By Howard Koplowitz
A pair of Colorado wolves is set to make an appearance in the borough next week as part of an educational program Sunday at the Queens County Farm Museum.
“It was always my passion to bring this program to the city,” said Jeffrey Kollbrunner, a nature photographer from Briarwood.
The programs are scheduled to be held at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sunday during the Queens County Farm Museum’s Children’s Fall Festival. Admission is $4, which includes the wolf project.
Kollbrunner said his interest in wolves took root seven years ago while he was on vacation in New Paltz.
That is where he met Pam Brown, a wolf educator who introduced him to Maggie, a wolf pup.
“Maggie planted her nose right on mine and she was slobbering me up,” Kollbrunner said. “I had one wet face and it was a fantastic experience.”
Now 7, Maggie will be joined by Abraham, a 1 1⁄2−year−old wolf−dog mix, for the farm museum program.
“They have very unusual personalities because they agree to do public education,” Brown said. “Most wolves are too shy.”
The wolves live in a Colorado sanctuary operated by Mission: Wolf, a non−profit that educates people about wolves.
Brown said she expects Maggie and Abraham to use their noses to sniff out their surroundings while meeting participants in the program.
“They’re usually drawn to people who smell like their dogs or other animals,” she said.
Part of the program will explain the significance of wolves to the ecosystem and lecture participants that wolves or wolf−dog mixes do not make good house pets because they are too wild, Brown said.
“It’s like having a lion in your living room — even if you think that wolf is going to be your special buddy,” she said.
The closest wolf population to Queens is a day’s drive to Ontario, Canada, Brown said, so the opportunity to see Maggie and Abraham is a rare one.
Seating for the program is limited, so those interested should call the farm museum at 718−347−3276.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e−mail at hkoplowitz@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 173.
