WOLVES' PERSONALITIES EMERGE FOR VISITORS TO WOLF PARK
Steve Wright And Heidi Johnson-Wright
Special To The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
As one approaches this tiny burg, the land spreads out majestically, dotted
here and there with farms and stretches of woodland and meadows. It's a
little
like stepping back in time to when the Midwest was rugged and agrarian, when
one might have actually encountered feral creatures of folktales and
legends.
Wolf Park is a humble, rustic place where clearly the emphasis is on the
creatures that live there. Catching a glimpse of a couple of the wolves from
across the park's large pond is magical, a bit surreal. Soon they come
loping
around the pond and over to the area where the humans are clustered. They
are
curious, intelligent and more gregarious than we had envisioned.
The wolves are wiry, lean, agile. Their markings run the full spectrum:
white
with cream-color splotches, familiar brownish-gray like those seen in
movies,
and others jet black with piercing green eyes.
There are 20 big, beautiful gray wolves at the 75-acre park. Since 1972, the
nonprofit education and research center has studied reproductive, interpack
social and other wolf behaviors.
Wolf Park, situated a dozen miles from Lafayette in northwestern Indiana, is
open to the public for a nominal fee. Entering the compound, we felt as if
we'd
been given a special weekend pass into the lives of wild, mysterious, yet
somewhat doglike creatures. Immediately, the particular wolf personalities
emerge. Some take center stage and dominate, while others hang back
observing.
They are surprisingly playful.
The wolves are separated into packs that are protected by double rows of
chain-link fence. Most visitors watch feedings and educational programs from
a
viewing area outside the fencing. Visitors who adopt a wolf (for a donation
of
$125 a year), get to go through a locked gate to visit their adoptees.
Tension
mounts just before the humans invade their turf, but it quickly subsides. It
's
clear the wolves are pleased to interact with their biped friends, greeting
them with generous face licks as they might greet other wolves. They have no
prejudices about these funny-looking, upright, ad hoc pack members.
Well-behaved, respectful humans are welcome here.
After all, wolves are the ancestors of all domestic dogs. But lest we become
lulled by their friendliness and their resemblance to malamutes or German
shepherds that share food from our tables or sleep at our feet, we are
brought
back to reality. A primal, feral, hair-raising group howl rises into the
air.
We quickly understand that humans can only reach a small patch of common
ground
with these emissaries of the wilderness.While we sat mesmerized by the
rising
chorus of a midday howl, we listened to a guide's informative talk. She said
the wolves:
* Weigh 75 to 100 pounds, and males weigh more than females. Wolves lose
some
insulating fat and shed much of their fur in the summer and weigh less then.
* Do not get to be leader of the pack purely based on size. Aggression,
leadership and sometimes luck seem to play just as big a role in determining
who will be the alpha male and female of a given wolf pack.
* Live about 12 to 14 years at Wolf Park. Some have lived as long as 17
years.
Wolves in the wild live about six to eight years.
* Are meat-eating predators. Wolf park's gray wolves eat mostly deer (in the
form of road kill brought to the preserve).
* Have jaw muscles that are twice as powerful as those of German shepherds
and
can produce pressure of 1,500 pounds per square inch. Wolves have 42 teeth.
The largest pack of Wolf Park wolves roam a naturalistic, nearly seven-acre
enclosure that has rolling grasslands and a pond. The enclosure accommodates
wolf viewing with a raised outdoor seating area and a climate-controlled,
glass-enclosed complex that also is elevated and equipped with telescopes
for
close-up glances at the wolves.
The seven-wolf main pack -- with regally named members such as Seneca, Miska
and Tristan -- lives near the entrance to Wolf Park. The entrance area also
has
an enclosure that is home to four red foxes. A gift shop with an array of
wolf
pictures, magnets, snow globes, postcards and other souvenirs is also
situated
in this area.
Visitors can also stroll a quarter-mile past the main area on an escorted
walking tour of the wolf retirement section, where animals that can no
longer
live in the main pack, as well as some wolves from zoos that needed new
homes,
now live. This section, known as East Lake, is home to Orca, a much-beloved
former alpha male who was removed from the main pack when he severely
injured
his back in 1997.
Wolf Park's East Lake area also is home to Wild Bill, the coyote, and a herd
of
15 bison that are often included in the presentations. Each Sunday, the
wolves
are released into the bisons' pasture. The demonstration shows how wolves
hunt
in packs and how the bison take defensive measures. Staffers make sure that
neither species is injured during the 20-minute demonstration.
The staff appears to be quite committed to the wolves' well-being, treating
the
wolves like family members. They approach their work with fervor as well as
whimsy, as demonstrated by an Easter egg hunt held for the wolves each
spring.
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Getting there: Wolf Park is two miles north of Battle Ground, which is 12
miles
north of Lafayette and 72 miles northwest of Indianapolis. From St. Louis, a
possible route would be I-70 east to Effingham, then I-57 north to
Champaign-Urbana, then I-74 east into Indiana, then Highway 231 north to
Lafayette. For directions to the park, call the park or visit its Web site.
Hours: The park is open to the public 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
from
May 1 to Dec. 1. It also is open at 7:30 p.m. Saturdays year-round (plus
Fridays May 1 to Dec. 1) for Howl Night programs. Howl Night features
wolfpack
howling and programs that explain why wolves howl.
Cost: The entrance fee is $4 ($5 for Sundays when the wolf-bison
demonstrations
take place) for ages 14 and older. Children 6 to 13 are $3, and admission is
free for ages 5 and under.
Accessibility: Wolf Park is moderately wheelchair-accessible. The grass
parking
lot has one handicapped space, and one of the pair of portable restrooms is
ramped and wide enough for a wheelchair. The gift shop and enclosed
observation
area are ramped. The outdoor fixed- seating area isn't accessible, but there
is
room next to the bleachers for wheelchair users to roll up for a view of the
wolves. There are now paved pathways through the grounds. Because the
quarter-mile path to the wolf retirement section is rather rocky, disabled
visitors are allowed to drive to the East Lake area to rejoin the tour along
a
grassy but flat pathway.
More information: Wolf Park, 4012 East 800 North, Battle Ground, Ind. 47920;
765-567-2265; www.wolfpark.org.
Steve Wright And Heidi Johnson-Wright
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