Who's That Lady? Beautiful Lady...

Just wanted to give people a closer look at F1397, the female red wolf who will soon be sharing an enclosure with M1483. Even though her prospective mate is in an adjacent enclosure, F1397 seems fascinated by Atka, our ambassador Arctic gray wolf, whose enclosure is nearby.

Endangered SSP wolves are usually kept away from human contact, but visitors to the Wolf Conservation Center can catch glimpses of F1397 because she is not destined to be released into the wild. Though she will live her life in captivity, she is vital to the survival of red wolves as breeding stock. If F1397 has pups that are deemed suitable for reintroduction, they will be sneaked into litters in the wild.

Howling on the Hudson

The hardest working wolf we know visited the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum in Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY on Saturday. Atka explored the room, ignoring an “enrichment towel” (now we know he’s not a big fan of opossum pee), but enjoying some of the other scents we put out to help make the visit interesting for him.

Atka even managed to press one of the buttons on the “Sounds of the Hudson River” display, setting off a train whistle. I wish I knew what he was thinking, but I do know that the visitors enjoyed the opportunity to view an Arctic Gray wolf from a few feet away.



Hopefully Atka will visit again, but even when he's not there, the museum. which is situated in an amazingly scenic area, is definitely worth a visit! So check it out if you get the chance. Tell them Atka sent you!

That's No Dogfish!

November means that it’s time for Atka to once again visit the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT. We were happy to be asked back to give school groups and other visitors the chance to learn about wolves as part of the Aquarium’s efforts to educate people about endangered species.

As always, Atka enjoyed exploring his surroundings before the Aquarium officially opened. He was so impressed, especially by the Stingray Touch Pool, that he felt compelled to officially claim the Aquarium as his territory in his own unique way.

After we cleaned that up, it was time to talk to the visitors. We were happy to meet a lot of people who had never seen a wolf before, and also to see some students who recognized Atka from his visit to their school. Atka amused himself by knocking over his water bowl – he’s very particular about what level it should be filled to – and snacking on a banana. He even put on a fine display of scent rolling after destroying an empty coffee cup.

Perhaps the most impressive thing is that as soon as our session was supposed to end, Atka headed for the door despite not receiving any cue from us. He seems to know what time to leave because all our programs at the Aquarium end at the same time. Quite remarkable!

Atka will be returning to the Maritime Aquarium in the near future for a special program. You can access his schedule of appearances here. Thanks again to the helpful Aquarium folk and to everybody we saw today!

Program Notes

We had a great program last night sponsored by the Oxford (CT) Land Trust. Atka enjoyed himself exploring the bleachers of the gymnasium and even helped himself to water from a water fountain. After Atka left the building, Maggie spied a spotted salamander crawling across the dusty gym floor. Very strange! She cleaned him off and successfully released him into a more suitable habitat. 

Upon returning home with Atka we were greeted by some of the best howling I've heard in a while. The Mexican Gray wolves started it off with soft harmony; after a minute, the red wolves sent their unique higher-pitched ululating wails soaring into the night. All in all, it was quite a good evening!

Guest Lecturer William Berloni Talks Dogs -- From Shelters to Stardom!

The Wolf Conservation Center's lecture series continues this weekend with another unique program this Sunday on November 15th!

We'll be celebrating the wolf 's cuddly canine "cousin" - the dog - with William Berloni and some of his canine celebrities!

For more than 30 years, William Berloni and his company have been training animals for the stage. Berloni primarily takes animals rescued from shelters and prepares them for a life in the limelight. His pioneering humane training techniques have won multiple awards! Join us as Berloni shares some heartfelt stories of rescued dogs who became superstars. A visit with the Ambassador wolves-Kaila, Apache, Lukas and Atka will follow the talk.

Pre-registration is required.

Click here to view the November schedule and register today!

Road Trip to Pick Up Red Wolf M1483

Here's a little video documenting our recent trip to pick up M1483 and his introduction to his new enclosure at the Wolf Conservation Center.

Happy Halloween!

Hope you all have a spooky and fun Halloween with treat bags full of delicious bones! Or candy if you prefer that sort of thing.