Howling at the Wolves!

You cup your hands around your mouth, tilt your head back, and let out a long, low howl echo out into the shadowy forest and clear star-filled sky.  And, you wait for the majestic return howl of a wild wolf...

 

 

A radio collared wolf was located within a mile of the location from where this photo was taken -- just the day before.  We anxiously await and hope this wolf and its pack will respond with a howl. After letting out five loud howls, you strain your ears into the silence that fills the air.  As you listen carefully, you begin to notice the night sounds: the faint rustle of leaves that might indicate the movement of small mammals, insects, or amphibians on the forest floor; in the distance, the rhythmic, unrelenting calling of a Whip-poor-will; overhead, the mechanical squeaking and chirping of bats as they wing their way around your head.  And then...

Your intense focus is interrupted by the howl of a Gray Wolf whose solo howl is soon joined by the howl of other adult wolves and the higher pitched "yipping howls" of pups.  This is the unforgettable experience many wolf howl participants seek when they participate in a wolf howling program at the Discovery Center.  Though wolf howling groups are not assured a response from a wolf, the experience of being out at night in the territory of a wolf pack is, nonetheless, unforgettable. 

This summer Discovery Center wolf howl participants have lifted their voices to howl at three of the known wolf packs in the area around the Discovery Center - and have received a response once thus far.  Wolves are territorial, and use howls to communicate within a pack and with nearby packs.  Wolf howling surveys make use of this form of communication, prompting wolves in the area to respond through a series of human howls scripted by a wolf howl survey protocol.  Data from these wolf howl adventures and other wolf howl surveys around the state are submitted to the Wisconsin DNR and used to monitor the size and reproductive success of wolf packs. 

 

We begin a wolf howl evening with an interactive wolf ecology presentation and opportunities to examine the diet of Wisconsin wolves, explore the status of statewide wolf populations, and feel the sagittal crest on a wolf skull which provides surface area for attachment of powerful jaw muscles. 

 

 Wolf Ecology presentation by Research and Monitoring Coordinator Heather Lumpkin

 

Examining the difference between wolf and coyote pelts and skulls during the wolf ecology presentation.

 

There is still time to participate in a wolf howl this season.  Our wolf howl programs fill quickly, so be sure to Register Soon: Friday, September 13, and Saturdays, September 28 and October 19. 

 

And, for more on wolves, visit the Timber Wolf Alliance via WEB or FACEBOOK or contact me at TWA@DiscoveryCenter.net. The Timber Wolf Alliance is an affiliate organization within the umbrella of the North Lakeland Discovery Center.  Its mission is to use education and science-based information to promote an ecologically-functional wolf population within areas of suitable habitat.

 - Heather Lumpkin, Research and Monitoring Coordinator