Summertime at the WSC

Barbara Steininger (intern)

19.06.2018

These days, when 30 degrees are the rule rather than the exception, it certainly has some benefits to belong to the human group of employees at the Wolf Science Center. Not just the ability to perspire big amounts of sweat through our skin but also the option to withdraw into cooler places, like our new student house, makes the heat more bearable for us. On really hot days even the way to the freezer is an appreciated opportunity to cool down, one even accepts the mountain of dead animals that is stuffed in there. 

Our four-legged employees have to content themselves with panting and resting in the shade. They do this extensively without even knowing that there are such things as sunburns or weird tan lines to worry about, like we do.

With 30 degrees all day even our otherwise highly motivated animals often need higher inducement than just a piece of kibble.

Therefore, the hope for cooling rain is always high when you can hear the roll of thunder coming from far away into the wildpark.

To make this hot summer days easier for our furry friends, the employees spend a lot of time brushing the animals to free them of the last remains of their winter coat.  The results are huge amounts of hair, from which one could possibly build another wolf or dog.

Of course, summertime at the WSC also has its benefits: because of the fact that we spend almost our whole working days here in fresh air, it´s a relief not to worry about putting on warm clothes, and also the cleaning the waterbowls became more refreshing rather than hard work.

I personally am enjoying my summer here to the fullest and I am even feeling a little bit wistful because I have to leave the WSC in August already. In spite of the joy that summer brings here, it really seems appealing to me to see the wolves in their splendid winter-coat frolicking in the snow. Therefore I definitely will pay them a visit in winter to see that.