| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A New Home to Roam at Busch Gardens Williamsburg |
| By Rob Yordi, Busch Gardens Williamsburg Busch Gardens Williamsburg has created Wolf Valley – a new guest viewing area for the park’s gray wolves. During the past four seasons, guests have experienced these amazing animals up-close during daily educational presentations at Wolf Haven in Jack Hanna’s Wild Reserve. Guest feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many sharing their desire to see more of the wolves. Wolf Valley, the newly expanded habitat, allows guests to see these magnifi cent gray wolves in a naturalistic setting. Encompassing more than 8,000 square feet, Wolf Valley features wooded terrain, rolling hills, streams and ponds. Large fallen trees and numerous boulders dot the landscape, along with a covered den for shelter. Construction started in December 2004. Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s zoological team began introducing the wolves to their new environment in early April.The park has three wolf pairs, also called packs. The park’s zoo staff worked slowly with each wolf so they could familiarize themselves with the new habitat at their own pace. Wolf Valley can accommodate one pack of gray wolves daily from dawn until dusk. The two remaining pairs of wolves are viewable from Wolf Haven and during the educationalpresentations . Once fully acclimated to the new environment, two or more pairs may explore Wolf Valley together. |