Wolves Feast on Watermelon for Summertime Treat (PHOTOS)

Michele Berger Published: Aug 20, 2013

A gray wolf named Renki bites into a watermelon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A gray wolf named Renki eats a watermelon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

 

A wolf named Fiona enjoys a melon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A gray wolf named Wolfgang eats his watermelon in the shade at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A wolf named Fiona carries a melon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A wolf named Fiona enjoys a melon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A gray wolf carries a watermelon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A wolf named Fiona grabs a melon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A gray wolf carries a watermelon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A gray wolf named Wolfgang enjoys a watermelon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A gray wolf feasts on a watermelon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

A wolf named Fiona enjoys a melon at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind. (Monty Sloan/Wolf Park)

Wolves live with a permanent fur coat, which is great for thriving in places where temperatures can drop far below freezing. But what about when it’s sizzling hot, like the temps the most recent heat wave produced in many parts of the country? These canids could sure use some help keeping cool.

Though wolves shed much of their fur for cooler summertime living, the not-for-profit Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Ind., — where temperatures in July hit the mid-90s — offers another respite:

watermelons. We’ve got the pictures (in the slideshow above) to prove it. According to Discovery News, the annual event started when staffers noticed wolves looking “longingly” at guests’ watermelon slices one Fourth of July.

Every July, the wolves, foxes and coyotes that live on the land get the refreshing treat, but with a twist; each is stuffed with pig ears, cheese or dog biscuits. Yum. The park calls it environmental enrichment, “something to roll on, stuff their noses in, paw, lick, chew, scent-mark and defend.”

The fruit feast veers from the typical wolf diet, which mainly comprises most types of meat. In the wild, these animals do supplement with fruits and vegetables, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but the produce above couldn't provide enough nutrients for them to survive.

Apparently, Wolf Park’s not the only places where these creatures get watermelons. At Wolf Haven International, in Tenino, Wash., the animals get the pink-and-green fruit in the summer (and pumpkins in October) as part of the organization’s program to keep the wolves from getting bored. String cheese, popsicles and “canine-safe” baked goods are also in the mix.

Wolf Park’s Watermelon Party has been going on for 13 years, according to Discovery News. For your mental respite today, click through to see Renki, Fiona and the rest of the park’s 10 wolves chowing down.

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