Shadow has been the subject of many wolf care discussions in the last few weeks. He seems to be testing staff, and venting some frustration. This is the most challenging part of the job. With Malik's retirement, we saw the physical weaknesses and bite wounds that indicated a problem and need for retirement. With Shadow, there appears to be less physical confrontations, but his psychological state is what we are concerned about. We can uses physical indicators to judge this, including low tail postures, flat back ears, lack of involvement and abnormal behavior, such as testing trusted wolf care staff. It's not so easy to just pull him out of the pack, we have to make sure it is the right move, if not, his frustration could redirect to Malik, causing a serious long-term problem. We also have to be concerned with Maya's pairbonding and what she may do without Shadow. We know she can redirect, and that may affect Aidan. We know Denali will gain status without Shadow, and the reality is, once Shadow is out, he probably won't be back in. So, there is a lot to think about, but most importantly, these are wolves, and it is important to think in wolf terms to do what is best for wolf social dynamics.
The weather here has turned cold, with morning temperatures for the last several days ranging from -25 to -30 below zero. Wolf care staff have increased the amount of straw in the enclosure to give the wolves more insulation. Wolves in the wild bed in the snow for insulation, but in captivity, the snow is compacted, leaving it ice cold. In the Youtube video this week, I posted some footage from January 2009 in comparison with January 2010 pack dynamics. The most notable difference is how calm Shadow is compared to a year ago. There was so much tension between Grizzer and Malik that Shadow spent a lot of time dominating Grizzer. Now, Shadow spends time rolling in the snow, courting Maya, playing with Aidan and watching Denali and Grizzer wrestle, with very little interference. I would guess Grizzer likes this better as well.
This is just a reminder that the wolf logs are now posted on Friday rather than Monday due to a change in the Curator's teaching schedule. The last posting was Friday, January 29th, but on February 1st, the January postings are automatically moved to the archive section, which is why the main log screen has appeared empty since the 1st of February. To see archive data, just click the month/year that you would like to review and you can see the log postings. We thought we had made progress last week with anti-inflammatory treatments for Shadow, thinking that his change in behavior may have been due to some chronic pain of old age, but this week, we continue to see Shadow more aloof and still testing to some staff. We have also had some re-occurring locations of radio-collared wolves in the area, so we may now be thinking that Shadow is being more territorial and responding to wild wolf presence as the wild wolf breeding season is peaking at this time of the year. We will continue to monitor this closely, but at this time, Shadow appears to prefer the Curator, and long-time wolf care staff member Jen Westlund. The other staff, are taking a break from wolf care in the Exhibit Pack. Hopefully, if this is hormonal, that it will be a short-term break.
Last week, we were very close to retiring Shadow. As posted in the logs, Shadow had been staying in the back of the enclosure, originally, we thought it may be influenced by wild wolf presence, but on Saturday the 6th, Shadow appeared to be very lethargic, and we noticed a few other physical issues that increased our concern. We readjusted his anti-inflammatory dose, and within 2 days, he was back with the pack in a strong social interaction with all pack members. He did seem to spend some time reasserting his dominance over Grizzer, which is quite easy. It took a little more time for Denali to get the message that Shadow was back, but he figured it out. Shadow's photo for this week says it all, "feeling good and glad to be part of the pack". Video of this rolling behavior is on the Youtube video this week.
Staff have noticed a dramatic change in Shadow. He's been much more social in the last few months, likely stimulated by the presence of the Inuit sled dogs, and possibly an increased surge of prolactin hormone. He's also more trusting of staff since we switched to a once a month fly treatment (thanks to Andi Nelson's donations). Staff haven't tormented him with the daily fly cream since early July. It makes a difference for Shadow.
Wolf Care Staff have been busy providing logistical support to a film crew, working on a series called "Ms. Adventure" for Animal Planet. So, needless to say, there's not much time today for wolf logs. So, we'll have the same posting for all wolves. The Retired Pack is settling into a routine, when small amount of food are given, Lakota is fed in the holding area, while MacKenzie gets her fare share in the main enclosure. The Exhibit Pack is doing well, there's a bit of tension between the male's over rank order position, but so far, no real issues. Maya continues to be the predatory wolf, hunting small birds that are landing in the enclosure searching for seeds before their fall migration. Other than a few noisy moments, the wolves are still calm and remaining in a more crepuscular (dawn and dusk) pattern to avoid the heat. All the wolves have begun the winter hair growth of their dense undercoat, so when temperatures increase now, it's even more uncomfortable. As you can see by the video this week, the best place to be is in the wooded portion of the enclosure.
Shadow had some difficulties with the class during the canine cousin’s seminar. Wolf Care Staff attributes some of his bark howling to his interest in the Inuit dog puppies that are being socialized during these programs. In today’s picture, you can see a very relax Shadow who enjoyed a little digging today with pack mates Maya and Grizzer after Bio-spot treatment.
The wolves are enjoying the fall weather which is brining cooler nights. Due to time constraints, this week's logs will be duplicate for all wolves. Some general comments on the videos. In Lakota's video, small rodent populations have increased due to the new seeding in the pack, she enjoys the hunt. MacKenzie's vision may be going, but she can still hear the movement of a ziplock bag of meat in the lab. Grizzer, Maya and Shadow enjoy a pack howl together, with Malik watching the action. Even though Malik doesn't chose to be very interactive with Maya and Grizzer, he still gets his fair shair of beaver.
Staff have noticed a dramatic change in Shadow. He's been much more social in the last month, likely stimulated by the presence of the dog pups on site (possibly stimulating an increase in prolactin hormone). He's also more trusting of staff since we switched to a once a month fly treatment (thanks to Andi Nelson's donations). Staff haven't tormented him with the daily fly cream since late June. It makes a difference to Shadow.
As you can see by Shadow’s video, he is very relaxed. As the colder weather hit, the pack has been bedded down, not showing as much dominance. There are certain staff that each wolf is more tractable towards. For Shadow, it’s critical that he gets this reinforcement from those individuals that he trusts the most.
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