Scat Award
Media Releases
Financials
Wolf Related Headlines
|
May 2, 2008
Two young wolf ambassadors will soon teach the public about wolf behavior at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota,
and around the world.
International Wolf Center staff will soon begin caring for two young gray wolf pups from a litter born on Sunday, April 27, at the Wildlife Science Center (WSC) in Forest Lake, MN, The staff hope to select one female and one male when they are 12 to 14 days old.
On Friday, May 9, the pups will meet the public at an event from 3:30-5:30 pm at the WSC, at 5463 West Broadway in Forest Lake, MN. Fees of $5 for adults and $4 for children will help support educational programs at the WSC. Later that evening, the pups will move to the Center's flagship educational facility in Ely, Minnesota.
At about three months of age, the youngsters will join eight-year-old arctic wolves, Malik and Shadow and four-year-old great plains wolves, Maya and Grizzer, in the main enclosure as part of the Ely interpretive facility's ambassador Exhibit Pack. Their job-to help the Center teach the world about wolves.
"While the wolf is steeped in myth and is such a reclusive predator, ambassador wolves help the Center forge a connection between people and the animal," said Marc Anderson, Center executive director. "These wolves open the door to understanding, debunk myths and offer visitors a chance to witness an elusive predator they would not likely see in the wild."
Wolf Curator Lori Schmidt, teamed with internationally renowned wolf expert Dr. David Mech, Ely veterinarian Chip Hansen, International Wolf Center Board Member and Veterinarian Larry Anderson, WSC Executive Director Peg Callahan and others to plan the pups' arrival and care. Pups are vulnerable to adverse temperatures and disease, need to be fed around the clock and need to bond with their caretakers and, eventually, with their pack.
The team will simulate wolf den conditions with 24-hour daily care for the first three weeks. The pup nursery will be a quiet place with low light and soft bedding so the pups can cuddle, climb, and become familiar with their new human caregivers. Since the pups will always live in captivity, they will be socialized to human contact so that they are at ease with visitors and veterinary care. The socialization process differs from domestication; although the pups will be bottle-fed and even burped after feedings, they will never be pets.
Beginning Friday, May 9, individuals may help Name the Pups through a contest at www.wolf.org and www.kare11.com, or participate in The Young and the Wild photo contest sponsored in partnership with National Camera Exchange at natcam.com or wolf.org. Prizes will be awarded to the winners.
Starting about May 14, visitors to the Center can observe the wolf pups in person or on www.wolf.org, via a 24-hour web cam and can receive updates on pup growth and development through online wolf logs. National passengers arriving and departing at the Minneapolis-St Paul airport will even get a preview of the pups in an airport display ad inviting travelers to learn about wolves in Ely. Students in classrooms may study and report on the pups and adult wolves through the Worldwide Wolves Essay Contest on wolf.org.
Tentatively, based on a veterinarian's judgment of the pups' health and safety, the young pups are expected to debut in Ely educational programs on Friday, May 23, during Memorial Day Weekend. Programs will include, "Pup 101", and "Family PACKtivities." Program information is available on the Web site, www.wolf.org or by calling 1-800-Ely Wolf ext. 25. KARE 11 TV and National Camera Exchange are pup media sponsors.
###
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER- The International Wolf Center, founded in 1985, is known worldwide as the nation's premier source for wolf education. The mission of the Center is to advance the survival of wolf populations by teaching about the wolf's life, its relationship to wildlands and the human role in its future. The Center educates through its Web site, www.wolf.org, its ambassador wolves, museum exhibits, on-site adventure and outreach programs and International Wolf magazine. Its flagship educational facility in Ely, MN, 1396 Highway 169, Ely, MN 55731. (Phone: 218-365-4695) is the future home for the new pups. The Center's administrative and outreach offices are at 3410 Winnetka Ave North, Minneapolis, MN 55427.
ABOUT THE WILDLIFE SCIENCE CENTER- The Wildlife Science Center's mission is to serve as an educational resource for all ages by providing exposure to wild animals and the body of knowledge generated for their conservation; to advance understanding of wild animal biology through long-term, humane scientific studies on captive populations thus contributing to species conservation and maintenance in the wild and in captivity; and to provide unique scientific and technical training for wildlife agencies, educational institutions and conservation agencies. The Wildlife Science Center is located at 5463 West Broadway, Forest Lake, MN, 55025. (Phone: 651-464-3993) www.wildlifesciencecenter.org.
MEDIA CONFERENCE:
10-11 am, May 9, Wildlife Science Center, 5463 West Broadway, Forest Lake, MN. Phone: 651-464-3993. www.wildlifesciencecenter.com. Please call to RSVP.
|
