Wolf Intensive Weekend

Get really "into" wolves with Wolf Intensive Weekend!

Try this intense 3-day experience for anyone who is interested in wolves.  Expand your horizons with the Wolf Park teaching staff, both two- and four-legged.  Get the real deal on hunting behavior and hear what's up with howling. Meet some of Wolf Park's resident wolves on their own turf, and see how they compare to the domestic dog. Follow a year in the life of a wolf pack, learn about myths and folklore surrounding wolves, watch the unique Wolf/Bison Demonstration up close and personal, and then catch up on current events in the wolf world. For those who can't get enough of wolves, this experience can't be beat!

This workshop is a chance to spend three whole days immersed in wolves.  It is a bit of a sampler, with every sort of wolf topic packed into a three day weekend, so anyone can make time to come and meet our wolves, and learn all about these amazing canids.

Participants will learn about the wolf as a species, as well as about its physical body, from its skeleton to its fur.  Some canid evolution will be included, so you may understand better where wolves descended from, how they are related to coyotes, and how dogs showed up a few thousand years ago.

There will be a good dose of behavior thrown in, since that is Wolf Park's specialty.  You can get a strong introduction to the wolf ethogram Wolf Park's staff has created, which is now being used by researchers all over the world.  Saturday and Sunday mornings participants get to sit with Pat Goodmann, behavior guru, and observe the main pack.  On Sunday, participants ride into the field where the wolf/bison demonstration is happening, and get a close look at predatory behavior.

The history of wolves will also be covered, including how they became endangered, and what is going on today with wild wolf populations in the US and around the world.  We will also discuss the mythology of wolves, and how different cultures have perceived wolves through history.

The highlight of the weekend for some participants might be the visits with our wolves.  Seminarians will get to enter the main pack enclosure and interact with the wolves there.  There will also be visits with the foxes and coyote.

Tentative Schedule

FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
9 am Welcome to Wolf Park; introduction 11 am Basic wolf ecology and physiology 12 noon Lunch 2 pm Walking tour of Wolf Park, history of Wolf Park 3 pm Wolf ethogram 4 pm Meet foxes Dinner with the group 7:30 pm Howl Night	7 am Wolf observations 8 am Continental breakfast 9 am Taxonomy and evolution of canids 10 am Wolf's first year; Wolf Park socialization 11 am Year in the life of a wolf pack 12 noon Lunch 1 pm Social behavior: Wolf to wolf and wolf to human 2 pm Meet main pack wolves 4 pm Hunting and predatory behavior 5 pm Dinner 7:30 pm Howl Night	7 am Wolf observations 8 am Continental breakfast 9 am Myth and folklore 10 am History and recovery of wolves 11 am Current events in the wolf world 12 noon Lunch 1 pm Join public at bleachers for wolf/bison lecture 1:45 pm Board truck to watch wolf/bison demo in pasture 3 pm Feeding demo at bleachers 3:30 pm How do you save the wolves? 4:30 pm Finish up - fill out evaluations 5 pm Seminar ends

Instructors:
Erich Klinghammer
Pat Goodmann
Gale Motter
Monty Sloan
Anne Firestone

Participants must be over 18 years of age in order to enter the enclosure with the wolves.

Cost includes materials, some meals, and a one- year single membership to the Park.

CANCELLATION POLICY
Wolf Park reserves the right to cancel a seminar if there are fewer than 5 participants registered as of 30 days before the start of the seminar.  In the case of cancellation, we will refund registration fees in full, or the participant can choose to transfer into a different seminar.