new educational offerings take off - wolf park...author of bones would rain from the sky: deepening...

“Dog Days” of Wolf Park One of the cardinal rules at Wolf Park is that dogs are not allowed at the Park. On August 24, however, we broke that rule many times over for our Dog Days celebration. Greyhounds, border collies, shelties, basset hounds, an Irish wolfhound, some mutts and many other dogs descended on the Park early in the morning and spent the day amusing staff and visitors alike. (For the safety and comfort of both dogs and wolves, though, we did keep the dogs confined to a small portion of the Park, out of sight of the wolves.) Dog Days was designed to showcase the wolf’s domesticated cousin, the dog, and all the many shapes of dog which have derived from the wolf. Dogs from all over the state came to show off their talents and training in front of an appreciative audience. Besides the fun of having dogs all around to pet and play with, there was an educational component to the day. Staff members and visiting dog specialists talked about dog evolution, dog training, wolf x dog hybrids, and raising puppies. The border collies did a series of fancy frisbee tricks with owner Bill Marion of Delphi, Indiana. Assorted visiting dogs ran through the dog agility course set up by the local Kennel Club. Visiting dog rescue groups informed us all about adopting needy dogs, from malamutes to pit bulls. Canine Companions for Independence told us about the work involved in training dogs to assist the physically challenged, such as the hearing impaired and those confined to wheelchairs. An interesting and awe-inspiring talk was given about search and rescue dogs at Ground Zero. Tony Zintsmaster of Midwest Search Dogs showed many amazing photos of the site, and described what this intense job was like for both dogs and humans. Beth Duman, Wolf Park’s Michigan representative, presented several lectures and demonstrations about the basic training of dogs. She brought her African “village dog”, Kaddi, as well as more mundane dogs Anna and Jacque, to help demonstrate the concepts she was teaching. Her dogs do everything from painting to ringing bells and collecting money for the Salvation Army around Christmastime. Kaddi has produced several works of art. It was a hot August day, the perfect day to celebrate the “dog days of summer”. Although there was a lot of panting going on, from both the furry and the not so furry participants, it was a fun day to be at Wolf Park. Plans are in the works to have another doggy event in 2003. Kids’ Wolf Behavior Seminars Wolf Park’s Junior Volunteer program continues to grow in popularity. Its most recent offering, the overnight kids’ wolf behavior seminars, draws kids ages 9-15 into the world of wolves through a sleepover program. Kids see videos about wolves, sing songs, make crafts, learn to howl, and have a cookout around a campfire, weather permitting. They get to ride on the Wolf Park truck during the unique wolf/bison demonstration, and see how difficult it is to be a wolf while watching hunting and testing behavior from up close. They also get

to meet the Park’s four tame red foxes and see, behind the scenes, how a wildlife park is really run! Space is limited to only 25 kids per seminar. The last seminar for 2002 will be held November 9-10, and is for ages 12-15. Anyone interested in signing up should see the Wolf Park Kids! web site, www.wolfparkkids.org, or sign up at www.wolfparkstore.com. If you have questions about the seminars or the Junior Volunteer program, please email John Davis at [email protected]. Three-Day Art Workshop A Success Internationally renowned wildlife artist Jan Martin McGuire joined Wolf Park staff for a three-day exploration of wolf behavior and anatomy, aimed specifically

at artists. The workshop, held September 20-22, let artists get in touch with some of the most popular subjects for wildlife art — wolves. Participants took hundreds of reference photographs during long photo sessions and got a real feel for wolf behavior while meeting our East Lake animals and while on a “Wolf Walk” in the pasture with Karin, who willingly demonstrated wolf gaits and investigative behavior for curious artists. Participants also got to view the wolf/bison demonstration and see what hunting really looks like (as the bison chased the wolves, and then the humans). The highlight of the workshop, of course, was the live painting demo and

slide show by Jan Martin McGuire, who generously shared tips for artists on everything from how to paint wolves to how to get reference material and promote your own art. We owe Jan many, many thanks!! The next “Wolves for Artists” art workshop, also featuring Jan Martin McGuire, will be held in September, 2003. (Check out page 3!) If you have any questions, please call the Wolf Park office at (765) 567-2265, 9-5 Mon-Fri!

New Educational Offerings Take Off

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Quarterly Newsletter of the North American Wildlife Park Foundation Vol. 29 No. 3 - Fall 2002

Wolf Park is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of wolves in captivity and in the wild through behavioral research and education.

Bill Marion demonstrates the art of full-contact Frisbee with one of his talented border collies at Wolf Park’s Dog Days celebration.

Photo by Monty Sloan

Jan Martin McGuire discovers that Wild Bill the coyote prefers to be scritched rather than photographed during the three-day art workshop.

Photo by Jessica Willard

Wolf Park News Fall 2002 2

Wolves have always fascinated people. They are thought to be competitors to man, especially for the prey animals we both hunt; and also for the domesticated livestock which have largely supplanted the wolf’s wild prey. Wolves and man have lived alongside each other, as Native Americans did, or confronted each other as competing hunters. Either way, wolves have always had a special place in the human imagination. So why do we want to save wolves when people are starving? Well, some of us simply like wolves because they are magnificent animals which are part of this world. Wolves and our dogs both came from a common ancestor. We need wolves to teach us where our dogs “come from”, behavior-wise. We also want to make certain they are still around for our descendants to enjoy. And if we want to save wolves, we must protect their prey — the deer, moose, caribou, bison and many others. To ensure that the prey have food to eat, and the wolves have space to roam, we must protect their habitat, which means the grass, the bushes and trees, and the rivers and lakes. And clean air. While nature can get on quite well without us humans in the picture, I don’t think we can live without the wilderness. Without clean air and water, without forests to soak up the rains and release the water gradually, and without grassland to prevent erosion and dust storms, and without water to replenish the aquifer of the world, human life, not to mention animal life, cannot be sustained. While I am for saving animals, I am equally interested in saving our own species. Catastrophic floods, dust storms, burning forests and regional droughts are indications that we are not good stewards of the Earth — the only home we have. With this more global concern in mind, I am recommending to everyone a new book: Eco-Economy by Lester R. Brown of the Earth Policy Institute. It is available through our bookstore or through www.earthpolicy.org. Wolf Park itself continues strongly. We have had many visitors this fall. Our “Dog Days” program, held in late August, featured many visiting breeds of dogs and was a spectacular show. The Loop Trail over the new bridge is almost completely finished now, and the bison have learned to swim under the bridge, providing some visitors with a unique thrill. For those with Internet connections, the “Picture of the Day” page on the Wolf Park web site is attracting quite a following. Point your Web browser at www.wolfpark.org/photo_of_the_day.html to see what is going on at the Park today!

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Membership benefits include:

• Free admission to the Park

• Wolf Park News

• 10% off books from the Gift Shop

• Invitation to Members Only Events

• Visitation Privileges With A Wolf* *Adopt-A-Wolf Sponsorship Only

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Open Tuesday to Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. for Howl Night

#�$%��&'� !"�Wolf Park is open every Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for Howl Night only

��('��&)*+�Listen to the intriguing sounds of our wolves as they communicate through their howls. After the lecture, join in

a chorus howl of your own.

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wolves test bison for signs of weakness. Our healthy bison have

nothing to fear from the wolves. Sunday Only: Lecture 1:00 p.m.

followed by demonstration.

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— Members Always Free —

Tuesday - Saturday & Howl Night: Children 1 to 5 years - FREE Children 6 to 13 years - $3.00

14 years and older - $5.00 Sunday:

Children 1 to 5 years - FREE Children 6 to 13 years - $3.00

14 years and older - $6.00

Groups of more than 20 people are admitted at $4.00 each Tues. - Sat. & Howl Nights. On Sun.,

groups of more than 20 are $5.00 per person.

The Institute of Ethology supports research and education:

• Wolf Behavior Seminars

• Internships and Practica

• Year-round research opportunities

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Behavior seminars consist of lectures, slide, video and film presentations, observations and hands-on experience with wolves, and more. The seminars are based on the research carried out at Wolf Park since 1972. Enrollment is limited to 25 per seminar. 5-day seminars require $100 non-refundable deposit to hold a spot; 6-day seminars require $200 non-refundable deposit. Money cannot be applied to future seminars.

“Wolves for Artists” seminar includes live art demos by Jan Martin McGuire, talks, slideshows, and lots and lots of time meeting, photographing, and/or sketching the resident wolves, foxes and coyote. Get personal with

everyone’s favorite painting subject, get reference material, and learn anatomy and behavior, all with the artist in mind. Add the optional one-day photo seminar for even more reference photos. Enrollment limited to 9 persons.

Animal Training Seminar with professional trainer Suzanne Clothier, author of Bones Would Rain From The Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs, covers what goes into making a good human/animal relationship, and how to use it to train and influence behavior.

Photography seminars consist of a talk on photographing wolves, and 3 hours of supervised outdoor photography with photographer Monty Sloan. Participants will photograph Park wolves from inside the enclosure. The wolves are in semi-natural habitat for fantastic photo opportunities. Enrollment limited to 7 persons. Non-refundable full payment of $150 is required to hold a spot. In the event of cancellation, money may be applied to future seminars.

All participants wishing to interact with the wolves must be at least 18 years old and able-bodied enough to withstand enthusiastic greeting from a 100-pound wolf. Restrictions will apply.

One-Day Photography Seminars $150 each 2002: October 28; November 4, 25 2003: March 1, 15, 29; April 5, 19

Three-Day Animal Training Seminar May 9-11 $295 (with Suzanne Clothier)

Six-Day Wolf and Dog Behavior Seminar June 17-22 $720 (with Dr. Ray Coppinger and Ken McCort)

Three-Day “Wolves for Artists” Seminar Sept 12-14 $295 (with Jan Martin McGuire; optional photo seminar Sept 15, add $100)

Five-Day Wolf Behavior Seminar October 15-19 $475

Accommodations are extra for all seminars. Seminars fill up, so reserve your spot now!

Seneca (back), Tristan, Marion and Chetan of the main pack. Photo by Monty Sloan

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Can’t make it out to the Park to peruse our gorgeously-appointed new Gift Shop? Weep no more!

Wolf Park’s Gift Shop now has an online component, so you can shop in the privacy of your home. You can buy memberships or

sponsorships, subscribe to WOLF! Magazine, and sign up for seminars. We also offer a range of wolf jewelry and T-shirts, books, toys, and other neat gifts AVAILABLE NOWHERE ELSE!

Don’t let holiday gift-giving become a hassle this year. Get your shopping done fast at our online gift store!

Don’t know what to get?

Purchase a GIFT CERTIFICATE good for use in our gift shop, or on phone

or mail-in orders!

Good for merchandise, seminars, memberships, or sponsorships — whatever

you can imagine!

Call us at (765) 567-2265, 9-5 Mon-Fri, for more info.

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In this newsletter, we relate a ditty composed by Pat one afternoon after watching Marion being particularly terrible, and “micromanaging” Erin hither and yon all over the enclosure. For best effect, recite this poem in a jolly singsong voice, with hand gestures as appropriate on the WHAPs:

I wish I had a little red box to put Marion in.

I’d take her out and (WHAP) (WHAP) (WHAP) ...then put her right back in!

Pat’s Poetry Corner makes no warrantee, express or implied, as to the humor value of its contents. Discharge only in an unpopulated area, and avoid direct exposure to whipped cream or pasta. While Pat loves to fantasize about putting Marion in a little red box, she would never really do so. We think.

Ken McCort works with Miska.


Wolf Park photographer Tom O’Dowd focuses on the wrong species during the wolf-bison demonstration. (Precisely because of this sort of thing, seminar participants ride in an open-top vehicle during the demo, rather than walking in the field!)



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In the last newsletter, we mentioned that Devon and Ember had dug under the 200-pound slate slabs which we humans had put in the enclosure specifically to stop the foxes digging under them. This newsletter, we bring you the tale of the Second Great Fox Enclosure Remodeling, which features the talents of Tim Smiar, Andrew Miller, and others. First, the humans pulled up the clearly ineffective slabs and threw them away. Then we poured dirt into the den the foxes had dug, covered it with chicken wire, and built a retaining wall to hold the whole mess up. We built a brick “sidewalk”. We built a brick “patio”. We essentially paved that section of the fox enclosure. Devon promptly began to dig under it. We “paved” that section too. Tim and Andrew also finally resurrected the poor old waterfall, whose rubber hose had long “gone to the foxes”, as it were, and gave it a new water pump so that it would not be competing with the fountain (which aerates the water for the pond fish) for water pressure. The fountain was given a cute little waterbell attachment which entertained the foxes no end. Tim also produced a new “low-rider” fox box for the front half of the enclosure. It is six feet long by three feet high and can hold about 20 foxes, and features a porch and an underground entrance. Devon loves it. Ember and Corey like to lie under it in the shade. Volunteer Todd Satterfield and intern Marc Folker also produced some incredible new “fox trees” — including one which has a wire arch for some ivy (when we find ivy foxes won’t eat) and one involving a really cool spiral staircase, just the right size for a fox. Basil enjoys the spiral staircase box, which also features a bridge stretching to the front of the enclosure, encouraging him to visit his admiring public, and a high fox box pointed at all the interesting stuff going on out front. Basil likes to lie in the box upside down for a new outlook on life. Further improvements include plans for new light fixtures, which won’t require rare, exotic light bulbs only sold in Bolivia, and a small public address system so that large Howl Night audiences can hear the fox talks. Thanks are due here to Joe Seibert, who was instrumental in the remodeling. The foxes were temporarily joined this summer by Arctic fox “Effie”, who spent time at the Park on her way to a new home at Animal Ark, in Nevada. Check out her story on page 7.

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DENEB, our oldest wolf by four days, continues to greet visitors with great happiness — for about five minutes. Then she has enough of everybody and goes to receive visitors under her tree, accepting adoration one-at-a-time. She makes exception for Gale Motter, who has been known to stand Deneb repeatedly on her head, to Deneb’s great delight. Deneb has slowed down somewhat on her fence-fighting, but whenever she gets a chance she still reminds everyone that she could lick them with one paw tied behind her back, if only the humans would give her the chance! (We won’t!)

URSA, our other grand old lady, officially made two new friends on September 23. She spent a happy half hour grinning, greeting and sharing gossip with staff members Jess and Andrew, without having to have other staff members to “translate”. Andrew and Jess have been working on making friends with Ursa for some time, and can finally pick up scat, and clean Ursa’s splash tank, without offending the territorial Miss Bear. This step forward allows Jess and Andrew to be more helpful (or annoying?) during Saturday cleanup.

Though ORCA has become somewhat shy of the large crowds of volunteers who come to visit him during cleanup, during weekday visits he is still a perfect gentleman, greeting and slurping with aplomb. In August, Orca went for a walk in the south bison pasture, which had human-head-height grass. When he got tired, he lay down — and it took over two hours to find him “hiding” in the grass. Humans had walked right past him several times and never noticed him. We will not be walking him there again until we mow!

CHANI and SIERRA have been cautiously exploring the idea of coming up to greet visitors to their pen. Provided they enter in small enough groups, interns may sometimes be treated to brief touches of wet nose if they are still and quiet during cleanup. Sierra is still the bolder of the pair, but once Sierra has moved in Chani feels the need to visit too, just to make sure whatever Sierra’s got isn’t something Chani wants. Sierra has been doing her beautiful, silly monkey-howl again, forgetting how to howl in the excitement of rallying with her sister.

KIRI and SOCRATES are losing ground in the struggle to obtain illicit “scrubbies” and other cleanup items from staff during cleanup. Pat and Mark have become much more savvy, and many a brush has gone sailing over the fence long before lupine jaws have a chance to make contact with it. Socrates retains his habit of attempting to “hunt” running water as we fill the boys’ splash tank and water bucket. He paws at the incoming stream, as if trying to pin it down, then snaps at it with his jaws and mouse-pounces on it.

APOLLO, ALYESKA and KARIN have gone on a couple of bison demonstrations this fall, putting on good shows and even consenting, eventually, to be caught again. Karin beat the heat by lying in mud puddles while the demonstration was going on; she and Alyeska also made our “Photo of the Day” web page by putting on a great performance in the Synchronized Attempt to Catch a Bison category.

WILD BILL put on a great grasshopper-catching performance for the art workshop participants on September 20-22, demonstrating how he keeps his round physique though we diet him conscientiously. He still howls like a wind-up ‘yote, taking a few “revs” to get up to speed, but his song is still a welcome one as it doesn’t take much effort for him to get all the wolves howling along. Bill has just finished shedding out his winter coat, just in time to grow a new one for the upcoming colder weather.

The remodeled seat, revamped waterfall, and new “waterbell” fountain in the fox enclosure, constructed by Tim Smiar and Andrew Miller.

Photo by Jessica Willard

Basil in one of the new fox boxes.


Gale (l) and Pat (r) help Dr. Noreen Ziegler massage Deneb. Photo by Monty Sloan


A 17 HP commercial grade DR All-Terrain Field and Brush Mower (www.drpower.com/brushmower), so we can locate our wolves in their weed “forests” during the growing season

Brooms, rakes (metal or plastic)

55 gal heavy duty garbage bags

Copier paper

Glass cleaner, toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap Stamps — 37 cents and 23 cents Please DO NOT SEND WOLF

TREATS right now! … Our wolves are becoming very

round through your generosity! :)

If you have some old equipment you aren’t using, consider donating it to a good cause! Any item you can donate will be greatly appreciated. For more information, please contact us at (765) - 567 - 2265.

Janet Beasley Bob Bell

Marge & Tom Boccio Brett Bogan

Lisa Cavanaugh Gale Chase

Dr. Samuel Conway Raymond Coppinger

Catherine Cross Susie Davis Julie Dyar

Phyllis Feldner Barbara Fisher Anita Freeman

Christina Gillespie Gus Grissom Jane Grow

Roberta Gumport Ronald Hallam

Paul Hebert Melinda Hewlett

Ethel Horton

Lisa Irvin Trish Jenkins Chris Johnson Carrie Kelley

Nick Knickrehm Michael Kreiman

Janet Lidle Bob & Jeanne Luce

Jane Masterson Ken McCort

Lisa McDonald Bob & Gail

McGaughey Karen Menzyk Doris Mettier

Cas & Lorrie Morris Jo Ann Mullen

Mary Ann Nutter Matt Palguta Toni Parker Jim Phillips

Cliffe Pickering

Richard & Wendy Pini Debbie Poiles Nick Prentoff

Christopher Roscher Amanda Russell Reta Rutledge

David Sassman Joe Seibert

Alexandra Sheldon Joan Silaco Doug Smith

Helen Toohey Kim Truttschel Jim Turgeon

Frank & Marj Wahl John Weikel David Wilson

Michael Wiltsie Glenn Zabec Richard Zeis

Stone Container Corp (Uncasville Mill)

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The persons named below have been kind enough to donate something to WOLF PARK — be it time, computer parts, wolf treats, or, yes, money. We

thank them for their efforts and appreciate all that they have given us.

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Every year, some extremely nice people descend on Wolf Park, offering that most valuable of resources — their time. Volunteers visit for as little as a few hours a week to every day; practicums spend a month; and interns, the Park’s most important resource, generously donate three months of their time. In re-turn, the Park provides them all with an unparalleled opportunity for both re-search and fun, as they interact with the Park wolves, give tours, do landscaping and repair, exhaust the Park library and talk with the staff.

Pat takes Apollo to meet interns in a “drive-by” visitation on leash. Photo by Monty Sloan

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Jerry Cartwright for food, cleaning stuff, a wheelbarrow, and other good things!

Deborah and Fritz Dolak for the Toshiba laptop which will be a great boon to our off-site programs

and breeding season watch!

Lisa McDonald for arctic and silver fox specimens for our slowly growing museum!

Jan Martin McGuire for helping to make the first three-day “Wolves for Artists” workshop a success!

….

And, of course, ALL of our members! We couldn’t have come this far without you!

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Hamish Allanson, practicum, is from Crozet, France and is currently attending the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He is majoring in physics and is “between pets”; his hobbies consist of “basketball, basketball, and more basketball”.

Leah Collett, practicum, is studying Zoology at Bangor University in the UK, and has worked at the Portsmouth Aquarium and the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. She enjoys roller-blading, motor-sports, reading, swimming and traveling, and owns a pet water dragon.

Noreen Goossens, practicum, is studying animal management at the Van Hall Institute in the Netherlands. She has volunteered with the Red Cross, enjoys reading, swimming and traveling, and owns a rabbit.

Joke Maes, practicum, whose first name is pronounced “yo-kah”, also attends the Van Hall Institute in the Netherlands, also studying animal management! She has worked as a mentor at a children’s farm, enjoys dance, drama and photography, and owns two cats.

Katjana Mahnke, intern, has just graduated from school in Hamburg, Germany. She is thinking about majoring in graphic design or medicine (either human or animal). She enjoys horseback riding and has worked giving horseback tours to tourists. She owns one dog.

Ruth Springer, intern, is from Koeln, Germany. She has worked at the Institure of Zoology at the University of Koeln as an animal keeper, and has been a travel guide in Italy, Mexico, and France. She owns a cat, gerbils and a horse.

Mariko Yamada, practicum, is studying synthetic policy at Nanzan University in Japan. She enjoys horseback riding and owns a dog; she hopes to get into field research and learn more about animals.

Also, Hannes Henzinger and Phillip Krupczynski, who have been to the Park before as interns and should therefore know better, both returned this year to spend a little more time helping out at the Park.

Thanks, guys! We really appreciate all your help!


Support Wolf Park’s mission and activities and get the opportunity to greet the hand-raised wolves by becoming a wolf sponsor. A privilege of this program is the chance to meet a wolf first hand. The personal bond between a real live wolf and her/his sponsors forms a bridge of concern for wolves in the wild, for which our wolves are ambassadors. On behalf of the wolves in the wild and in captivity, we appreciate your continued support through our various levels of membership, including the Adopt-A-Wolf program.

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Single membership includes free admission for one to the Park for one

year, a 10% discount on books in the gift shop, invitations to members-only events, and our quarterly newsletter Wolf Park News.

Family memberships include all of the above plus free admission for

up to 8 family members per visit for the year of membership.

Group memberships include free admission to the Park for up to 12

members of a group on any one visit. (These can be different members on each trip!) Includes one copy of newsletter and materials (to share), and 10% discount on books in the gift shop.

Adopt-A-Wolf includes family membership, plus a personalized

Leader of the Pack Certificate with a photo of “your” wolf and signed by the director. You will have visiting privileges and contact with your wolf during your sponsorship in most circumstances. If your wolf is aggressive or shy, or for some reason we do not believe a visit would be a positive experience for you or your wolf, another will stand as proxy. You must be 18 or older to meet a wolf. You will receive a life history of your wolf, quarterly updates and photos. After the spring shedding season you will receive a sample of wool from your wolf.

Only the Adopt-A-Wolf program includes the opportunity to meet a wolf.

Name: ______________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________ City: ________________________________________________ State: _________ Zip: _____________ Phone: ____________

� My check for $_____________________ is enclosed or Please make checks payable to: NAWPF or WOLF PARK

You may charge my: � MASTERCARD � VISA CARD

Account # ______________________ Expiration Date __________

Sign here: _________________________________________________ Your signature is required for MC and VISA charges.

�-��$*��.��+��,�'-��*&�4��'��-&''�&��'�(" I plan to contribute my Adopt-A-Wolf gift in:

��'�)&-+��-�/�31%!!��3�&��+�''��+��-�/ �%01��Quarterly payments are also accepted via automatic withdrawal on Mastercard or Visa

I would like to adopt _______________________________________ If you have no preference, a wolf will be selected for you.

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WOLF PARK, Battle Ground IN 47920 (765) 567-2265

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�#� ��,�52�Erin, born in 1998, is beta female in Wolf Park’s main pack. Erin is a strikingly marked gray female with a beautiful musical howl. She loves meeting new people.

Other wolves in the main pack: Seneca, Tristan and Chetan (grey males), Miska (black male), and Marion (grey female).

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by Pat Goodmann One of the defining days of summer at the Park is the Watermelon Feast. It is held on the Saturday nearest the Fourth of July, which this year was July 6th. Each wolf receives a watermelon which has been partly hollowed out and stuffed with a variety of treats. In some respects this year’s feast went more smoothly than last year’s. In the main pack, all six wolves were waiting on the west side of the enclosure for melon distribution. Due to politics within the pack, Seneca, Miska, and Marion were summarily stuffed in the airlock with me for company, while Gale distracted Tristan, which allowed Chetan to enjoy his melon in peace. Erin came over and got to enjoy hers too. Over at East Lake, giving melons to Kiri and Socrates went more smoothly than last year; this time the boys waited instead of trying to loot and pillage for melons. Neither did Kiri target anyone’s bottom for tweaking as we pushed in the green “Roadkill a la Carte” with its booty of melons. The Pillows were rowdy about claiming the melons and got rowdier because it was a long walk from their airlock to the deck area where we planned to hand the melons over. The melon I was carrying was seized by looting, pillaging wolves in spite of my attempts to defend it by twirling and dodging. Wild Bill performed a thrilling balancing act with his melon. The elderly but increasingly dapper looking yote put on a display of restrained tension and ap-plied physics (bodies in motion - or about to be) reminiscent of important turn-ing points in, say, golf. In other words, he rolled his melon right to the edge of his deck where it teetered suspensefully as he got its lid off and explored the contents. We humans held our breaths, watching to see if it fell off the edge. Deneb, who has a small and intensely discriminating appetite, eventually took some treats out of her melon but she was not as enthusiastic about it as some of the wolves. Orca started to waddle off carrying his, with a grip on the edge of the “treat-hole” in the top. It is not uncommon for wolves to acquire a taste for the sweeter varieties of fruits and vegetables if they have access to them. Our wolves differ in how much they like watermelon but generally they prefer the pulp in the heart of the melon, getting less interested as they nibble closer to the rind. Orca, perpetually on a diet to ensure his hindquarters don’t have to work hauling around unnecessary avoirdupois, tends to like whatever food is within reach, so perhaps it was not entirely due to the watermelon’s taste that we found his melon nibbled right down to the rind. Chani and Sierra approached their watermelons with grave suspicion. Their body postures incorporated telescoping their necks out to giraffe-like lengths, and “hyena haunches”, with each sister having her hindquarters well tucked into a squat. Eventually a greatly daring Sierra chose a melon, seized it and made off with it while Chani kept nosing the remaining one cautiously in case it turned out to be an exploding melon. Ursa lost interest quickly, and only with dexterity, difficulty, and determina-tion was she briefly caught in the same frame as her melon for photographs. Time always brings change to the pack. Last year it was changes in the male rank order. This year rank order in the pack has stayed the same as it has been since late winter: Seneca and Marion are alphas, Tristan is the num-ber two male and Miska has managed to hang onto the number three position, leaving Chetan at the bottom of the male rank order. Erin is the number two female, and, since Maya’s death in March, Erin is also the lowest ranking fe-male. She gets along reasonably well with all the males — they tolerate her best when she is not being highly exuberant about greeting them. Instead of rank order, another very welcome change has come to pass.

Tristan, the main pack’s beta male, enjoys some melon on the hollow log. Photo by Monty Sloan


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Some time early this summer, a six-pound female Arctic fox entered a factory in Jackson, Tennessee, and walked right up to some of the workers. Since Arctic foxes are not native to Tennessee, it is likely that she was raised as someone’s “pet”, and abandoned when she began to cause problems. The workers caught her and took her to a wildlife rehabilitator, who called Wolf Park hoping to find a home for her here. “Effie” was leash-trained, friendly, handleable, and enjoyed eating sardines. She was extremely interested in the rehabilitator’s dogs, and in making friends (or enemies) with a rescued raccoon also living on the property. Unfortunately, she was also taking up a cage which could be better used to house injured wildlife, and she was becoming bored in the tiny, confined space, and starting to dig. She loved being around humans. Wolf Park took Effie in, on a trial basis, to see if she could become a new educational animal at Wolf Park. Because she was clearly unafraid of humans, Effie was not a candidate for release into the wild. Unfortunately, she was also not a candidate for living at Wolf Park. We had neither the money nor the space to build her an enclosure, and our four resident red foxes made it very clear that they weren’t about to share their living space with a squeaky young upstart like Effie. Wolf Park got in contact with Animal Ark, a rescue facility just outside of Reno, Nevada. One of their Arctic foxes had just died, leaving an Arctic-fox-shaped hole in their environment. They would love to have a young, hand-raised, goofy little lady like Effie! Permits were promptly o b t a i n e d , v a c c i n a t i o n s administered, and preparations made for Effie to travel to a new home. By the time you read this, Effie will have started her new life in Nevada, helping to educate people about Arctic foxes and why they (and other wild animals) don’t make good pets.

Photo by Monty Sloan Effie, the Arctic fox, who visited the Park this summer.

Seneca has gotten to the point of not just tolerat-ing Howl Nights, but possibly beginning to enjoy them. Seneca has not enjoyed many Howl Nights since the fall of 1996 when something convinced him that nighttime audiences were frightening and dangerous. Pacing up and down in front of the bleachers he gave the impression that he was patrolling, looking for danger. Nearly every time he found it: a visitor leaning over the fence or squatting down to Seneca’s level and making direct eye contact, or perhaps some children were scuffing gravel in his direc-tion and making faces at him or growling and barking. A row of human faces arrayed on top of an undulating surface was deeply disturbing, even in daylight, so families sharing a blanket on the bleachers in cold weather were cause for stares and deep hoarse howls that were also extremely loud. For a long time we simply took Seneca out of this distressing situation by inviting him to have some snacks in the holding pen during Howl Night. Then we let him stay out for Howl Nights with small audiences or kept him in the holding pen for most of the program, letting him out in time for the final hu-man chorus howl of the evening. Gradually we extended the time he could be out. Now he is doing so well that I am thinking about letting him participate in the Howl Nights around the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon. The Feast is held at Fort Ouiatenon and we always get a large crowd, many of them in distinctive eighteenth century garb and bearing twenty-first century cameras with flash attachments. This would have been unthinkable two years ago. What has changed since last October? Though time has passed, that is not enough to account for the improvement in Seneca’s behavior. Several things are different at Howl Night. For years now we have worked to get the audience to participate in Seneca’s change in attitude. By telling them what Seneca does as a precursor to disrupting the program, and explaining how to modify their behavior to avoid upsetting him, we engage them as part of the solution. The visitors have been largely very sympathetic to Seneca and want to help him. Having social interactions among the wolves and handlers take place farther back from the fence preempts Seneca’s attention, which makes him less likely to pace and scan the audience for behaviors that provoke his bark howls. Gale Motter, who has won Seneca’s affections, keeps him in an endorphin haze by triggering his scratch reflexes throughout the handling demonstration. Before the audience howls we station Seneca on either the root ball or the hollow tree trunk and have him howl from there. As much as possible we try to trigger a rally on or near either of his two “stations”. As long as he stays there and howls and rallies he cannot also pace the fence, stare at the audience, and decide they are too menacing to tolerate. Keeping a greater distance between Seneca and the audience also seems to decrease the effect of behaviors which upset him. Seneca has taken to “stationing” very well; I sometimes have the impression he has learned to wait, along with the audience, while I count to three to signal the onset of a human chorus howl. Also, Monty has acquired an incredible digital camera. He can take over 300 pictures and can simply delete the ones that don’t meet his criteria. This means Monty takes far more pictures now than he did when he was using film. This also means Monty is often in the enclosure during Howl Night programs, working the flash attachment on his camera over and over and over. Coming from Monty, the flashes were apparently more tolerable to Seneca than if they came from the audience. It brought a frightening stimulus down to a level that Seneca could tolerate. After being repeatedly photographed by Monty, whom he trusts completely, Seneca now tolerates camera flash activity from the audi-ence to a degree that he never did before. When starting to let the audience take flash pictures in Seneca’s presence, we were still cautious, at first only letting people take a few flash pictures for a limited time during the program and only if they were on the upper (faraway) tiers of the bleachers. And we began trying this in the spring as the days were getting long and the flash intensity was decreased by increasingly light eve-nings. Throughout this period we watched Seneca carefully for signs we were proceeding too fast. Well before the autumnal equinox we were usually letting

people take flash pictures throughout the pro-gram. I can only remember two occasions this summer when I asked people to stop taking flash pictures entirely during a program. [Note: if you attend a future Howl Night we may still, on some evenings, ask people to limit their flash pictures or to refrain entirely.] Increasing the complexity of social interac-tions between wolves and humans during Howl Night, staff members Jessica Willard and An-drew Miller have been taking part in Howl Night demonstrations. Jess and Andrew have been working for over a year, getting into the good graces of Seneca and Miska. Going in during the Howl Night programs, when the wolves are more easily aroused (or sometimes already excited when we go in the gate) is another im-portant step forward in becoming a full fledged

human member of the mixed-species social group. Seneca has been very interested in Jess and Andrew’s presence in the evening and also in whether they have treats and in getting them to scratch him. He and they are still working out their relationship. Are they servants? Friends? Co-equals? Do they have to scratch him whenever he asks? Does he have to ask or can he demand scratches? Such fascinating topics occupy Seneca to the point that he really does not have the time or inclination to scan the audience for danger that he used to have. We applaud Seneca, and our cooperative audiences, and we continue to support Seneca in his progress in moving beyond something that used to be a major issue for him.

Chetan, of the main pack, enjoys his watermelon. Photo by Monty Sloan

WOLF PARK NEWS is published by the North American Wildlife Park Foundation, Inc. © 2001, all rights reserved. All correspondence should be addressed to : WOLF PARK NEWS, WOLF PARK, Battle Ground, IN 47920. (765) 567-2265 Website: www.wolfpark.org

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of NAWPF, but are those of the individual authors.

Editor in Chief: Erich Klinghammer, Ph.D., Director Editor: Jessica Willard Photographer: Monty Sloan

NAWPF is a 501 (c)3 Non-Profit Organization.

WOLF PARK / NAWPF Battle Ground, IN 47920 USA

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Wolf Park is a unique research and education facility located just outside Battle Ground, Indiana. Its hand-raised wolves, foxes and coyote and its herd of more than a dozen American bison give visitors opportunities available nowhere else:

� WATCH THE HUNT View effective antipredator behavior by bison in the wolf-bison demonstration each Sunday at 1:00 pm, May-November.

� HOWL WITH THE PACK Hear wolves howl from less than 10 feet away during Howl Nights, Friday May-November, Saturday year-round, at 7:30 pm.

� MEET A WOLF Meet a wolf, fox or coyote face-to-face via our Adopt-A-Wolf program. (See page 6 for more details!) Wolf Park also features guided tours, educational programs, talks on behavior and communication, "fox talks", WOLF! Magazine, wolf behavior seminars, videos, slideshows, kids' activities and volunteer programs, a gift shop, and much more. Check out our web site, www.wolfpark.org, for more information! Join the pack -- become a member of Wolf Park and get up close and personal with one of the world’s most misunderstood predators!

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This handsome male wolf looks like he wants a kiss! What’s really going on?

Wolves use a gesture

called a “lick intention” to indicate a number of

emotions, from uncertainty to submission to extreme happiness. The

wolf licks the air with repeated brief flicks of its

tongue.

This particular happy wolf is making lick intentions

because someone off-camera is scratching a very itchy spot on his

neck! His lick intentions signal that he is enjoying himself. A special camera lens makes it look like he

wants to clean out the photographer’s nostrils.

Check out more wolf facts

at www.wolfpark.org!

Directions to Wolf Park:

To reach WOLF PARK from Interstate 65, take the exit for Indiana State Road 43 North (Brookston, West Lafayette Exit # 178). Go north on 43 a mile to State Road 225. Turn right (east) and go about 2 miles directly into Battle Ground. Drive straight through town, cross the railroad tracks and stay to the left. Drive one long block to Jefferson St. and turn left. Follow Jefferson St. about 1 1/2 miles until you come to a large sign on your right for WOLF PARK. We are just 1/4 mile up the gravel drive.

Printed on recycled paper.

Marion, a four-year-old female wolf, investigates a cardboard box given to her as part of Wolf Park’s environmental enrichment program.


new educational offerings take off - wolf park...author of bones would rain from the sky: deepening...

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