gates, which provide protection from snow and wind. Wolf care staff provide plenty of hay in this area, which Grizzer uses as a bed.  There is a Ring camera installed in the Transition Area, so that staff can keep an eye on him.

Wolf Log written by Assistant Curator, Leanne Martin

29 Jan. 2020

In Retirement, the activity from the Exhibit Pack gives Grizzer some focus. He will often climb on top of the den in the Back Habitat, where he has a great view of the Exhibit. He can hear, see, and smell them, and when the Exhibit Pack is ramped up and running around, Grizzer usually gets excited and will run around his enclosures as well.  Although he has some vision and hearing loss due to his age, he continues to have great focus.  He will be 16 years of age in May, and staff are very pleased to see how clear his cognitive function continues to be. We are grateful to Kelly Godfrey, Ann Rasberry and Melonie Shipman who have all contributed to Grizzer’s fond desire for pork roasts.   At his age, we are not restricting his diet with the exception that his aging teeth make it hard to eat any bone, so traditional deer and beaver diets are limited.  Grizzer has a rotating diet of boneless chicken, bonedust, beef and pork roasts, all fed in small quantities to avoid having food taken by scavenging ravens.  We don’t mind feeding ravens in the main pack, but with Grizzer’s declining vision, having large birds swoop from the sky can be intimidating.

Grizzer carrying a pork roast from the pack holding area

Wolf Log written by Assistant curator, Leanne Martin