Shadow continues to show some testing of staff, but overall, we are gaining back some of the trust with wolf care. He is still very intense with Grizzer when there's an external stress. Last week, the building was stained and the pond was cleaned, requiring all wolves to go into holding for nearly 3 hours. Shadow wasn't very amiable to this situation, and after the release, even the Curator had to deal with some Shadow dominance.
Shadow has been showing some very high tail postures, a sign of a wolf that feels good and is in charge. We are probably past the season of testing from the younger males, so his likelihood of retirement from aggression is probably passed until next winter. There is always the possibility of retirement due to physical decline, but as I look at his photo for this week, that's not real likely either. Of course, he will be 10 on May 8th, 2010, and anything can happen at this age.
If we thought Shadow was showing signs of aging this winter, we are not seeing this spring. It certainly could have been a spinal response to cold, and now that the weather is warm, he is feeling better. His YouTube video and his photo this week, show a strong individual, with high tail and good spirits. It’s a good thing Malik has taken to retirement so well, he might have to wait a bit longer for his littermate to join him.
The testing towards Shadow may be subtle, but it is something that we take very seriously. Shadow can physically dominate any of the wolves in the Exhibit Pack, but the question is, at what physical cost. We certainly don’t want to cause Shadow any physical decline by having to be intensely dominant to maintain his position. The current pack dynamics will shape the management plan for Shadow’s transition into retirement. Shadow’s weight is 87 lbs, the same as was recorded in September 2009. This is a good sign, and if Shadow’s retirement goes as well as Malik’s we expect to see him gain a few pounds. The most important influence in Shadow’s transition is the relationship he has with Maya.
The logs will all be the same today. We’re doing some improvements to Malik’s enclosure, so Malik gets all of my time today. This past week has been busy getting the Exhibit enclosure ready for a Chamber of Commerce mixer on Wednesday night. Windows were washed, straw was removed, the summer wood chips were added and the pond waterline thawed with enough time to fill the pond. Of course, the upper pond line is still frozen in the concrete, so the waterfall isn’t flowing, but the main pond has been a source of stimulus for the pack. When it finally thawed, the weather was 70 degrees and sunny, and all wolves romped in the water, followed by a Grizzer/Denali chase though the woods. Aidan is still getting some dominance from Maya, usually followed by one of the excitable chases though the woods, but as the photos show this week, Aidan is engaging Maya in social behavior. He does a double foreleg stab while she is on the top of the den. We have noticed some instability with Shadow after he was chasing Grizzer and Denali, he seemed to have a dizzy spell, was off balance, before planting his paws in a wide stance and gaining his stability. As with any aging wolf, we will watch Shadow closely. The YouTube video this week shows the Chamber of Commerce mixer, giving the view of a visitor to the Center. Malik had a good week, enjoying the well shaded tree cover in his enclosure.
Shadow is still dominant in this pack, but we continue to notice some old age instability. It's always a management challenge when an animal's mental state stays strong, but the physical body is weak. So far, the other wolves don't show any signs of testing, this might be why Shadow shows such a hard dominance to Grizzer and Denali, compensating for some physical weakness. We hope to get a weight on all the wolves in the next few weeks, and certainly are thinking about the transition into retirement. Shadow and Malik will be ten years old on May 8th.
Discussions have begun about Shadow's retirement. While it is admirable that he is still strong enough to ward off the tests of the younger males, we are concerned that this is taking a toll on his physical strength and endurance. In Shadow's case, we want to be proactive, not reactive, and won't wait until he is deposed. He and Malik turn 10 years of age on May 8th, and at this age, they deserve a quiet environment without the constant testing behavior of wolves looking to move up in rank. Of course, we are only in the planning stages and any movement to retirement will probably be a few months away, but we must consider all aspects, including the impact on the remaining Exhibit Pack, and the staff necessary to provide the transitional needs to the Retired Pack and monitor the behavioral changes to the Exhibit Pack. When the retirement does occur, a detailed plan will be discussed on the Podcasts as well as in the logs.
Shadow constantly amazes us in his behavior as he ages. He is very accustom to life in retirement and does well with most activities. He still does some threat display howling when we have large groups or make too much noise, but overall, he is a very relaxed retiree. One interesting note during a program with Aidan and Denali last week, when the curator howled for the program, Shadow immediately responded. Aidan and Denali went to the fence line and responded to Shadow directly, not the curator who started the howl. There is still a very strong bond between the Exhibit and Retired pack.
Shadow is much more tolerant of brushing than Malik, so that should make them easy to identify on the web cameras. We have observed some more posturing from Shadow in the last several months and it makes us wonder if he isn't reponding to Grizzer being in the adjacent enclosure. The behavior is usually directed at Malik, but there are times when he stands tall at the gate and makes his presence known.
Even though the dominance behavior has calmed a bit from earlier winters, Shadow still keeps an eye on Grizzer and signs of testing. As you can see from Shadow’s video, he is still top wolf in this Exhibit. After wolf care staff removed icicles form the roof line, Shadow proceeded to mark them using the RLU or Raised Leg Urination, although in this exhibit, that doesn’t mean much. In the wild, normally only the dominant male displays an RLU behavior with the subordinate wolves displaying more standing or squat urinations. Due to the lack of breeding at this facility, all 3 males will display RLU to either mark or display status. The difference in Shadow is that as the current dominant wolf, he keeps his tail high and will often scratch excessively to distribute his scent.
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