Wolf Park

While Katie has always had an interest in animals, recently her focus has been on wolves.  This is probably due in part to the release this month of the anime movie "Wolf Children".  And the reason why Katie tells me at least once a week (particularly after finishing her homework) that she wishes that she was a wolf.

So, it seemed like a good idea today to take her to the Wolf Park in Battleground, Indiana.

She was in HEAVEN!

And as I have a new camera these days, so was I.  The wolves are very socialized.  So that, with the fact that the weather is cooler now and they are much more active, made for a lot of excellent photo ops.  Wotan is quite handsome, is he not?

This is Dharma.  She is smaller than the other males in the main pack, but she is quite bossy and rules the roost.

She seems to know how to work it for the camera, too.

Wotan, on the other hand, is content to just lounge around for his photos.

The wolves are so majestic when they patrol their area.

I love how the late evening sun glimmered in their eyes.

This is how I picture wolves in my imagination.  Giant feet, ears alert, eyes focused, nose tilted downwards as though tracking a scent, while they pace.  I saw a lot of this behavior at the park.  And admittedly, I saw a lot of lazy dog behavior, too.  :-)

We even got to see this woodpecker from the observation deck as well.  So cute!

The park also is home to fox and coyotes, as well as wolves.  So much to see.  I highly recommend Wolf Park.  The admission fee was reasonable, the staff very committed, the tour guide was extremely knowledgeable.  It's the perfect location, if you are interested in wildlife photography.

And as a bonus, you can have dinner at the famous, XXX Root Beer Stand.  Featured on the Food Network program "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives".  It was old hat for Paul, a Purdue grad, but was the first time for both Katie and I.  We didn't order the root beer to drink, but we did share a root beer float after our hamburgers were finished.  Yum!