Shadow had several episodes of threat display howling at the Pups at One Year group. He takes is job as pack leader seriously. It's difficult to calm him down when he gets this way, the best wolf care staff can do is distract him.
" The pups are coming into the auditorium four times daily for Meet the Pack Presentations. The Nannies are the motivational force behind the puppies scheduled appearance at the programs, and they are finding this task to be harder than it looks. The challenge to socializing the pups is the creativity necessary to keep their lives in captivity and more specifically, their program routines, as stimulating as possible. The pups are extremely intelligent and curious. When they get bored, they get restless want to move on to something new, they don't care if they still have 10 minutes left to an educational program or a scheduled appearance. During the first week of pup programs, the Nannies have tried the following items to positively condition the puppies to the routine and to keep them stimulated throughout their busy schedule: Venison Steak/Pronghorn Steak Hamburger Deer Hide (which provided their first scats with deer hair) A Kong (chew-toy) filled with meat Cow Hooves Bird feathers Ice cubes in the water Birch Logs A tray of dirt More Birch Logs Balsam Boughs Rawhide chews Pigs ears Pine Cones A piece of deer hide on a leash (to lead the puppies back to the pen) A Moose leg Of all the items listed, the most stimulating to the pups would have to be the Moose leg, unfortunately, too much of a good thing may be trouble. The pups exhibit guarding behavior of the moose leg and don't want to leave the building without it, but at this time, they can't quite lift it. This week, we plan on using a deer leg to give the puppies a chance to carry their rewards back to their enclosure with them."
Richard W. Gould (wolf nanny) writes: Typical wolf behaviors observed this week included: jaw sparing, aggression related to food, full head shakes with "prey" items, caching, scent rolling, and howling to the adult pack. Malik showed submission to Lucas (our resident male) at the fence by rolling over and exposing his belly while Lucas whinned on the other side. It has been an experience of a lifetime to be able to participate in the nanny program and see these adorable pups progress towards the magnificent adults that they will soon become. It was also awesome to share conversation and photos with Dave Mech and Nancy Gibson (the "First Nanny").
Shannon Stehman (wolf nanny) writes: What can I say? How many people get to experience this kind of hands-on care and socializing of wolf pups?!? It has been an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to lay in the dirt with pups and massage them from head to toe. Thank you to Shadow, Malik and Lori Schmidt (Wolf Curator) for one of the most unique experiences in my life.
MALIK: Weight: 32.0 lbs. Length: 51.0" Canines: 1/2" SHADOW: Weight: 32.5 lbs. Length: 51.0" Canines: 1/2" (an adult canine continues to emerge within his mouth) Observations include: -Shadow has been distracting Malik to take possession of food items which he desires -The pups recently joined in a howl with the adult wolves; both pups ran to the fence to greet the adults -Eating rocks resulted in stomach stress and x-rays for Malik; two rocks were viewed in the radiograph; one rock was passed and Malik is now acting normal and is currently being monitored -Malik and Shadow have portrayed added aggression over food items such as deer and moose legs -Shadow's nose scab from last week is healing well -The pups, daily, seem more and more interested in the adults and their behaviors
Vitamins and Cosequin to all- ointment to all but Shadow. Staff needs to work more with Malik and Shadow on fly ointment application and getting them more tolerant of brushing. Lakota is doing well since her reintroduction, but the heat and humidity have been keeping them less active.
Shadow is known as the red pup and Malik is known as the blue pup. May 24, 2000 The wolf pups continue to make great strides in their growth. The body length from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail is 18 1/2 inches for the red collared wolf and 18 3/4 inches for the blue one on May 24. They have begun to hear certain high pitched sounds which corresponds with their ears starting to stand up. They tend to play with each other more before feedings with one of the pups trying to dominate over the other to establish a social order within the litter. This "pecking order" will change constantly. The vocalizations have increased with the blue collared pup howling in response to whining noises by one of the handlers and the red collared pup growled for the first time on May 24. All of this development will serve the pups well in their struggle to survive.
May 25, 2000 The wolf pups made their second visit to the veterinarian on May 25 to get weighed. The blue collared pup now weighs 4 pounds 1 ounce and the red collared one weighs 3 pounds 14 ounces. That means they have quadrupled their weight in 17 days which is typical of wolves that need to grow rapidly in order to survive. Wolf pups need to be able to travel with the pack by the fall. Their diet is up to 18 ounces of formula per day. The vet also began their worming routine on May 25. The pups still sleep the majority of the time however they are beginning to sleep apart. They are most active right before their scheduled feeding time.
MALIK: Weight: 28.0 lbs. Length: 47.0" Canines: 1/2" SHADOW: Weight: 29.0 lbs. Length: 47.6" Canines: 1/2" (an adult canine is emerging within Shadow's mouth) Observations noted this week: -Shadow's permanent upper left canine broke through early this week -Both pups eyes are now changing from blue to yellow -The pups have been weaned. Formula is no longer added to their food -Malik chewed on fallen hail during a recent thunderstorm -Malik continues to submit to us when greeting -Both pups have been easily excited over a deer leg within the auditorium enclosure -Shadow received a small scratch on his nose from Malik; the scab is healing well
Everything is going well here. It appears that MacKenzie has overcome the spinal issues she had earlier and is being weaned off the prednisone. Lakota is still springing around the enclosure as if she were a two year old, instead of a wolf nearing 14 years of age. The male rank order remains calm, with Grizzer and Maya continuing to interact as pupmates, and Shadow maintaining watch over the pack. Malik seems very relaxed and in his video this week is observed with high tail interacting with Grizzer and Maya when they are wrestling, but backs off when Shadow gives him direct eye contact. Thanks for your continued support of the wolf care program. Staff will be monitoring all wolves closely over the coming holiday season and maybe we’ll see you on the webcam.
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.