Katherine Waters
Sun Staff Intern
It was a mistake for my parents to bring me to a pet store and expect me to walk out without a puppy. Who could possibly resist two brown eyes, a wagging tail and wet nose? I certainly could not manage. That is the reason why I currently own the cutest dog on the face of the earth. But doesn’t every dog owner say that?
My ability to resist temptation was once again tested Tuesday evening, and, to my surprise, I passed. This time, instead of staring into the brown eyes of a very domesticated puppy, I was staring into the golden eyes of a Mackenzie Valley Alaskan Timber Wolf. Actually, I met five Alaskan Timber wolves. Nakoa, Natani, Tala, Tashina, and Dancing Turtle all live in the Wolf Mountain Nature Center in Smyrna with their guardian, Will Pryor.
If it weren’t for a well-timed reminder from Pryor that they were not tame, I might have, like so many, been tempted to stick my fingers in, just to feel the texture of what seemed to be the most soft, plush fur, But as I said, I resisted the urge and instead sat within a foot of the three wolf puppies watching them “play.”
The Wolf Mountain Nature Center has been open to the public for nearly two years. Since its opening, the entirely volunteer-based staff has been working hard to develop the 70 acres of land by adding hiking trails, a picnic area, a second habitat meant for an arctic fox and an education building, which they hope to finish in time for their Melon Festival.
Days at the nature center begin with a wake up call from the wolf puppies who cry for breakfast at 5:30 a.m. I was not fortunate enough to experience breakfast with the pack, thankfully, but I did arrive just in time to participate in dinner.
I spent my time at The Wolf Mountain Nature Center during the evening. “The time,” Pryor said, “of the wolves.” If I had gone any earlier, I would have seen a lot of sleeping fur balls, rather than the energetic curious animals who greeted me at the fence.
Both morning and evening meals begin with clean up of the pen and checks to maintain the animals’ health. It was interesting to discover that unlike my dog, who is in dire need of a bath and probably a toothbrush, wolves don’t smell. Instead, nature takes its course, and the enzymes in the wolves saliva eliminates what we might consider “doggy breath.”
While Pryor let me throw raw venison into the puppies’ pen for dinner, he explained the animals wolf down (yes, he said ‘wolf’) 250 pounds of meat a month. I laughed, until I saw four-month-old puppies easily snap a chicken bone in half.
But even eating raw meat became cute again when they began to play ‘keep away’ by trying to bury a piece of meat for later, only to discover that a sibling had already stolen it and was trying to bury it two feet away. Interestingly enough, that game is a skill used in the wild to conserve food.
After dinner and a good game of chase around the pen, the puppies ended my evening with a song. Unfortunately momma and poppa wolf weren’t interested in singing along, but they were saying goodbye just the same with their piercing eyes staring at me as I walked out the gate.
The nature center is a result of Pryor’s boyhood dream to be around wolves. He, like myself, still believes that the animals he watches over are the most beautiful creatures in the world.
For more information on the center’s Welcome Weekend and Melon Festival on Aug. 9 and 10 and the Pumpkin Festival, visit their web site at www.thewolfmountainnaturecenter.org.