Wolf Park - Wolf Sponsorship

From childhood, I've always been intrigued by animals. I used to spend a lot of time looking through a coffee table book full of awe-inspiring wildlife photography. I would soak in as many trivia facts about animals as I could and loved trips to the Brookfield Zoo. As a kid, each animal I learned about was exciting and new and I reveled in the diversity of this world. As I got older, my attentioned turned to other things. Zoos were filled with the same animals they always had been and seeing them caged up didn't hold quite the same attraction.

When in Australia, my love of animals was rekindled. Holding snakes, koalas and petting kangaroos at the Cairns Tropical Zoo brought an exciting new level of understanding about these animals. Feeling the strength of their muscles, the textures of their fur and looking at them face to face without cages connected me closer to that primal nature that I found so fascinating as a child.

Seeing animals in their natural habitat out on the Great Barrier Reef was another treat. Seeing the diversity of life and crossing paths with a shark on his turf was so much more compelling than stopping at an exhibit in a zoo. Even after returning to the United States, I've continued to seek out opportunities to meet animals face to face or encounter them in their natural habitat.

When I learned about Wolf Park's sponsorship program, it seemed like a great opportunity to support a good cause and get up close with a powerful and iconic symbol of wilderness itself. To enter the wolf enclosure and interact with the pack seemed like a rare opportunity. We sponsored a wolf named Wotan in 2012 and I anxiously waited for a chance to make it out to Indiana to meet him.

We scheduled a 1pm visit on a Saturday in June. We arrived a little early and found the park gated off. It hadn't been clear to us that we wouldn't be able to enter the park until 1pm. Once inside, we knew there would be an hour long safety presentation but didn't anticipate the 40 minutes of computer issues that delayed the presentation.

The safety presentation itself was pretty interesting. It explained the social aspects of wolf society and how different behaviors can be cues as to the mood of the wolf. Some of the information was pretty basic like avoiding threatening eye contact but we also saw demonstrations on how to handle wolves if they start to jump up on you and how important it was to regularly pause when petting the animals to give them an opportunity to leave the situation. Apparently, while you pet the wolf it feels socially obligated to stay even if it isn't very happy with the situation. They also shared that the tongue flick is often an indicator of an impending mood change. It was a thorough and interesting presentation. I wasn't entirely confident that I could remember and recognize every cue and respond appropriately but I figure I had a good grasp of the basics.

There were a group of about 10 of us going into the enclosure for the visit and we were quickly greeted by Dharma, a black wolf from the pack. She was pretty interested in the camera that a smaller lady had around her neck and began raising up and pawing at her. The staff help manage the animal and pushed it back a bit but it did elicit a growl that served as a good reminder that though acclimated to people, these were still wild animals that needed to be treated with respect.

The staff hoped to encourage a couple more wolves to join us (but its entirely up to the wolves) so they gave a couple long, low howls. Not long after Ruedi and Wotan made their way over from the other side of the lake.

There were several large logs in our area where we could sit and allow the wolves to approach us. The wolves would also climb on them, which was pretty striking to see. Wotan's size was impressive and petting him revealed how solid and well muscled he was under the coarse fur. At one point, he put his paw on my chest allowing me to feel the touch of his claws pressing against me. While petting them, both Dharma and Wotan licked my face. It was moving to feel something of a display of affection from these powerful animals. That warm fuzzy feeling was tempered by two things in the back of my mind. First, there were a couple scraps of animal carcasses and entrails on the ground as a reminder of where that mouth had been. Second, there was a certain level of trust required knowing that the same mouth giving "kisses" could just as easily crush bones.

We probably spent about 45 minutes in the enclosure with the main pack and it was certainly a memorable experience. Wolf Park also has guided tours of the facility where you can learn a little more about the history of the park and see some of the wolves that are no longer part of the main pack. They also had a few coyotes, foxes and bison on the grounds. Wolf park doesn't necessarily have a lot of frills and the sponsor visits with the wolves are far and away the most compelling reason to visit. The staff is knowledgeable and clearly passionate about the work they do with the wolves. For wolf lovers or wildlife enthusiasts, it's certainly worth a trip.

For more information on Wolf Park, visit: www.WolfPark.org.