If you’re tired of the bustle of the holiday season, and are looking for something different to do, then consider a visit to Bays Mountain Park to attend one of the twice weekly Dining with the Wolves sessions.

These events are held throughout the year, every Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m. where visitors get a chance to see the wolves eat a tasty meal followed by a guest Q&A with park staff. Folks can learn about such things as the wolves’ diet, eating habits and behavior during meal times.

Park Ranger Miranda Wanninger said the programs are a popular event among guests. Busy days you can see anywhere from 20 to more than 60 guests come out. Best of all, the presentation is free, and you don’t even have to register. Just show up and be ready to be educated.

“If you want to learn more about gray wolves in general, about their conservation status, their diets, what they eat and how they hunt – it’s a great program for that kind of information,” Wanninger said.

The Dining with the Wolves sessions are scheduled to lean towards a wild wolf’s eating habits, Wanninger explains. In the wild, gray wolves typically eat about 20% of their body weight once every five to seven days.

At Bays Mountain Park, the wolves typically receive upwards of eight pounds of food per wolf twice a week.

“We feed roughly 10% of their body weight twice a week depending on the season and their behavior,” she said.

During the program, park rangers like to discuss the wolves’ diets, eating habits and what the animals will eat when game is scarce. A wolf’s diet varies year to year and by season and the program at Bays Mountain Park is tailored to that fact as well.

“For example, Gray wolves in the summer do not have the advantage of snowfall to help them avoid detection. The higher temperatures also lead to increased nighttime hunting, which may result in varying prey options,” Wanninger said. “Late winter is the beginning of their mating season, and they’re not as interested in food. In that case we’ll still do the program but focus more on husbandry, behavior and other general information
about the wolves.”

For information about other events, activities and programs at Bays Mountain Park, please visit www.baysmountain.com.