I saw Maya exhibit soliciting behavior with Denali this morning while I was doing a program. She was laying on the straw on top of the den, Denali walked up and stood over her. She pawed at him and rolled on her back. He then lied down next to her. We were able to estimate the time of the dominance issue by watching the retired camera. Shadow who was the dominant male of the Exhibit Pack (and in his mind still may be), became extremely excited, and rather than pace and run like an omega, he jumped to the top of the den, and pawed at the gate, if he had the chance, he would have taught both Grizzer and Denali a thing or two about dominance.
We are happy to report that Shadow is up to 89 lbs. This is a very good weight for a 10 1/2 year old wolf coming into winter. You may notice the curator sitting with bowls of food for hours at a time. It is a slow process to get Shadow to eat, but it is a critical effort until we can determine the cause of his anxiety about carcass eating. We are in a deer surplus time due to a generous donation of roadkill from the Wildlife Science Center and some deer scraps from hunters.
Shadow is still getting feedings of chicken and beef, but it is less frequent with more deer legs and carcasses fed in between. We also use Shadow as a barometer to pack tension in the Exhibit Pack. On Friday, he was very agitated and security camera video showed some tension. On Saturday morning, while Grizzer was getting prepped for surgery, he and Malik stayed on top of the den resting. When Denali came into the pack holding area, he carried around part of his deer torso. I'm not sure if that was because he was doing a food presentation towards Denali (offering food) or concerned that Denali was so close that he needed to possess his food. Regardless of the reason, Shadow was guarding food from Malik and that is a good thing.
The Arctic's had an interesting weekend. Not only did they deal with Denali being in the pack holding area (this caused Shadow to guard his food with more attitude), but on Sunday, a stray husky dog squeezed between the fences and was in the secondary fence next to the retired enclosure. Thankfully the dog didn't get into the retired enclosure, and two people chasing the dog jumped the fence to retrieve it. The combination of strange people and a dog on site didn't help matters for dominance in the Exhibit Pack, but Shadow took it all in stride. After some initial excitement, he settled down pretty quickly. I guess he's seen it all as a former pack leader. We are very thankful that Sherry Jokinen was on site to address the situation. She volunteered to stay the weekend on short notice so the pack was supervised 24 hours day during Denali's time off of the Exhibit.
We had another week of hand feeding Shadow and have come to the conclusion that this is probably how he prefers it. He also trained wolf care staff to cut his chicken into smaller portions before serving. Retirement has its' privileges. When we see how excited he is to greet some of the wolf care staff, it's all worth it. Of course, there's still some of the wolf care staff that get a growl rather than a greeting, but at this age, we are not about modification of an animals behavior, more modification of the human element.
Shadow is doing well, but still baffling wolf care staff on his feeding preferences. He requires a quiet, patient, hand feeding event, and if there's one distraction from the wolf yard or the Exhibit Pack, the feeding time is over. This has certainly made it challenging for wolf care staff, but as we have said before, the Retired Pack deserves the best care possible for all the years they were on display. It is rewarding when we can get him to consume a 4 or 5 lb meal, and he always follows a good feeding with a face wipe in the snow.
Shadow and Malik turned 9 years old on May 8th and Shadow received his Rabies vaccination, but not on the same day as the other wolves. Initially, it was our goal to do Shadow first, but as soon as he saw the syringe, he decided avoidance behavior was more appropriate. After the syringe was taken back to the lab, he came over and allowed staff to go through the whole motion of vaccinating by hand, but when the syringe came back out, avoidance again. So, how do you vaccinate a dominant wolf that is smarter than the Curator? You bribe him with social contact. Later in the week, we brought in one of Shadow's favorite new people, Rusty Wetzel, and had Rusty and Curator, Lori Schmidt, down low on the ground so Shadow could do a full greeting. Once he was involved with greeting Rusty, Lori came up behind him and did a quick subcutaneous injection. He was a bit irritated with Lori, but he quickly returned to greeting. The Vet Care Plan calls for discontinuation of Parvo vaccines for any wolf over 8 years of age, so Shadow and Malik only get their annual rabies vaccination. Shadow continues to be a strong source of social acceptance for the yearlings, showing them their rank in the pack. Aidan is continually seeking acceptance from Shadow and seems to seek him out if he's anxious.
As a friend of mine recently wrote, this week's photo for Shadow doesn't fit with my constant comments that Shadow is a great pack leader, but even the great ones need a break once in a while. Between Grizzer and Malik's issues, the pups and their relentless wrestling and active submission, and Maya's obsessive stalking and ambushing Aidan, Shadow looks like he needs a break. The 1993 litter was retired in the fall of their 9th year, and Shadow and Malik will be 9 in May. It will be an interesting year to see if we can extend the life of these older animals in the main exhibit. After the spring Working for Wolves program, the retired pack will be ready for new residents.
Shadow continues to earn the pups respect, and they are frequently showing submissive postures to him. This is true of Grizzer and on occasion, Maya. Malik doesn't interact with Shadow in a submissive posture, probably because it would show vulnerability in front of Grizzer. Shadow continues to be intimidated by strangers in the wolf yard, and staff are aware that any vulnerabilities for Shadow can affect his status. Behind the Scenes programs don't begin until May, so usually, he is less sensitive during the summer season.
Shadow had an enjoyable visit with the pack to the Retired Enclosure. When staff needs to do some intensive work in the Exhibit, it's easier to move the pack off. Shadow ran to retirement with a high tail, marking several spots in the fresh snow and interacting with the pups. It is a good sign that he's so relaxed in this enclosure, especially since he is getting near the age of retirement, although he has shown none of the signs of intimidation that were evident from MacKenzie and Lucas at this age.
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