Throughout history, humans have used wolves to teach lessons by giving them the role of the "bad guy" in myths and fairy tales. What most people do not know is how similar wolves are to us; they live in family units that work together and rely on one another in every aspect to thrive. As an apex predator, their presence in the ecosystem is also very valuable. They keep animal herds in check, which in turn allows other animals and plant life to thrive. Our goal is to educate the public on the myths vs the facts, in hopes that future generations will care about these animals more than those before them.
Educational programs are available to schools, libraries, scout troops, camps, and other public or private venues. They include a slideshow presentation with pictures and other elements of learning such as hands on activities. These programs can be tailored for any age group. An added extra is the fact that we have one of our ambassador animals alongside us as we speak to the audience.
This is where our ambassador wolf partners come in. They help us educate about their wild cousins simply by drawing in a crowd willing to listen. Because of the large crowds and conditions, the audience will not be able to pet our ambassadors at any public educational lectures, but we believe that having a positive experience with one of our animals, even just seeing them at these programs (especially with an extremely young audience) adds another element in the education experience. There are many studies on how an experience with an ambassador animal encourages those individuals to be more sympathetic to that particular species, so this is what we hope for by bringing our animals with us for the public to 'meet'.
Current Program Topics Available Presentations can be altered to fit any criteria you are hoping for us to cover, but here are the basic programs we offer: The Wolf: Fact vs Myth This is a general presentation on wolves, but very informative. Family life, habitat, diet, and basic myths and facts are covered. We also speak about their important role in the ecosystem, and why we have no reason to fear these amazing animals. One of our ambassador wolves accompany us as well. Foxes in Folklore To tie in our ambassador foxes, we have decided to offer this fun presentation that will surely be popular with libraries and literature teachers. Foxes are often featured in art, fairy tales, and stories time and time again. Here we discuss how foxes are viewed all over the world, and also cover basic facts on red foxes; the most recognized fox species. We will also bring along one of our ambassador foxes to these programs. Wild Canids of North America Here is a great way to learn about all wild canids you'll see here in North America. From wolves, to coyotes and foxes; all species are covered. Myths and facts are revealed and we can bring along either of our ambassador species. You can choose which ambassador species we bring with us for this program. Booking Information If you are part of a library, scout group, camp, or other program interested in hiring us to give an educational lecture, feel free to call or email (you'll find booking information in the footer below). We are located outside of the Columbus, Ohio area but we can travel almost anywhere as long as your state does not have any animal restrictions.
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Public Events:Due to COVID-19:
All public educational programs we have scheduled are mostly canceled for spring and summer 2020, although it is up to each individual venue. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions on upcoming events. Many of our programs are booked privately with schools or other groups, but if you are looking for the libraries and metro parks who currently have us scheduled be sure to check out our Facebook events page:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/IronwoodWolves/events/ |