members’ weekend 2001 - wolf parka new book by ray and lorna coppinger, dogs , has just been...

Members’ Weekend 2001 By Jessica Willard

On April 20-22, 2001, Wolf Park threw its largest celebration ever — its 2001 Members’ Weekend. With planning begun as early as the previous November, the event proposed to be an incredible event in Wolf Park history — and hopefully the first of many such events to come. Physical preparations began in earnest with the arrival of the new building, the future Visitors’ Center, in early March. (With thanks, once again, to Gladys and Al Wright!) While the building was being assembled by professionals, staff and interns planned its contents and layout, and fantasized about extravagant merchandise displays, attractive centerpieces, educational items, track lighting and swimming pools. In the middle of the building being put together, the new aluminum bleachers arrived, in the form of a pile of loose metal parts in a large box

labeled “Some Assembly Required”. Amid much gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair, the bleachers and building took shape at about the same time, with the first Howl Night group using the bleachers in early April and the Visitors’ Center building being polished up the week before Members’ Weekend, with staff, interns and volunteers putting in hundreds of collective work hours putting up the wooden decks and ramps

which would provide access to the new building and a new, more accessible entrance to the Park. Managing director Amanda Shaad went berserk with over 300 feet of “rope light” (kind of like expensive permanent Christmas lights), arranging illumination for bleachers, decks, ramps, and stairways for the safety of Howl Night audiences. (Plus, the Park looks really cool at night now.) Bulbs and seeds staff member Gale Motter had planted the previous fall sprouted, for a fantastic display of tulips which sprung into full, glorious bloom the day after Members’ Weekend. (Ah well.) The festivities themselves kicked off Friday evening at 7:00, with a bonfire, refreshments, and kids’ activities, including the presentation of

the Junior Volunteers’ science projects. At 7:30, board member Gladys Wright and Park director Dr. Erich Klinghammer gave a speech and cut the ceremonial ribbon on the Visitors’ Center. The Wrights were presented with a plaque thanking them for their great generosity, which now hangs on the wall in the new building. Besides the bonfire and marshmallow toast behind the Education Center, Friday featured guided flashlight tours of East Lake, which were such a success

we plan to repeat them next year. Participants brought their own flashlights, with the lenses covered with red cellophane to reduce glare, and got to visit our “retirement center” and see what the wolves are up to when the sun goes down. Saturday was quite windy and staff spent much of the morning trying to tie the tents to the ground so we would not lose them. The Junior Volunteers’ science fair projects were judged and awards presented. John Weller, of the Wildlife Science Center in Minnesota, generously drove here to speak on red wolf recovery, and WOLF! editor Holly Jaycox gave talks about current events in the wolf world. There were videos for children and adults as well as self-guided tours around (and through!) East Lake, where visitors could go “behind the scenes” and into usually locked sections of East Lake to see the wolves up close. O.J. Volkman, to whom we are deeply in debt, came down from Minnesota, with helper Tim Unsworth and two four-year-old arctic wolves, Chance and Jacona. The arctics were on display all weekend as examples of another subspecies of gray wolf (all the Wolf Park

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Quarterly Newsletter of the North American Wildlife Park Foundation Vol. 28 No. 2 - Spring 2001

Wolf Park is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of wolves in captivity and in the wild through behavioral research and education.

Doug Smith, of the Yellowstone wolf project, with Tristan.

Photo by Joe Seibert

Board member Gladys Wright and Park director Dr. Erich Klinghammer cut the ribbon on the new Visitors’ Center.

Photo by Monty Sloan

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Reading about all the fun we had this year? Wait until you see what we have in store for you next year! Clear your social calendars, and get ready to party at Wolf Park’s 30th anniversary! Stay tuned for more info in the next newsletter!

Questions? Call (765) 567-2265, 9-5 Mon-Fri.

Wolf Park News Spring 2001 2

Wolf Park had a most successful Members’ Weekend on April 20-22 2001. The varied program for members of all ages included the dedication of the new Visitors’ Center, donated by board member Gladys Wright and her husband Al. Gladys was present for the dedication and cut the ribbon. We held an auction of donated fine art prints, which raised almost $5,000 for the Park, and also presented guided tours, a special wolf-bison demonstration, flashlight tours of East Lake, and programs for children which were organized by John Davis. On Saturday the 21st, Wolf Park held a charity banquet at the Trails banquet facility. I presented a collage of wolf pictures to honor Karin Bloch of Germany, who for 10 years has come over each year from Germany to hand raise our wolf pups, and the fox kits in spring 2000, for the first month of their lives. I want to thank all of our staff members, as well as the hard-working interns who helped to finish the ramps to the new Visitor Center, and all the volunteers, and the Junior Volunteers, and to Dan Fay, Gary Freeman, Alex Freeman, and Don Bannon, who were especially helpful. They made this Members’ Weekend a great success. A sad note to the weekend was the unexpected loss of NK, who was euthanized on April 20. NK, the alpha male of our “Mini Pack”, was a handsome faded-to-white wolf who was best known for his love of threatening humans through the fence. He was 12 years old. The funeral for NK, as well as Aurora, our beloved neotenous wolf, and Daphne the livestock guarding dog, was held on Saturday, June 2. NK’s story is on page 10. With the opening of the new Visitors’ Center, the Education Building has been renovated. The remodeled Seminar Room was inaugurated by a special slide lecture on the Yellowstone wolves by Dr. Douglas Smith, Project Leader of the wolf introduction program in Yellowstone National Park. Doug got his start at Wolf Park as a puppy mother when he was 18 years old. From there he went to Isle Royale in Lake Superior to work on the wolf project headed by Rolf Peterson. After a stint in Alaska, he became a graduate student at the University of Nevada—Reno. While still a student he was selected as the wolf biologist for the reintroduction project for Yellowstone National Park – eventually becoming project leader. His presentation was very informative and was enjoyed by all. After that he signed copies of his book The Wolves of Yellowstone. The other half of the new-and-improved Education Building now houses a beautiful exhibit called “A Wolf Family Album”. Staff member Gale Motter has created cut-outs of all the major canid species across the world. She painted them and added small signs describing the animals and showing their geographical distribution, as well as photographs, skulls, and other artifacts. The new bleachers, erected by our interns under the direction of John Davis, are a wonder. They seat 400 people. The old bleachers are now at East Lake where visitors can better see the wolf-bison demonstrations. We have a new bison calf, born about one month ago. We named her Josephine, and she is well protected by her mother and the rest of the herd. A new book by Ray and Lorna Coppinger, Dogs, has just been published and is available through our gift shop for $26.00 plus shipping. The book deals with the self-domestication of the wolf and the evolution and artificial selection of dogs. For anyone interested in wolves, and especially dogs, this is required reading. On Saturday, June 23, Dr. Coppinger will be at Wolf Park to sign copies of his book. He is also a regular lecturer at our Wolf and Dog Behavior Seminars each June. There is good wolf news from Alaska. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has declared a 100 square mile “no hunting and trapping” area adjacent to Denali National Park. This protects the wolves of the famous Toklat Pack for the first time. Members of this pack would sometimes leave the park and were subject to being legally killed outside the park. The majority of Alaskans support this protection, and it finally came to pass. The next project at Wolf Park will be the extension of the trail which visitors take to East Lake. We hope to have it continue around the wolf enclosures, cross the inlet at the north end of the pond via a bridge, and return near the fox enclosure. This way visitors will not have to retrace their steps when returning from East Lake. This project will be funded by the extreme generosity of Gladys and Al Wright, and is now in the planning stages. We look forward to the future with confidence, and we hope to see as many as you as possible this summer.

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Membership benefits include:

• Free admission to the Park

• Wolf Park News

• 10% off books from the Gift Shop

• Invitation to Members Only Events

• Visitation Privileges With A Wolf* *Adopt-A-Wolf Sponsorship Only

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�� !"�Closed Mondays

Open Tuesday to Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. for Howl Night

#�$%��&'� !"�Wolf Park is open every Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for Howl Night only

��('��&)*+�Listen to the intriguing sounds of our wolves as they communicate through their howls. After the lecture, join in

a chorus howl of your own.

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wolves test bison for signs of weakness. Our healthy bison have

nothing to fear from the wolves. Sunday Only: Lecture 1:00 p.m.

followed by demonstration.

�#��"�— Members Always Free —

Tuesday - Saturday & Howl Night: Children 1 to 5 years - FREE Children 6 to 13 years - $3.00

14 years and older - $4.00 Sunday:

Children 1 to 5 years - FREE Children 6 to 13 years - $3.00

14 years and older - $5.00

Groups of more than 12 people are admitted at $3.00 each Tues. - Sat. & Howl Nights. On Sun.,

groups of more than 12 are $4.00 per person.

Adult admission will INCREASE to $5 Tues-Sat, $6 Sun, on January 1, 2002.

The Institute of Ethology supports research and education:

• Wolf Behavior Seminars

• Internships and Practica

• Year-round research opportunities

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As part of our campaign to make your experience at the Park more pleasant, we have purchased new aluminum bleachers! The new bleachers are in front of the main enclosure, for enjoyment during Howl Nights, school tours, lectures and handling demonstrations. The old bleachers are at East Lake, so people watching the bison demonstration may at last sit down while doing so!

For a limited time, Wolf Park is offering YOU a chance to become part of our history! Help us commemorate this event by purchasing a seat of your very own on the bleachers. For a one-time fee a metal plaque, approximately 1 inch by 2 inches, with any message (within reason), will be affixed to a seat on the new bleachers, so everyone can see how generous you are.

Your funds will help finance a shade for the bleachers, for even more comfort while watching the main pack. This program replaces our “Buy A Fence Post” program (we are all out of posts!!) and ENDS 12/31/01, so hurry!

“Buying a seat” refers to purchasing a plaque with a message on it to be put on one of the bleacher seats. The actual bleachers remain property of Wolf Park. We regret we are unable to reserve “your” seat especially for you during your visits to the Park,

but sincerely welcome you to come and visit “your” seat during open hours!

Please fill out the form below and mail it to: Wolf Park, Battle Ground, IN 47920

Name: ______________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ City: ________________________________________ State: ________________ Zip: __________________ Phone: ______________________________________

# of plaques at $50 each: ______ for a total of: ______

Payment: ____ check enclosed ____ Visa/MC ____________________________________________ Credit card # Expiration Date

____________________________________________ Signature (required for credit card purchases)

Message for your bleacher plaque(s): (Maximum 2 lines, with 15 characters, including spaces, per line.)

____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Attach another piece of paper if needed.

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Thanks to the generosity of board member Gladys Wright and her husband Al Wright, and the efforts of hordes of interns, staff and volunteers, the new Visitors’ Center is in place and functioning! It was installed in early spring, with work ending just before Members’ Weekend. Its being part of the perimeter fence allows visitors to go into the Park through a more visible, professional-looking entrance, and allows staff members to take admission in the great indoors. The building also houses the expanded and improved gift shop, which is now able to offer new and different things, and a greater variety of items, including wolf throws, playing cards, and new stuffed animals. Of course, you’ll need to visit to see the full inventory!

The new bleachers, which bring our seating capacity to 400 visitors, and which are made of aluminum and will not warp, crack, or fade like our old wooden bleachers, are up and working in front of the Turtle Lake enclosure. The previous bleachers are now providing seating for crowds viewing the wolf-bison demonstrations at East Lake. Please check out the form at right to find out how to “buy a seat” on the bleachers and help us raise funds for a bleacher sun shade to protect visitors from the sun!

Many and sincere thanks are due to all the staff, interns and volunteers who spent time working on both the new building and the bleachers. Thanks go especially to volunteers Dan Fay, Gary Freeman, Alex Freeman, and Don Bannon, who donated time to help us get the decks and ramps on the Visitors’ Center ready for use during Members’ Weekend.

Thanks also go to Tom Borth, for donating lumber, an auger, and his wife, Marla, to the cause. We promise to give Marla back. Eventually.

The new Visitors’ Center, complete with snazzy entrance ramp. Photo by Joe Seibert

Some of the wonderful people who helped build the decks.

Photo by John Davis

Camera tricks make Tristan appear larger than the bleachers. Photo by Monty Sloan

Inside the new-and-improved Gift Shop. Photo by Joe Seibert


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A little explanation: One of Apollo’s nicknames, “Pillow”, morphed into “Pillowpotamus” when his weight gain coincided with the seasonal ditty “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”

Ode To A Pillowpotamus

How we love our Pillowpotamus! We adore him top to bottamus.

If only he wouldn’t act so rottenous, That would be just hotsytottenous!

Pat’s Poetry Corner is NOT part of a balanced breakfast. It is illegal to remove its label. Do not use on porous surfaces, or without adequate ventilation. All proceeds will be used for the Recreation and Vacation Fund for the fish.

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The big news in the Turtle Lake Pack is the change in rank order that took place on May 25. Miska was deposed as beta male by Tristan, formerly number three. Tristan has been more outgoing with people since he has become beta. So far he is submitting and kissing up to Seneca assiduously, rather than trying to test him. Seneca is keeping a careful eye on him. Chetan, long the omega male, has been showing expansionist tendencies toward Miska, looking for chances to run in and bite and harass him when he is already being threatened by Tristan and Marion. Marion is ever present in time of trouble — and she often starts it. She seems pleased by her sudden ability to bite Miska on the rump, and has been spending pleasurable hours seeing how many times she can creep up on Miska and bite him. Miska received a course of antibiotics thanks to Marion’s rump-puncturing behavior. We wish that Apollo’s kevlar butt guard was not apocryphal; if it were real we could lend it to Miska. Miska has been hanging out alone on the west side of the enclosure, and grumping at the friendly overtures of Erin and Maya (although occasionally he has been known to associate with them on passably amicable terms). Marion is a little less aggressive to Erin and Maya — they still come in for a lot of chasing, threats, and harassment but Marion also “plays nicely” with them several times a week. They are still under “house arrest” and confined by Marion to the west side of the enclosure, but in early May, little Maya took her courage in her paws and went over to the east side while Marion was out at a bison demonstration. Maya stayed there for several hours. Marion did not show her intense aggression but the next morning Maya was back in her “safety zone” with Erin. Seneca and Chetan have been troubled with “hot spots” (localized skin infections), but seem to be responding well to treatment. Chetan’s recovery occurred in good time for him to take advantage of Miska’s troubles. Seneca has attended several Howl Nights and even uplifted his voice in song, without getting upset by the audience and bark howling at them. This is a tremendous step forward for Seneca. Seneca, Miska, Marion, and Chetan have all been on wolf bison demonstrations since we opened in May and Marion seems to be shaping up well as a hunter. At least she persistently approaches this year’s first calf (born in May, and named Josephine) and gets herself spectacularly chased by the irate bison.

Support Wolf Park’s mission and activities and get the opportunity to greet the hand-raised wolves by becoming a wolf sponsor. A privilege of this program is the chance to meet a wolf first hand. The personal bond between a real live wolf and her/his sponsors forms a bridge of concern for wolves in the wild, for which our wolves are ambassadors. On behalf of the wolves in the wild and in captivity, we appreciate your continued support through our various levels of membership, including the Adopt-A-Wolf program.

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Single membership includes free admission for one to the Park for one

year, a 10% discount on books in the gift shop, invitations to members-only events, and our quarterly newsletter Wolf Park News.

Family memberships include all of the above plus free admission for

up to 8 family members per visit for the year of membership.

Group memberships include free admission to the Park for up to 12

members of a group on any one visit. (These can be different members on each trip!) Includes one copy of newsletter and materials (to share), and 10% discount on books in the gift shop.

Adopt-A-Wolf includes family membership, plus a personalized

Leader of the Pack Certificate with a photo of “your” wolf and signed by the director. You will have visiting privileges and contact with your wolf during your sponsorship in most circumstances. If your wolf is aggressive or shy, or for some reason we do not believe a visit would be a positive experience for you or your wolf, another will stand as proxy. You must be 18 or older to meet a wolf. You will receive a life history of your wolf, quarterly updates and photos. After the spring shedding season you will receive a sample of wool from your wolf.

Only the Adopt-A-Wolf program includes the opportunity to meet a wolf.

Name: ______________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________ City: ________________________________________________ State: _________ Zip: _____________ Phone: ____________

� My check for $_____________________ is enclosed or Please make checks payable to: NAWPF or WOLF PARK

You may charge my: � MASTERCARD � VISA CARD

Account # ______________________ Expiration Date __________

Sign here: _________________________________________________ Your signature is required for MC and VISA charges.

�-��$*��2��+��,�'-��*&�3��'��-&''�&��'�(" I plan to contribute my Adopt-A-Wolf gift in:

��'�)&-+��-�.��0%!!��&��+�''��+��-�. 4%/0��Quarterly payments are also accepted via automatic withdrawal on Mastercard or Visa

I would like to adopt _______________________________________ If you have no preference, a wolf will be selected for you.

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�#� ��,�51�Marion, born in 1998, is the alpha female in Wolf Park’s main pack. Marion is an extremely friendly young female who loves to “kiss” humans.

Other wolves in the main pack: Seneca, Tristan and Chetan (grey males), Miska (black male), Erin, (grey female), and Maya (black female).


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Just in: Dogs, a new book by Ray and Lorna Coppinger, which is a fascinating new look at the evolution of the dog and at its relationship with humans. Ray Coppinger is a featured speaker at our June Wolf and Dog Behavior Seminars. A copy of Dogs (hardcover) is $26.00 and is available in our new Visitors’ Center or by mail with an additional shipping charge.

On April 7, 2001, Wolf Park was invaded by a 6-foot pink bunny. Of course, we couldn’t complain — she’d been invited. The Easter Bunny, aka Marla Borth, led games and festivities for the Junior Volunteers and other young visitors, including egg hunts, egg games, egg races, and egg-citement (sorry). The wolves were locked in a holding pen while the kids (and the bunny) hid colorful Easter eggs in the wolf enclosure. Then the wolves were released for an egg hunt! Wolves will eat hard-boiled eggs, shell and all, although since the eggs are just tiny snacks to them they are not a favorite food. The annual egg hunt is part of our environmental enrichment program, in place to keep the wolves as entertained as possible in captivity. The kids rolled eggs with their noses, tossed (raw) eggs to each other, and hunted for plastic eggs filled with candy. The egg roll race took some skill — the winners got wolf stuffed animals and the ones who did not win got dirty noses. The egg dye came off when the kids pushed the eggs and there were all different colors of noses. On May 5, the first ever Walk for Education took place, starting from Wolf Park and going into Battle Ground on two different trails. Junior Volunteers and their families, as well as some local families, came and walked either four or eight miles to benefit the Junior Volunteers. The Walk was also sponsored by local businesses — in all, it raised nearly $1,000 for the Junior Volunteers. All walkers received prizes and gifts, and anyone who brought in more than $30 in donations got a free Walk for Education T-shirt. Josephine Askren, of West Lafayette, won a one-year sponsorship of Tristan for her efforts. Since the great move of the gift shop into the new Visitors’ Center building, the old gift shop has become the Education Center, given over completely to seminars and — you guessed it — the Junior Volunteers. Besides slowly filling with kids’ games, coloring supplies, and activities,

Walking for Education. Photo by John Davis

the new Education Center has been graced with a beautiful exhibit by Gale Motter, called “A Wolf Family Album”. This huge exhibit, which is still in progress, features full-sized, painted wooden portraits of each of the 35 known species of canid, from foxes and domestic dogs to wolves. The beautiful cutouts are pa ins tak ing ly hand-painted and give visitors a real, physical way to picture the many relatives of Wolf Park’s gray wolves, and see how the basic canid shape has evolved to fill many environmental niches. The cutouts are so gorgeous they were invited to be displayed at the Vienna Coffee House, a local restaurant which had just finished showcasing the photography of Park staff photographer Monty Sloan. The canids returned home just in time to be set up for Members’ Weekend, where they were a big hit.

Wolf Park’s Junior Volunteer program is open to children ages 7 to 17. They meet on the first Saturday of each month at 12:00 noon. Anyone interested in becoming a Junior Volunteer is welcome to attend the noon meetings! The meetings end at 1:00. From 1:00 until 3:00 the Park opens to families and the Junior Volunteers host activities and games for our younger visitors.

More information may be obtained by visiting the web site below or by emailing John Davis at [email protected].

The Education Center’s star exhibit. Photo by Joe Seibert Marla Borth makes her entrance as the Easter Bunny. Photo by John Davis

Gale’s art on display in the Vienna Café. Photo by Joe Seibert

Easter Bunny and friends just before the wolf Egg Hunt. Photo by Monty Sloan

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Thank You To Our Corporate Sponsors�

www.wolfphotography.com Intercept Media

Waste Management of Lafayette Lafayette Bank & Trust Hog Slat Incorporated

Farmers State Bank Village Shirtworks

Visit our kids’ web site at:


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Dean Alexis, a practicum from Pennsylvania, has managed a pet store and has owned “everything from hedgehogs to alligators”. He enjoys working out, cinematography, and his “ugly dog” (a Pug).

Amy Bates, intern, is from England, and has worked with many kinds of animals, from rats to horses, and has worked on and off as a veterinary technician. She enjoys sailing, canoeing, reading and badminton.

Jenny Behr, intern, is an animal sciences major at the University of Illinois. She has helped tame feral cats at Helping Paws, a no-kill animal shelter, and enjoys playing the flute as well as traveling.

Edward Bower, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, spent two weeks at the Park in early April. He works in construction and also trains dogs.

Dana Drenzek, intern, is an environmental/ecology biology major from Appalachian State University, and worked at Grandfather Mountain as an animal caretaker, handling black bears, cougars, eagles, and deer.

Sabrina Friedline attends Albion College in Michigan and works in its bookstore and biology department. She has worked extensively with horses, owns two dogs, and has visited several European countries.

Hannes Henzinger, intern, is from Kufstein, in Austria, where he worked with mentally and physically disabled persons. He enjoys nature, art, history, and many kinds of sports.

Chris Johnson, intern, attends Moraine Valley Community College in Illinois and also works as a veterinary technician at Banfield Pet Hospital. He is an avid martial artist and enjoys designing and coding web pages.

Joe Seibert, practicum, is from North Carolina. He plays the bagpipes, but we didn’t let that stop us from having him stay. He also enjoys horseback riding, hiking, and camping, and sponsors every single animal at the Park.

Every year, some extremely nice people descend on Wolf Park, offering that most valuable of resources — their time. Volunteers visit for as little as a few hours a week to every day; practicums spend a month; and interns, the Park’s most important resource, generously donate three months of their time. In return, the Park provides them all with an un-paralleled opportunity for both research and fun, as they interact with the Park wolves, give tours, do landscaping and repair, exhaust the Park library and talk with the staff.

If you have some old equipment you aren’t using, consider donating it to a good cause! Any item you can donate will be greatly appreciated. For more information, please contact us at (765) - 567 - 2265.

Stamps- 34 cents and 20 cents

55 gal heavy duty garbage bags

Surgical gloves

Weed Whacker

Heavy-duty wheelbarrow

Glass cleaner, toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap

Postscript-compatible black-and-white laser printer

Brooms, rakes (metal or plastic)

Hammers or other gently used hand tools (pliers, wrench sets, hand saws…)

Wolf-related art or collectibles for 2002 art auction—call (765) 567-2265 before donating

L to R: Gizelle Hurtado, Marla Borth, Andrew “Bitsy Pookums” Miller, Brooke Hinkle, Alicia Panisiak, Amy Bates.


Marla Borth goes geometric putting up the new bleachers. Photo by Monty Sloan

Brian Bailey Marla & Tom Borth Marguerite Burgett

Doyne Carson Lucy Chmielewski

Dr. Samuel Conway Frank Craig

Kevin Cunningham Chris Diekman Harriet Doolittle

Bryon Elliott Uta Festerling-Pohl

Lilly & Toby Fitzgerald Lisa Foster’s Classes!!

Patricia Ford Barbara & John Garcia

Donna Hays Paul Hebert

Rosemary Jackson Elissa Kafka

Bill Karn George & Lesya Kercheval

Miriam Langsam Lisette Lewis Sue Lucas

Bob & Gail McGaughey Jan Martin McGuire

Cricket Morgan Toni Parker

Dorothy Pearson Jim Phillips

Cliffe Pickering Jennifer Podraza

Nick Prentoff Madeleine Savary

Joe Seibert Tim Smiar

Doug Smith Marj Tackett Kelli Torpey John Weller

Froehlich Werner Les & Lynn Wickliff Gladys & Al Wright

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The persons named below have been kind enough to do-nate something to WOLF PARK — be it time, computer

parts, wolf treats, or, yes, money. We thank them for their efforts and appreciate all that they have given us.

Thanks also to Lafayette Masonry for its generous donation of stone for the fox enclosure (see page 9!)


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wolves are “gray wolves” — even the black and the white ones). Imposingly large, yet friendly and outgoing, Chance and “J.C.” won fans among Park staff while allowing interns to explain to visitors exactly how our faded-to-white gray wolves differ from arctic wolves. In the afternoon, a professional storyteller, Doyne Carson, came and knocked the socks off everybody in the children’s tent. Drawing her stories as she told them, getting kids and using puppets to help act them out, she mesmerized people for a full hour. We deeply appreciate her work at the Park, and of course she was quickly invited back for another session in June, to tell stories on our Full Moon Howl Night.

The crowning glory of the weekend was the auction, which got blown out of its tent by the persistent wind and moved into the observation building so the art could actually be displayed before the event. The auction featured nearly 40 pieces of art and 10 “non-art” items such as a visit with the foxes, an opportunity to help feed the wolves, and dinner with various staff members. The auctioneer was Dr. Samuel Conway, alias “Uncle Kage”, who was generous enough to donate his time to help us organize our very first auction. Dr. Conway has a great deal of experience running auctions for fantasy conventions and did a fantastic job helping to organize art pieces and helpers and get everything set up in time. Of course, Dr. Conway’s most distinguishing feature is his original, highly comedic style of auctioneering. He coaxed, bullied and cajoled, exhorting attendees to purchase art prints and opportunities, and the audience laughed its way through two hours of auction, almost not noticing they were donating nearly $5,000 to the Park. The winners walked off happily with their new purchases. The wolves were equally amused with the auction: they got to meet the winners of the “Meet the Main Pack” auction (Jennifer Podraza and Eleanor Pickett), and Apollo and Karin had a great deal of fun chewing a shirt to create the “Wolf-Sampled Clothing” won by Cliffe Pickering. Basil and Devon entertained Sue Lucas, who won time with the foxes, by plucking quail out of shredded newspaper stuffed in cardboard boxes. Marj Tackett won the auction item 30 Minutes With Arctic

Wolves, and Chance and Jacona worked hard to be worth her generous donation. Ms. Tackett also won dinner at the Trails with Dr. Klinghammer, who was a much better conversationalist than the arctic wolves. Patricia and Robert Ford got to eat dinner with Pat and Monty. Dinner, the charity banquet at the Trails on Saturday night, went splendidly, with Dr. Klinghammer introducing everybody to everybody else, and an evening of fine food. Our beloved professional puppy mother, Karin Bloch, was presented with a photo collage in honor of her tenth anniversary with the Park, and a sincere apology for the lack of puppies this year. (Maybe next year….) Saturday night at 7:30 we had a fine Howl Night presentation, with members of the general public allowed to mingle with the hoi polloi. Much of Sunday morning was spent allowing those who had won animal visits or other opportunities in the auction to meet, see, or do whatever they had won. Toni Parker, who had highest bid on “Help

Feed The Wolves” at the auction, allowed a friend to step in and wield the hatchet and knives to cut up food for East Lake. A wolf-bison demonstration followed at 2:00, with Seneca and Marion (chosen for the demo by auction winner Cliffe Pickering) putting up an extremely brief display of hunting behavior before wandering off to see what was in the locked bison corral. At 3:00, Monty Sloan shared thoughts on cucumbers—er, environmental enrichment..

Doug Smith, a former Wolf Park puppy mother and now head of the Yellowstone wolf project, came in on Sunday afternoon for a talk and a signing of his book, The Wolves of Yellowstone. He stayed through Tuesday, and took time to speak to interns and staff about the current status of the Yellowstone wolves, and about careers working with wolves. Members’ Weekend 2001 will only be topped by — you guessed it — Members’ Weekend 2002! Tune in to the next newsletter for more information on our 30th anniversary celebration, where we will have things, and stuff, and stuff, and things, and…more stuff! (We’re still planning the schedule.) Clear out your social calendars, get your hotel reservations now, and plan to come visit us on April 19-21, 2002. It won’t be the same without you! Doyne Carson, at right, tells stories in the children’s tent. Photo by John Davis

John Weller of the Wildlife Science Center.


Dr. Samuel Conway entertaining the crowd at the art auction. Photo by Monty Sloan

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This year’s auction went so well, we’re planning another for next year! We are now accepting donations of items for auction. If you possess wolf-related fine art or art prints, wolf collectibles or other wolf items which you would like to donate for us to auction off in next year’s auction, please call Jessica at Wolf Park: (765) 567-2265 between 9-5 Mon-Fri., or email [email protected].

Call or email before you mail anything! We cannot accept auction items without a prior contact call.

Puppy mom Karin Bloch with Chetan. Photo by Monty Sloan


WOLF! Magazine is a quarterly publication emphasizing accurate, objective and timely reporting of news about wolves. It is the best overview of wolf news available in one publication. Subscription rates:

• U.S. $22.50/year, $40.00/two years; add $5.00 per year surcharge for first class mail. Payment by Mastercard, Visa or check, made out to WOLF! and drawn on a U.S. bank only.

• Canada & Mexico $29.00/year. All other countries $37.50/year Sample Copy for new readers only: U.S. $3.95, others $5.95

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WILD BILL, the Mighty ‘Yote, looks less like an end table now, but is still not into early shedding and is a very fluffy ‘yote. He has caught a couple of birds and rats in his enclosure, and has been seen resting atop his (relatively) new platform, being a tall ‘yote and surveying his domain, which is unfortunately populated with entirely too many wolves. Though Bill is inching up on fourteen years of age, he is still sprightly, active and a perfect gentleman, albeit a gentleman with a very toothy grin.

DENEB is definitely showing her age, or at least a little stiffness, and has slowed down her fence fighting — but in no way has she stopped, and she enthusiastically fence fought with Trillian for a time on May 15, even though she could not actually see Trillian through the tall grass between their enclosures. (Trillian did not deign to notice.) She had a brief encounter with an intern’s shoe on May 19, when she was fence fighting with a wolf outside the enclosure and did an accidental, giggling somersault over the unfortunately placed shoe. She was unhurt, except possibly for her pride.

ORCA was officially the first wolf to visit the new Visitors’ Center on May 9th. He walked up the ramp and discovered It was quite slippery when it had been peed on. His legs went everywhere and so did he. Eventually he calmed down and got his footing and got to enter the building and sniff around, visiting all the new items on display. Unfortunately, we no longer store treats in the gift shop and he had to content himself with just an interesting visit. Orca seems brimful of energy, good paw placement, and a desire to go for walks. He was allowed an extended free period in the seventeen acre pasture, which he enjoyed greatly, taking the opportunity to roll in every stinky thing he could find. He was not sore the next day.

TRILLIAN still regularly gets ou t fo r wa lks and encounters the mysterious Wild Meatball, which appears to be trying to fatten her up. She had her seventeenth birthday, but she has also acquired a lump along her jaw that is probably a tumor. The prognosis is not good,

partly because of her extreme old age, but at the time of this writing, she has a good appetite for soft food, and is taking antibiotics to fend off infection. The unseasonably cool spring seems to help for she has not shed much of her winter fur yet. She likes to greet people and go on walks. We think she will let us know when she no longer enjoys life; until then, we try to help her “seize the day” as much as possible.

URSA got to go for a walk in the bison pasture in early May, and gamely threatened Deneb and Trillian through the fence as she passed by. Trillian got up to full gallop, racing alongside and threatening Ursa! Ursa spent time in the bison pasture just wandering, bypassing her usual hobby of rolling in anything stinky and green in order to sniff, ponder, and sniff some more. Progress is being made with her new friends, Gale, John and Jessica. Gale has graduated to being able to carry (but not use) a cleanup bucket, a signal of a human intending to commit forbidden maintenance, while in the territory of Miss Bear. Ursa started a deer garden very early this year and has also worked hard at restoring a number of her underground “sculptures” and started some new art works. Fortunately none of the works in progress were near the fences.

KIRI and SOCRATES have been to one bison demonstration. Kiri got knocked down and butted by a bison but he was unhurt. Socrates was much more cautious about approaching the bison, but after a refreshing dip in the stock tank, Kiri insisted on going back and working the herd in close proximity again. This time he dodged all efforts to kick or butt him and covered himself with glory. At home, the brothers continue their “drive by shoutings” at each other but we also see them greeting each other affectionately as their hormonal profiles change with the approach of summer. They can also wrestle without losing their tempers each time.

APOLLO and KARIN had a fantastic time on April 22 when they were asked to shred Cliffe Pickering’s T-shirt for the charity auction. After much fuss they produced only a little rip on the front, but fun seemed to be had by all. They were moved out of their normal enclosure for Members’ Weekend and placed directly across the corridor from the visiting arctic wolves, Chance and Jacona. Even ALYESKA joined in expressing a desire to meet, greet, and eventually murder the intruders, who growled gamely back. (Karin seemed to harbor a slight urge to get to know the two handsome males first...and then drive them out of her territory.)

The MINIPACK lost its patriarch, NK very suddenly and unexpectedly on April 20. For several days afterward CHANI and SIERRA seemed mopey and easily frightened. But it is easier to drop in on them for visits now since Pat does not have to be there to hold NK. They like the visits, and have also been out for a run in the pasture which perked them up so much that they were “giggly” for most of a half hour. They have been hard to leash for years, but now we can work with them more easily and are shaping them to accept leashing promptly - they are both doing very well at it. In early May the girls found orange mud somewhere in their enclosure and rolled in it, turning them both bright orange for a few weeks.

Trillian. Photo by Monty Sloan

Karin and Apollo, alpha pair of the “Pillow Pack”, howling. Photo by Monty Sloan

Chani howling. Photo by Monty Sloan


without any serious injury, although one slip did remove another month from the life of one of Andrew’s already disposable shoes. The smaller pieces of slate topped the lower tier, giving a grout-and-tile appearance to the lower step. The waterfall was refinished with new hosing and now works. It also got a new layout, with some decorative landscaping courtesy of Tim, improving its appearance significantly. For two years, the fox pond had been collecting algae. By this point, there was more algae than water. The goldfish inhabitants were removed from the pond, and an expedition was begun, into the unknown depths of the fox pond, where between 30-40 pounds of green slime were removed from the pool. Several workers became extremely wet and dirty during this step. After draining the pond, and filling the pond, and repeating nearly a dozen times, the pond was clean enough for the goldfish to be put back in. The fish returned with only a minor delay for temperature acclimation, and mild trauma from sightings of UHCFA’s (or, Unidentified House Cleaners From Above). The end result: several very tired, very thirsty people, sitting in a nicely decorated seating area around the new and improved fox pond, watching four foxes drool over all the dirt we’d brought for them to dig in. To distract digging foxies, a percentage of the remaining dirt in front of the fox enclosure was moved into a designated fox digging ground. The staff took then turns jumping atop the dirt, packing it down, making it something the foxes could actually dig in, and enjoying some primal bounce therapy. (This, of course, did not stop the foxes from digging three new holes in the middle of the sitting area by the pond. These holes have since been filled up and the appropriate staff members consoled with chocolate ice cream.) When the foxes were let back into the front of the enclosure to inspect their new addition, Corey wandered around and sniffed everything, Devon and Ember tried digging back into the old den, and Basil promptly pooped on the largest slate slab. Everybody’s a critic. Thus comes the plug for everyone to come and visit the new and improved fox enclosure! Hope to see you soon!

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By Andrew Miller It all starts with dirt. Dirt in the fox pond, dirt in the fox enclosure, no dirt underneath the waterfall…. Up until more recent times, there was a large and menacing hole under the waterfall in the fox enclosure, which served as a den for Devon and Ember, the park’s yearling female foxes. There were problems with this. One, the den existed a good foot underneath the wire skirting that encircles the fox enclosure to hinder vulpine escape artists. The second problem made itself clear in the early stages of Member’s Weekend, when the cry broke out, “We can’t find the foxes!” Minutes were spent searching for the elusive Devon and Ember. Fortunately, a staff member discovered them contentedly snuggled in a vulpine Yin Yang deep within the waterfall den. Tragically, they returned to this location every time a staff member checked on the foxes, and the panic, such as it wasn’t, was repeated several times. Fortunately, Jessica Willard, ever inventive curator of the foxes, came up with a plan for blocking off the waterfall den once and for all! She had a vision of a serene waterfall, a quiet spot for visitors to sit, and dirt. Lots of dirt. Ten tons of dirt, to be more specific. Amanda Shaad obtained dirt. A dump truck backed towards the fox enclosure, let loose a storm of dirt and clay, then disappeared over the horizon, leaving behind an 8-foot mound of mud in front of the foxes. The watching humans were not half as amused as Basil, who squeaked delight in the general direction of the new blob. Amanda looked pleased, Jessica looked worried, and Basil just grinned. Now it was time to begin construction, which involved a great deal of time, getting extremely dirty, and the willing sacrifice of one’s soul to the sludge at the bottom of the fox pond. Andrew Miller, an intern, and Tim Smiar, Jessica’s “sport util ity boyfriend”, were the primary earthmoving equipment. First, the rocks, wood, and dirt were removed from on top of the waterfall den, and the den filled in. Power cords for the fox pond pump were encased in conduit, since foxes do not heed warnings of 120-volt shock hazards. Next, rocks. Lafayette Masonry donated 15 square feet of slate in 10-15 pound pieces, and allowed us to buy four enormous, 170-pound slate slabs at a discount. Amid dirt relocation preparatory to slab support, Basil wandered up and attempted to “help”. In the dirt were large clumps which needed to be hacked to bits with a pickaxe if they were to be used in the landscaping. Basil cordially picked up a chunk of dirt in his mouth, bit it in half, went “phbbbpptbpp”, spat it out, then repeated the process until there was nothing left but quality topsoil. This lasted about 10 minutes, until Basil was not only biting dirt, but was guarding the dirt the workers were standing on from their feet. For the remaining days of the project, the foxes were kept in the other side of the enclosure to prevent accidental consumption of toes or shoelaces. Three hours and much screaming later, the dirt was arranged in two levels between the pond and the fencing, wood beams and logs had been braced with spikes, and the waterfall had been scrubbed clean of algae. Jessica, Tim, and Andrew managed to relocate the four slabs of slate to the new seating area beside the pond, forming an impenetrable barrier on top of the former den site. This happened

Basil enthralled by the auctioneer. Photo by Joe Seibert

Tom O’Dowd films Devon and “Boxes for Foxes” on April 22. Photo by Monty Sloan

Notes from the Editor: The mysterious “hot spots” on DEVON’s hind feet cleared up with Vetalog and antibiotics. Devon’s beautiful black feet are furry again. Along with EMBER, Devon spent the spring pretending to have puppies — denning, defending the den, hiding in the den, and accepting food from doting “father” COREY, who looked attentively into the den every few minutes as if to see if the girls needed anything. BASIL spent the spring being Basil, charming seminar participants and spending time curled up with only his feet and nose poking out of a fox box. Eight GOLDFISH were added to the fox pond in early May, but they were possibly too small to coexist with the much larger fish already in the pond, and are either hiding behind the rocks or are having a very bad day. Thanks go to volunteer Tim Smiar, for his enormous, 300-pound wooden “fox fallout shelter”, complete with two rooms, hinged door, entrance ladder, and stilts. It took 6 people to install it. Basil loves it. (“I said, throw together something light made out of plywood!” “Oh….”)


NK, alpha male of the Mini Pack, was euthanized on Friday, April 20, 2001, when exploratory surgery showed that the greatest kindness we could offer was not letting him wake up. NK was born to Betsy and Sirgei, former members of the main pack, after they were retired to East Lake. He is survived by his litter sisters, Chani and Sierra, and half-sister, Trillian. Betsy whelped during a wet and stormy April. Her den flooded, but instead of digging another she brought her litter outside and tucked them between her hind legs. She directed dirty looks at Sirgei, and less dirty ones at Monty when he approached to photograph. Thus a photo of a tiny infant NK, resting on Betsy’s flank and poking his head over her thigh, hangs in the observation deck. We thought we were raising the pups for someone else, but then the offers of homes for NK, Chani and Sierra fell through. Having added five pups to the main pack in 1988, we wanted to let things settle down there, and decided, once NK and his sisters were socialized, to put them back in with their parents, and thus the Mini Pack was formed. From the beginning, NK was big and outgoing. When he and Chani and Sierra were yearlings, their group nickname was the ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Muzzles). Even with his fondness for hurtling, NK was the most laid back of his litter. It was not until his father Sirgei was in the final months of his life that NK began to show any “expansionist tendencies” indicating that he might try to increase his rank. Even then it was nothing so overt as threatening Sirgei; NK just stopped spontaneously offering him submission. He never challenged his dad directly. When Sirgei, Emperor of the Universe, died in 1992, he left the universe to NK. NK underwent a profound change in attitude. Wolves and humans were treated to his “muscle poses” and posturings. Humans were stalked, stared at, and threatened with growls. “How does he manage to stay on all fours?” wondered his human mom, Ginny Kunch. “His head is so swollen (with his own greatness) he should be too top heavy to stand, much less walk.” His Majesty often performed lateral threat displays by strutting stiffly along the fence, staring and growling. When he was in “look upon me and tremble” mode, his hackles usually stood on end, making a big wolf look larger still. In winter coat, the hackles over his shoulders were so long we could imagine him sporting a dorsal fin, and hum the shark’s leitmotif from “Jaws.” Betsy, Chani, and Sierra came in for a little of his posturing too, though in Betsy’s case, NK’s aggressive behavior was meant to show off his male grandeur. He was courting her. During this time we worked with NK by taking him for walks. The main pack was, at that time (fall ‘92), still in the old Wolf Woods West enclosure. NK approached them. A couple of wolves came up and stared at him. NK’s hackles stood on end and he stared back and growled. The rest of the pack of eight approached and stared...and stared...and stared. NK, apparently in search of moral support and backup, stopped growling and velcroed his rump to my leg. From that vantage point he growled at them again and then turned around and indicated his desire to make an orderly retreat. That winter he threatened us all through the fence. We separated him from Betsy and his sisters so there would not be an extra litter. NK looked forlorn when I shut him up alone, but that did not stop him from threatening us. The trick was never to reinforce the threats by feeding him. Since he threatened at feeding time, as if guarding the meat before it was actually given to him, it was easy for people to accidentally reward him for staring and growling. Two weeks after he was shut up by himself, I was feeding and he threatened me. I did not feed him but said “No” and turned my back on him for a couple of minutes before trying again. When he stopped growling and gave me a “soft look” instead of a hard stare, I fed him. Occasionally he needed a behavioral tune-up. I remember him “earning” his five pounds of Nebraska Brand a mouthful at a time in return for “soft” eye contact, grins, and ears back waggy-wiggle greetings. When we reunited him with his sisters, we found him the next day,

pleased to have human visitors, and with a tooth mark right on top of his head. I strongly suspect Chani of puncturing his conceit – and his skin. NK reached the point of needing to be leashed even in the summer “mellow season” after he got a really interesting response from a human whom he sniffed vigorously where the legs fork away from the torso. After this experience, he was alert to possibilities of intimidating other humans. At that time we did not have any readily available holding pens so NK was kept leashed. If his facial expression was relaxed he might be, depending on the season, allowed to approach humans in addition to his “core” group of humans: Ginny Kunch, Nancy Stewart, Monty Sloan, and myself. He was

also very fond of Mark Woodcock – until Mark spent his first winter here. In winter, wolves’ hormonal profiles dispose them a bit more towards aggression. NK specialized in testosterone production and during the winter his attitude, on a continuum stretching from Tweety Pie to Ming the Merciless, was definitely “to Ming of center”. After that first winter he consistently threatened Mark too. Mark was sad to have lost his special buddy, but he resolutely retained his special license plate, “NK”, and continued to love him from a distance. For the rest of his life NK continued to threaten new interns and volunteers – with a few exceptions, including Billy Avoletta, and Gale Motter, our newest staff member. NK may hold the record for the most nicknames here at the Park. The N stood for Niko Tinbergen and the K stood for Konrad Lorenz, two Nobel Laureate ethologists. But pronounced Enn Kay, it could be short for Enkidu, an ancient Assyrian wild man who was raised by wolves. We took to calling the big puppy Enki and Enkidu or, when he was naughty, Enkidon’t. Enkidu eventually morphed into Enkidoodledoo then into both Doodlebug and Doodlebutt. From there it truncated into Mr. Bug.

Harking back to Sirgei, I occasionally called his son by the endearment of Sweetpea. Puff was used when he was very hackled up. If he was not showing aggressive behavior other than his “dorsal fin” we used to address him in dulcet tones as Pretty Puff, Sweet Puff, and Good Puff. Like many captive wolves, NK managed to have some unscheduled adventures. In the summer of 1993 his sisters decided to climb in with Akili, a lone male previously of the main pack. Akili, a very debonair individual, had a marked effect on most female wolves. We found NK pacing frantically while Chani rested in Akili’s pen wearing an expression I can only call “smug”. Sierra we had to rescue from the sheep enclosure – the guard dogs Daphne and Dieter had her penned in a corner. Since the girls wanted to be with Akili (who didn’t mind in the least) we decided to see if NK would like to live with Trillian. Trill was pleased but NK looked dazed. That evening intern Lara Luke and artist Jill Moore went over to check on things at East lake. They came back to say that Sierra was in the corridor growling at them. We went over in the darkness to sort things out. Yes, there the rascal was, limned in the moonlight. It looked large for Sierra; and, in fact, it was NK. Monty went to Trill’s pen and found NK had lifted the gate off its lower hinge and yanked it in far enough to let himself out. We let NK in with his sisters, ending our only “experiment” in breaking up the family and trying to get them to live with others. In the spring of 1994 NK, Chani, and Sierra created a hole in their enclosure fence, and went exploring in the bison pasture. I arrived just after our caretaker Joe Wolf and artist Jill Moore spotted NK loose. It wasn’t hard to catch and leash him, but he grumbled at being leashed, so I took him to stalk Canada geese. We put the Minis in a new pen, and before April was over, a tornado had ripped through the Park, and did serious damage in the enclosure the Minis would have otherwise been occupying. Dr. Klinghammer and I drove around to check the devastation and saw the Minis trotting around with eyes like saucers, as if they wanted to say “You should have seen what just came by here!”

(Continued on page 11)

NK surveys his universe. Photo by Monty Sloan

�*��#��//%�0121�3��#��/4%�/440� By Pat Goodmann


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The Ethology Series publishes original materials for the dissemination of information in ethology and related fields.

Applied Ethology Basic Principles of Ethology and Psychology $5.00 Erich Klinghammer. Provides persons who need to handle animals with a basic understanding of the principles of ethology.

The Management & Socialization of Captive Wolves (Canis Lupus) at Wolf Park $25.00 Erich Klinghammer and Pat Goodmann. Wolf Park’s protocol for the handling and care of captive wolves.

Wolf Ethogram $12.00 Pat Goodmann and Erich Klinghammer. A “Wolf-to-English dictionary” for those interested in wolf behavior.

Wolf Park History 1972-1999 $25.00 Pat Goodmann. The History chronicles events at Wolf Park from 1972-1999 and documents the Main Pack and the lives of Park animals.

Wolves of Wolf Park $9.95 Edited by former intern Kristin Hessick and Jessica Willard. Anecdote biographies of the Wolf Park wolves, coyote, foxes and bison.

Children’s Ethology Series $3.00 Jessica Willard. 8 page booklets with many black and white photographs by Monty Sloan. Set of 3: introductions to Puppies, Foxes, and Wolves.

Please add $3.00 shipping per order (except Children’s Ethology Series).

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Behavior seminars consist of lectures, slide, video and film presentations, observations and hands-on experience with wolves, as well as the opportunity to see the Wolf-Bison demonstration up close. The seminars are based on the behavioral research carried out at Wolf Park since 1972. Enrollment is limited to 25 per seminar. 5-day seminars require $100 non-refundable deposit to hold a spot; 6-day seminars require $200 non-refundable deposit. Money cannot be applied to future seminars.

Photography seminars consist of a talk on photographing wolves, and 3 hours of supervised outdoor photography with photographer Monty Sloan. Participants will photograph Park wolves from inside the enclosure. The wolves are in semi-natural habitat for fantastic photo opportunities. Enrollment limited to 7 persons. Non-refundable full payment of $150 is required to hold a spot. In the event of cancellation, money may be applied to future seminars.

All participants wishing to interact with the wolves must be at least 18 years old and able-bodied enough to withstand enthusiastic greeting from a 100-pound wolf. Restrictions will apply.

2001 Seminar Dates One-Day Photography Seminars $150 each

October 8, 15, 29; November 5, 26

5-Day Wolf Behavior Seminars $475 each August 12-16; October 21-25

6-Day Wolf and Dog Behavior Seminar With Terry Ryan and Dr. Ray Coppinger

June 17-22 $720

Accommodations are extra. Seminars fill up, so reserve your spot now!

Monty Sloan’s photography is available online at

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(Continued from page 10) In Fall of ‘95 we had NK vasectomized, so he could stay with Chani and Sierra through the breeding season. Once NK was prepped for surgery, Dr. Harper was surprised to see that the pertinent parts of NK’s equipment were so small for his size. “Oh, he’s not fertile,” I explained. Dr. Harper gave me a look that plainly inquired why, then, we were gathered together for this operation. “But he will be in a few weeks and then he will be much larger,” I concluded hastily. The operation allowed NK to spend the next six breeding seasons with Chani and Sierra. From the little we saw he appeared to be a faithful mate to Chani for those six years. On the morning of April 20, 2001, NK did not want his meatball and did not greet his friend Billy Avoletta with his usual excitement. He was happy to see Billy and me but acted lethargic. Friday was the first day of Members’ Weekend and I was slated to work until 4:30 pm that day. Luckily Billy could keep an eye on NK. He convinced me NK was not simply having a late morning sleep-in together with a little constipation. We decided to take him in to have a look. For a vet to examine him safely and thoroughly, NK would have to be sedated. Taken on a leash to be tranquilized and doze off in a holding pen, he perked up at the prospect of a walk. He paced slowly by my side, in textbook heel position – another indication of lethargy. But he was smiling and looking around. When he was unconscious, we loaded him on a stretcher and Karin Bloch drove him, with Billy and me, to the vet clinic while the rest of the staff carried on with Members’ Weekend. Forebodings aside, this was an opportunity for a thorough, hands on, medical exam. Blood work, urinalysis, and x-rays, a tooth check, an all over check for tumors, and a toenail clipping were in order. Dr. Becker examined NK, and was worried, because he seemed to have fluid in his abdomen even though he did not look distended. On the plus side, his heartbeat was strong, his color was good, and the blood work cheered us unexpectedly. Despite NK’s age, his vital signs were good enough for me to feel that surgery was warranted to see if the problem was fixable. The first x-rays were not very distinct. After Dr. Dave belabored it with a wet sponge, the developer yielded a pretty plain x-ray. It indicated there was a rupture, possibly fixable, at one end of NK’s bladder. I okayed exploratory surgery and the results were bad. The bladder had ruptured from end to end and the edges of the rip were necrotic, indicating that this had been going on for some hours. Dr. Dave said he did not think sutures or staples could hold the bladder together even if the necrotic tissue was trimmed away. I told Dr. Dave not to let NK wake up. Everyone had been psyched up, if the prognosis was hopeful, to fight for NK, only to find that the outcome had been determined hours before. As if he could hear and understand, we told NK we were sorry. In a case like this, I always ask myself how much the wolf suffered. In NK’s case I am sure he felt some discomfort or he would have been more excited over Billy’s arrival and at the prospect of going out of the pen on leash. I don’t think he was in horrible pain, though, because he did respond to Billy, to me and to going out on a short walk. His expression was pleasant though he did growl once while we were taking him out. That was much like NK too. He was reacting as usual to his environment, but in a muted fashion. Billy’s watchfulness kept me from letting NK go a day to see if he felt better. It was extremely fortunate that on one of the busiest, most distracting weekends of the year, NK had a good friend who could watch him and confirm that something serious was wrong. All his life, NK was a dominant, confidant wolf, a huge Eminance Blanc at East Lake. Chani and Sierra often seemed to run to him as if for reassurance when they were frightened of something and he started a lot of rowdy games in which they willingly joined. His voice is missing from the East Lake chorus, and since his death, his sister Sierra rarely does her signature “squirrel shriek howl.” Life goes on, but we will never forget NK.

An NK smile. Photo by Monty Sloan

WOLF PARK NEWS is published by the North American Wildlife Park Foundation, Inc. © 2001, all rights reserved. All correspondence should be addressed to : WOLF PARK NEWS, WOLF PARK, Battle Ground, IN 47920. (765) 567-2265 Website: www.wolfpark.org

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of NAWPF, but are those of the individual authors.

Editor in Chief: Erich Klinghammer, Ph.D., Director Editor: Jessica Willard Photographer: Monty Sloan

NAWPF is a 501 (c)3 Non-Profit Organization.

WOLF PARK / NAWPF Battle Ground, IN 47920 USA

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Wolf Park is a unique research and education facility located just outside Battle Ground, Indiana. Its hand-raised wolves, foxes and coyote and its herd of more than a dozen American bison give visitors opportunit ies available nowhere else:

� WATCH THE HUNT View effective antipredator behavior by bison in the wolf-bison demonstration each Sunday at 1:00 pm, May-November.

� HOWL WITH THE PACK Hear wolves howl from less than 10 feet away during Howl Nights, Friday May-November, Saturday year-round, at 7:30 pm.

� MEET A WOLF Meet a wolf, fox or coyote face-to-face via our Adopt-A-Wolf program. (See page 4 for more details!) Wolf Park also features guided tours, educational programs, talks on behavior and communication, "fox talks", WOLF! Magazine, wolf behavior seminars, videos, slideshows, kids' activities and volunteer programs, a gift shop, and much more. Check out our web site, www.wolfpark.org, for more information! Join the pack -- become a member of Wolf Park and get up close and personal with one of the world’s most misunderstood predators!

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This young male wolf is standing on his

"tiptoes", hoping to get a better view of

something which is higher than his normal visual elevation. Wild wolves may adopt this position to see over tall grasses. When

standing on their hind legs in this manner, wolves can be more than six feet "tall".

Learn more

fascinating facts about these wild relatives of

your pet dog at Wolf Park.

Directions to Wolf Park:

To reach WOLF PARK from Interstate 65, take the exit for Indiana State Road 43 North (Brookston, West Lafayette Exit # 178). Go north on 43 a mile to State Road 225. Turn right (east) and go about 2 miles directly into Battle Ground. Drive straight through town, cross the railroad tracks and stay to the left. Drive one long block to Jefferson St. and turn left. Follow Jefferson St. about 1 1/2 miles until you come to a large sign on your right for WOLF PARK. We are just 1/4 mile up the gravel drive.

members’ weekend 2001 - wolf parka new book by ray and lorna coppinger, dogs , has just been...

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