Behavior Intensive Weekend

Behavior Intensive Weekend

The ultimate time to visit Wolf Park, if seeing wolves ‘behaving’ is what you want, is during our winter Behavior Intensive!  The wolves are more active at this time of year due to the combination of their breeding season which elevates hormone levels, and the brisk weather.  The pond usually freezes over, and the wolves frolic and fight across the ice, and all around the enclosure!

This seminar includes several sessions in our Observation Building which has wall sized windows overlooking the main pack’s seven acre enclosure.  Participants sit with Wolf Park’s head wolf curator, Pat Goodmann, and watch the wolves as Pat narrates what is going on amongst the wolves.  A combination of talks, video, and live observation of the wolves makes this seminar uniquely perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about wolf behavior.  This is great preparation for someone planning a trip to Yellowstone or Denali, who wants to be able to identify what wolves are doing that they observe in the wild.  It is also fascinating for most dog trainers, and dog lovers, who are curious about the origins of dog behavior. (Or attend the Wolves and Dogs: Understanding canine behavior seminar in November)

Sample Topics

Biology and Ecology of Wolves

Locomotion, Play and other Behaviors

Agonistic and Predatory Behaviors

Seasons of the Wolf 

Vocalization and Courtship Behavior 

Comparison of Captive and Wild Wolf Behavior

Seminars include three full days of activities, plus some meals.  All three lunches plus two simple breakfasts are included in the fee, plus a one year single membership to Wolf Park.  We provide you with a ceramic Wolf Park mug for use all weekend, and as a souvenir.  A binder with all basic information about Wolf Park will also be provided.  Our Wolf Ethogram and Wolf Management Chapter will be given to participants upon arrival. 

Due to the elevated aggression levels in the wolves at this time of year we do not promise that participants will be able to meet the wolves, entering the enclosures, as safety is our first priority.  However, many years during this seminar we have had at least one wolf that we felt was going to be comfortable meeting the seminar participants, and we have had the pleasure of introducing a wolf or two to the Behavior Seminar participants.  But we have to leave that as only an optional activity, to be determined during the seminar.

Yes-  it is cold in Indiana in February!  But most of your time will be spent in our lovely, climate controlled buildings.  If you are lucky, there will be snow on the ground, .0and it will be quite beautiful in this rural area.  Also, as a bonus-  in Fall of 2011 we are building a new building which will include real, flushing toilets!!  For those of you who have enjoyed our port-o-pots in previous years, this will be quite a refreshing change, especially on a sub-freezing morning after watching wolves for a couple hours!

Our gift shop is stocked with much Wolf Park related merchandise, as well as many photos of our resident wolves and other animals.  All purchases support our work at Wolf Park, educating the public about wolves, canid behavior, predator’s roles in nature, and the web of life.