Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Imagine being eye to eye with a wild wolf. Probably a little scary but that's not the case in Savannah. Oatland Island Wildlife Center's newest exhibit opens this weekend and its really a one of a kind! 

 "If you see a wolf in the wild, chances are you wanna stay pretty clear," says director Chris Gentile. But that's not the case at Oatland Islands new "Wolf Wilderness" exhibit that puts you in the role of a researcher coming face to face with grey wolves. 3 "We're trying to tell it from a first person perspective so that you really feel like your following people doing a study in the wild, " adds Gentile.  Learning how bones from a dead deer and other things these wolves leave behind can be the key to telling the story behind these animals lives.  "Scat or as we call it poop is important to research."

After gathering all your research you'll make your way into the researchers cabin, where you will come nose to nose with the center's pack.  "The reason we wanted to do "Wolf Wilderness" is because they are always active and give people a chance to see them up close," says Gentile. Especially since you won't see this breed in Georgia. Grey wolves make their home in the northern states. The 145,000 dollar exhibit was made possible through gifts from a number of Savannah companies and is part of at Oatland's continuous expansion and renovation.

Oatland Island Wildlife Center is open 10am until 4pm. The center is located 5 miles east of downtown Savannah on President Street.

Click here for a link to the center's website.

Copyright 2008 by WJCL 22 / ABC and WTGS / FOX28, The Coastal Source