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Rough and Tumble

Ely’s Wolf Center pack getting acquainted with new pups

Keith Vandervort
Posted 6/24/16

ELY – This week at the International Wolf Center in Ely, ambassador pack member Boltz has been showing some strong interest in the pups and has joined Luna in guarding Aidan and Denali from the …

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Rough and Tumble

Ely’s Wolf Center pack getting acquainted with new pups

Posted

ELY – This week at the International Wolf Center in Ely, ambassador pack member Boltz has been showing some strong interest in the pups and has joined Luna in guarding Aidan and Denali from the pups.

“Initially we were concerned, but in the last few days, we have witnessed Boltz doing some appeasement behavior towards Aidan,” said wolf curator Lori Schmidt. “This behavior includes licking Aidan’s face, submitting to him and approaching with a low head and posture. It seems the hormonal surge brought some changing and sometimes conflicting behaviors.”

In addition to appeasement behavior, there has been a noticeable increase in Raise Leg Urination from Boltz, indicating a higher confidence level, she said. “Some have voiced some concerns that getting male pups will put more stress on Aidan and the male rank order. In our experience, the mid-level wolves (and in the case of the male rank order, that would be Boltz) will take a more active role in pup interaction and dominance.”

According to Schmidt, the pup’s energy and attitude require so much time that the pack is less focused on the older wolves and more focused on the young. “We witnessed this in 2008 when we brought in Aidan and Denali to join Shadow, Malik, Grizzer and Maya. Grizzer spent a significant amount of time wrestling, rolling and chasing pups, while Shadow got some relief from Grizzer’s constant testing,” she said.

What comes next for Boltz is likely to be a repeat of Grizzer, Aidan and Denali after the 2008 introduction. “This is why we choose the four-year rotation, by the time the pups are nearing two years of age and starting to test for rank, Aidan and Denali will be nearing 10years of age and will be ready to get a break from exhibit life and join the comforts of retirement,” she said. Boltz is maintaining a good weight at 111 lbs. which is slightly higher than his 2015 weight of 109 lbs.

A pup growth webinar update will be held on Thursday, June 30, at 6 p.m. Webinar rates are $15 for non-members, and $12 for members. By this June 30 webinar, the pups will be alternately hard playing or hard sleeping. They spend equal amounts of time doing each as they reach reach two months of age.

Axel is frequently posturing with a dominant attitude. These behaviors include the chin rest, and tail displayed high above his back and new- found confidence while Luna postures at the fence. “Initially, both pups were a bit reserved about greeting Luna when she was showing some focused and often vocal behavior toward the pups,” Schmidt said. “In the last few days, Axel seems to seek her out and stand his ground, keeping his tail erect despite the noise. We always document the pup interactions and are interested in how each pup processes experiences. We know from experience, what we see now may or may not be the behavioral response when they mature to adulthood.”

Axel is showing some behavioral patterns that might indicate his pack interactions when he becomes a permanent member of the Exhibit Pack. “We have a new saying in the lab that is somewhat prompted by Axel’s interactions: ‘I don’t have an attitude problem, you have a problem with my attitude and that’s not my problem,’” she said.

Wolf care staff get the benefit of seeing these individual personalities develop through the socialization process. Along with attitude, Axel is gaining some size. Last Friday morning’s weight for Axel was 11 pounds, On Saturday, June 18, he weighed 12 pounds, a gain of one pound in a 24-hour period. “This is certainly the stage of a pup’s life where we see the fastest weight gain.”