The call of the wild will resonate in Lecture Hall 14 when Atka the wolf comes to visit Binghamton University this Sunday.
The Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) based in Westchester, in coordination with bioengineering professor George Catalano, has brought this event to campus for the past five years.
The idea began when Maggie Howell, managing director of the WCC, heard Catalano read a paper he had written on wolves at a Colorado conference on wolves. They decided to involve students in conservation, and thus Atka’s presentations were started.
The event will be presented in two parts, a lecture and an interactive questionnaire. Students will see a slide show on a variety of wolf topics, including myths surrounding wolves, realities of wolf life, wolf habitats and their ecological role in the United States. The second part of the lecture will open up the floor to students to ask questions about wolves as Atka makes an appearance with his handler.
‘Atka is an 8-year-old arctic grey wolf, and he is such a beautiful creature,’ Howell said. ‘I work with him every day and I still feel inspired by him.’
Atka is one of two ‘ambassador wolves’ at the WCC, and he is featured as a part of many presentations and lectures given by the center. He is still a wild wolf, so students cannot pet him, but he will allow an up-close look as he walks around the aisles of the lecture hall.
According to Howell, the goal of this lecture is to raise awareness of wolf conservation efforts on campus and, in a greater sense, the country and world. Along with educating the public about wolves, the WCC is actively involved in a breeding and release program that breeds wolves at the center and then releases them into the wild.
Wolves included in the breeding program are Mexican gray wolves and a pack of red wolves, which are released into Arizona and North Carolina respectively. The wolves adapt well to the wild, but they struggle to survive poaching. Two Mexican gray wolves were released as part of this program, and both were shot illegally within months of their release, Howell said.
‘We are trying to get more awareness of endangered species because it seems like in today’s political climate, environment is not as important as it was,’ Catalano said.
The organizers of the event also hope to perhaps pique students’ interest in a possible internship or future career working with wolves and garner support for the WCC. Students interested in getting involved in a career in wolf conservation can apply to work as a volunteer or intern at the center through the website, www.nywolf.org.
More information on the event is available through the Facebook group, ‘Atka the Wolf is Coming to Binghamton University!’
‘We want students to appreciate how precious these life forms are, and get rid of the myths that they are cold-blooded killers,’ Catalano said. ‘They are beautiful, and they have families just like you and me.’
The event will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7 in Lecture Hall 14 and is open to all students free of charge, though the WCC encourages donations. All proceeds from the event will go directly to the WCC to support their wolves and educational programs.