Wolf Conservation Presentation

Honors College students welcomed a furry visitor to campus on November 9th. His name is Atka, a traveling wolf ambassador from the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) in Westchester.  Atka was accompanied by two Conservation Center speakers who came to advocate on behalf of Atka’s wild, wolf brother and sisters. The Wolf Conservation Center in Westchester was founded in 1999 and promotes the preservation of wolves through active education. The WCC teaches young people about wolves and about mankind’s role in protecting this once endangered species.

Speaker, Ms Maggie Howell, gave students a brief history of wolves in America, following their population decline and rise, and the crucial role they play in the environment.  Ms Howell also discussed the difference between wolf species and the importance of keeping these interesting creatures at home in the wild. 

The event was held in Gottesman Room and nine-year -old, Arctic Grey wolf Atka surveyed the crowd, guided by a trained representative from the WCC. Atka is the WCC’s oldest wolf ambassador and travels all over the Northeast helping to promote wolf conservation.  In the last year alone, Atka has been to over 150 schools, museums, nature centers, and libraries teaching welcoming audiences about his life.  Unlike most wolves, Atka enjoys all of the travelling his job entails.

Although students were not permitted to pet Atka, they still got an up-close look at this beautiful animal’s massive coat and paws. Ms.Howell warned that unlike many domesticated pets, including the wolf’s oldest living relative, the dog, wolves are very frightened by humans and tend to hide from our two-legged population. Senior accounting major Eddie Redden especially loved seeing the wolf up-close, saying “I’ve never seen a wolf that big before, it was really cool and definitely one of my favorite events so far.”

If you missed this event and would like to learn more about the WCC, feel free to visit their website, www.nywolf.org.  The WCC hosts many events that give people the opportunity to interact with the wolves, as well as observe them in their natural    habitat, so I encourage you to visit their Westchester location!