Mar. 8, 2014
Wolf Park Open House: Guests gather for a tour during an open house Saturday, March 8, 2014, at Wolf Park near Battle Ground. The free event took place from 1-4 p.m. As of 2 p.m., Wolf Park officials said over 400 people had already come through the doors to see and learn
Bicho, one of the resident wolves, watches as guests arrive during an open house Saturday, March 8, 2014, at Wolf Park near Battle Ground. The free event took place from 1-4 p.m. As of 2 p.m., Wolf Park officials said over 400 people had already come through the doors to see and learn about wolves.
Andi Van Zant snaps a few photos of the wolves as her husband,
Alex, looks on Saturday during an open house at Wolf Park near Battle
Ground. The couple, who are from Indianapolis, said is was their first
visit to Wolf Park. / John Terhune/Journal & Courier
Standing
about 5 feet away, Betty Ross quickly snapped a photo of Fiona, the
dark wolf peering curiously back, her yellow eyes radiant in the gray
cold.
Only a 7-foot chain link fence separated Ross from the wolf. However, she stayed and watched the animal, full of fascination. “I’ve always wanted to see wolves,” said Ross, 38, of Flora. “See how they are and hopefully learn from them. I wouldn’t think you’d be able to take pictures from so close. We have coyotes that come around our property, and those are a little scarier.”
Ross was among more than 400 visitors who attended Wolf Park’s annual free open house Saturday. Visitors toured the 14 enclosures on the 75-acre property in Battle Ground, where they saw wolves, coyotes, foxes and bison.
Wolf biologist Erich Klinghammer founded the park more than 40 years ago to create a safe place for scientists to study wolves and for the public to interact with them up close while learning about their behavior, said Pat Goodmann, head animal curator. Goodmann, who studied under Klinghammer, said the annual March open house allows park fans to see how the wolves are faring after a long winter.
On Saturday, guests trekked the muddy ground under a falling of snow flurries. Although bundled in coats and hats, many found the outdoor trip a much-needed remedy for cabin fever. “My kids and I haven’t been at Wolf Park for a while,” said Mark Hunley, 55, of Delphi. “We thought we’d come and get outside because we’ve been cooped up for so long.” Similar to Ross, Hunley also appreciated seeing the wolves up close. “This is a unique opportunity to see wolves and learn more about them,” he said.
After entering the park through the gift store, visitors gathered near Turtle Lake, named after the pond full of turtles, where onlookers took pictures of the almost 2-year-old wolves — Fiona, Bicho and Kanti — biting at each other’s faces, wagging their tails or stalking the fences to get closer to humans.
Goodman said their comfort level is a result of intense exposure to human contact after birth. The wolves were taken from their mother at 10 days and raised by humans for the first few weeks. “They are not stressed by having a big group of strangers come and look at them in close quarters,” Goodmann said. “They find people interesting, and it’s nice for people to come in and look at them up close.”
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Only a 7-foot chain link fence separated Ross from the wolf. However, she stayed and watched the animal, full of fascination. “I’ve always wanted to see wolves,” said Ross, 38, of Flora. “See how they are and hopefully learn from them. I wouldn’t think you’d be able to take pictures from so close. We have coyotes that come around our property, and those are a little scarier.”
Ross was among more than 400 visitors who attended Wolf Park’s annual free open house Saturday. Visitors toured the 14 enclosures on the 75-acre property in Battle Ground, where they saw wolves, coyotes, foxes and bison.
Wolf biologist Erich Klinghammer founded the park more than 40 years ago to create a safe place for scientists to study wolves and for the public to interact with them up close while learning about their behavior, said Pat Goodmann, head animal curator. Goodmann, who studied under Klinghammer, said the annual March open house allows park fans to see how the wolves are faring after a long winter.
On Saturday, guests trekked the muddy ground under a falling of snow flurries. Although bundled in coats and hats, many found the outdoor trip a much-needed remedy for cabin fever. “My kids and I haven’t been at Wolf Park for a while,” said Mark Hunley, 55, of Delphi. “We thought we’d come and get outside because we’ve been cooped up for so long.” Similar to Ross, Hunley also appreciated seeing the wolves up close. “This is a unique opportunity to see wolves and learn more about them,” he said.
After entering the park through the gift store, visitors gathered near Turtle Lake, named after the pond full of turtles, where onlookers took pictures of the almost 2-year-old wolves — Fiona, Bicho and Kanti — biting at each other’s faces, wagging their tails or stalking the fences to get closer to humans.
Goodman said their comfort level is a result of intense exposure to human contact after birth. The wolves were taken from their mother at 10 days and raised by humans for the first few weeks. “They are not stressed by having a big group of strangers come and look at them in close quarters,” Goodmann said. “They find people interesting, and it’s nice for people to come in and look at them up close.”
source
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