Just thought I’d fill you in on a(nother) pretty good day at the Wolf Conservation Center. Today we were lucky enough to do a special program at the NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City. The renowned pediatric hospital was presenting a live performance of Peter and the Wolf for patients and local schoolchildren. The organizers thought it would be a nice idea for everybody to get a chance to see Atka, our traveling ambassador Arctic Gray Wolf, and learn a little about the way wolves really live and act in the wild. So before the Russian National Orchestra Wind Quintet and narrator Gregg Whiteside performed the classic story, Atka (handled by Rebecca Bose) strolled around the room as we fielded some great questions from the audience. The only downside was that we couldn’t stay for the entire performance! I probably have the entire piece memorized anyway, since my sisters and I used to listen to it (the Peter Ustinov version) all the time when we were growing up. I never dreamed I’d one day speak before a performance, let alone work with wolves!

We don’t have any photos from the hospital (though we may get some at some point), but we do have some from our return to the Center, when Atka took advantage of the warm weather with a short dip before his dinner. Don’t worry – no ducks were harmed! Click here to view the photos.