Shadow is doing well, there's some concern about the reoccurence of an ear mite problem as he's shown some scratching behavior. A vet visit is scheduled for May 4th, at which time, both arctics will be lightly sedated to allow a full inspection and ear cleaning. The drug we will use will be fully reversable, allowing them to return to the enclosure within 10 minutes of the procedure. Grizzer and Maya will not be sedated, as they willingly allow full inspection and cleaning of their ears. Care will be given to avoid affecting the male rank order during these medical procedures. Wolf care staff will be meeting to discuss scenarios and management decisions. The Center veterinarian, Dr. Chip Hanson, will be on site for the full procedures, and a Wolf Watch program will be offered on the evening of the 4th to allow for full 24 hour, post exam observation. If you are interested in signing up for the Wolf Watch program, please check out the website under Northern Minnesota Learning Adventures.
Again, we apologize for the delay in wolf logs, our intent is to post once a week, but wolf care is always the priority over every other job. These past few weeks, the facility and grounds area of wolf care has needed our attention. This season is best known as the ice season, when daytime temperatures create melting, but nighttime temperatures revert back to freezing. Conditions are slippery and hazardous, not only for the staff, but the wolves as well. Thanks to the kind donation of straw from Theresa Williams, the enclosures are getting a fresh layer of straw to increase traction. This is most problematic for the retired wolves, as any slip on the ice can affect older, more brittle bones and joints. The wolves are doing well, and are spending a significant amount of time sleeping in the sun. Lakota seems to have been up to a few other things, as she has a new canine bite on the nose. Staff seem to think the bite was from MacKenzie, but based on our interactions with Lakota, she pushes the limit with both Lucas and MacKenzie.
On Saturday, Wolf Care Staff, Andrea Lorek Strauss reported the following: "…We entered the trail by the pine grove on the south side of the parking lot. We could hear voices from the north, but I couldn't see anyone. We were on the far side of the trail (by Hidden Valley Road) when three guys and a dog came brush crashing through the woods from the north of us. The dog was a small black lab-type… they were walking away from the wolf area…" While we have no trespassing signs posted, sometimes people ignore the signs and show up behind the wolf enclosure. In general, wolves don't like to be surrounded, especially by strangers. It makes sense that Shadow is most distressed by this incident as he is the pack leader, and the shyest personality when it comes to non-packmates.
Shadow seems to be over the stress caused by unfamilar humans at the back of the enclosure. The instinct to fear humans is very strong, and even in a socialized wolf exhibit, may exist. Staff spent many hours this past week making sure Shadow was the first to be greeted when staff came into the enclosure, acknowledging his status as the dominant male, and his confidence noticeably improved.
Today is a special wolf log reporting the results of the arctics veterinary check. As you've read in previous logs, the arctics have had trouble with ear mites. As the summer season approaches, we wanted to make sure they were healthy and ready for a summer of viewing. Wolf care staff joined veterinarian Dr. Chip Hanson for an immobilization of the arctics to get a scope of their ears and do some intensive cleaning. Grizzer and Maya weren't immobilized, since they are very tolerant of ear cleaning (thanks to the Nannies…) We are happy to report no signs of mite, just some slight debris and a possible response to allergeries. Their ears were cleaned, the drugs were reversed and they successfully rejoined the pack. Care was given to ensure no loss to Shadow's status by placing him in the main enclosure first while Malik, Grizzer and Maya waited in holding. Grizzer spent most of the exam whining outside of the holding pen waiting for the arctics to return. Maya whined a bit, but was distracted by a variety of things to chase in the enclosure. All went well, and as a precaution to not single out the arctics, Maya and Grizzer had their ears cleaned and smelled of the same medication. I'm posting several pictures of the reunion back into the pack.
The fall and winter months bring a change in the behavior of the wolves. In addition to increased play behaviors, there are also heightened dominance interactions between the wolves, especially between Shadow and Malik, the male arctics. However, as Grizzer is fully maturing into a young adult, we expect to see dominance interactions with him as well. In this photo, you can see Shadow giving direct eye contact to Malik, who is averting Shadow's gaze.
Shadow had another good feeding program as well as a successful Behind the Scenes visit. Last Thursday night, Amy Reisdorf and Jason and Melissa Kendrick participated in a Wolf Watch program. This program is offered several times throughout the year, where participants come to the Center, receive background information and training in captive wolf management and wolf behavior, then spend a few hours recording data on the wolves behavior. They finish off the evening by spending the night (some sleeping) in the auditorium, overlooking the wolf enclosure observation windows. In the morning, after a continental breakfast, they come outdoors for a Behind the Scenes tour and a discussion of what they observed the night before. Shadow normally bark howls during these Behind the Scenes visits, but for whatever reason, Shadow was very excepting of the most recent Wolf Watchers. He's also been showing a fair amount of bonding behavior with Maya, as this week's photo indicates.
Shadow seems to be having a great winter. Not only does he enjoy the snow by pushing his nose in the fresh fallen snow doing a behavior we call the snowplow, but he frequently grabs hides, sticks or bones and throws them up in the air for Grizzer or Maya to chase. He's been great with staff and seems to be doing better with Behind the Scenes groups, displaying less bark howling. Overall, he portrays a great dominant male. Of course, Malik may have a different opinion, but for all the arctic wolf posturing with each other for position, I still seem the sleeping together on the straw beds on top of the den.
Sorry for the lack of logs over the past week. The curator was at a State Wildlife Society meeting. It was a great meeting and one of the most important messages from this meeting is the need to preserve contiguous tracts of habitat for species. As the human population grows and land development occurs, we need to always plan for the greenspaces that keep wildlife populations viable. Even in a captive facility, we have a need to manage for vegetation and quality habitat. This weeks photos of Grizzer and Maya prove why this is a challenge, but the Workin' for Wolves programs and the Adults at Two Years programs that are offered this summer, will aid in the endeavor of planting more trees. So, in the interest of getting photos up on the log, all the text will be the same. For each log, all wolves are healthy and during the curators absence, they were in the capable hands of wolf care staff Jen Westlund, Matt Fetterer, Jess Edberg, Andrea Lorek Strauss and Laurie Fella.
Shadow has been in very good spirits lately, greeting staff, running through the exhibit with a high tail and spending time with the yearlings. There seems to be a special bond between Shadow and Maya, which we saw last winter, but Shadow and Grizzer are often observed shoulder to shoulder doing some classic jaw sparring behavior. The interesting thing about their relationship, is that we don't see Shadow do much dominance towards the yearlings, but they both readily submit. Whereas Malik has some high intensity growling toward both Maya and Grizzer, but it doesn't result in them submitting to him, it generally results in Shadow intervening.
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.