Those griffons were not changed except to alter the pattern of their flight due to another addition in the same area. That area has always been treacherous to go through for low-levels...it has been since I can remember. Sometimes you get lucky, other times not.
Regarding the mass calming...they're technically "Magical Beasts" and not "Animals", so I'm not sure they should or were intended to receive a roll for the mass calming at all. And yes, I'm aware that Animal Empathy works on them if targeted directly.