Frequently Asked Questions

No. Wolf Park is a privately owned and operated non-profit facility. We are not funded by any state or federal organizations.

We are a wild canid research and education center. Our three tenant mission incorporates Conservation, Education, and Behavioral Research. We assist researchers around the world as well as offer a variety of tours and events, seminars, camps, photography, and other programs to our visitors. This recently includes Virtual Programs as well. You can find more options for our unique opportunities in the menu bar under “Programs”.

We are home to gray wolves, red foxes, gray foxes, and bison. Historically we have also been home to coyotes.

No, our animals live in large, semi-natural enclosures and pastures.

Most of the animals were born here. The rest came from other facilities like ours. None of them were born in the wild.

Wolf Park animals are socialized and comfortable around people so they are not candidates for release into the wild. They are ambassadors for their wild-born cousins. We hope by giving people a chance to see and interact with our ambassadors, they will make better-informed decisions relating to wildlife and natural resources.

Wolf Park is on Eastern Standard Time, like Michigan and Ohio. Northern Indiana and Chicago are on Central Time. Please plan accordingly. This part of Indiana is also on Daylight Savings Time.

We accept cash, checks, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and Apple/Droid Pay. We do not accept American Express.

Yes there is a $5.00 minimum for credit card purchases.

Wolf Park is a private, non-profit facility funded by admissions. We offer discounts to our members and sponsors only. Learn more on our Members/Sponsors page.

We do not.

We run guided tours of the facility throughout the week and a variety of specialty programs and events monthly. Please see our Tours & Events page for details on general tours and available seasonal events. For all other unique programs, visit the Programs tab in our main menu bar.

Yes. While historically we have welcomed drop-ins, we now require a reservation. You can book your Follow the Pack tour, Howl Night, and other programs here.

Both tours follow the same tour path and often include similar content. However, up to 20 people may book a spot on our Follow the Pack tours and the tours are either given by staff or highly trained volunteers. Private Tours are reserved for only one group, are given by staff members, and often have a higher likelihood of seeing each of the ambassador animals.

Follow the Pack tours last about 45 minutes to an hour depending on your guide and guest questions. The tour follows a three-quarter-mile walking trail.

Visitors must be accompanied by a docent when on the trail. We do not allow self-guided tours unless otherwise stated, such as the Twilight Tour and Sunrise Stroll programs.

All park ambassadors are very comfortable with people and will often come straight up to the fence. They have free reign of the enclosures so there may be a chance at low visibility depending on their location at the time, but generally, they are quite visible.

General visitors to the park will not meet the animals face-to-face. Sponsors may arrange a time to meet their wolf or fox. Details can be found here. Sponsors must be over eighteen to meet a wolf. Younger sponsors may meet the foxes and bison.

Wolf Park has ramps leading up to all buildings not on ground level and handicap-accessible bathroom stalls. We have benches placed around the tour trail for resting. The trail is a flat and fairly even-level gravel path. For reference, the gravel in our parking lot matches the gravel on the trails.

Many of our programs are walking tours along our three-quarter-mile loop trail. Note that the gravel trails can be difficult for wheelchairs, walkers, or strollers during the wet spring months. As an alternative, Wolf Park offers the use of golf carts driven by a staff member alongside your scheduled tour at no extra charge. Golf carts are limited so please notify a staff member at check-in that you need one.

Wolf Park’s Howl Night program does begin with an optional, self-guided trail walk for the first 30 minutes of the event. The rest of the event is seated at our bleachers and takes place at the front of our property. There are areas alongside general seating where individuals using wheelchairs may position themselves for a clear view while still sitting with any guests from their group.

Individuals who may need an ASL interpreter or other accommodations, please contact our main office at [email protected] or 765-567-2265 option 6.

There are several stopping points along the trail with benches for resting. Additionally, we have golf carts available at no extra charge for guests who are uncomfortable walking long distances. Wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, and the like are welcome on the trail, but these might not be operational when the park is especially muddy. If you would like to make use of a golf cart, please inform our staff when you check-in. We can currently seat one person on the front and 2-3 people on the back.

Pets are not allowed inside the park. We do not have facilities to board your pets while you are on a tour. We encourage you to leave your pets behind. Pets left in cars parked on our property during extreme temperatures will not be tolerated.

Although service dogs are well-trained, many of them are not prepared to have wolves within a few feet of them. If you can manage without your service dog for an hour or so, we encourage you to leave them behind for the mental health of the dog. If your dog needs to be with you at all times, please let the staff know (preferably in advance). We will have a staff member accompany you on a tour to assist with distracting the wolves or dog as needed. If your dog is thoroughly uncomfortable around the wolves, our staff can drive you and your dog on the tour trail. Any questions regarding this can be directed to our main office [email protected] or 765-567-2265 option 6.

Companion, emotional support, and therapy animals are not permitted inside the park.

Please smoke/vape in the designated area OUTSIDE the park. Please dispose of all cigarette butts. We do not want our ambassador animals to ingest them.

Eating in front of the animals is not allowed. You are welcome to eat outside the park in the grassy area by the Visitor’s Center. Water bottles are allowed inside the park.

You are welcome to take pictures. Our current ambassadors don’t mind flash photography. You are welcome to post pictures online including social media. Please consider tagging @wolfparkindiana when you post!

No.

No, Wolf Park’s property is protected airspace.

Currently, we are not accepting freezer meat donations as we are FULL. Note that other types of food donations, such as wishlist items, deer carcasses/roadkill, and stillborn calves, are still acceptable. We do not accept hunter scraps. When calling Wolf Park to report roadkill deer, dial 765-567-2265 and press option 1.

We will accept farm animals that have died of natural causes or bullet wounds. If the animals were euthanized by a vet, we cannot accept them. We will not accept live animals.

We will accept

• Still-born calves & lambs
• Calves & foals under 400lb
• Chickens and other fowl
• Rabbits

We will not accept

• Pigs
• Full-grown cows and horses
• Live animals

Due to the size of our vehicles, we cannot offer pickup for animals over 200lbs. Please call ahead before dropping off deceased aimals at 765-567-2265 option 6. Please ask before bringing unusual/exotic animals.

Yes. If you see a dead deer on the road, call us to pick it up. When calling to report roadkill deer, dial 765-567-2265 and press option 1. Then leave a message with as many details about the deer’s location as possible.

We do not pick up on interstates. If the deer is wounded but still alive, call the police. The police will often call us after they have put down the deer. By reporting a deer, this will not guarantee pick up. If a deer is in an unsafe location, inaccessible, beyond salvage for the wolves, outside of our range, or we do not have available staff, we will not pick up.

We will not pick up smaller animals such as raccoons, coyotes, possums, or rabbits.

At this time we are not accepting hunter scraps.

Yes! We are happy to accept treat-type foods. However, we save the treats for training purposes and special events so you won’t get to feed the animals that day.

Here are some favorite treats:

• Spam
• Hot dogs
• Pepperoni
• Cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack, Colby jack)
• Zukes Mini Natural Dog Treats
• Jerky
• Unsalted nuts (for the foxes)
• Red & Red Delicious apples (Our bison are picky about their apple types)
• Sweet feed (for the bison)

Our wolves DO NOT like:

• Dry dog kibble
• Milk bones
• Rawhides

You can find a list of our general and specific needs on our Wishlist.

Yes! Check out our Stewardship Program on our general donation page.

Wolf Park supports ethical ownership of wolfdogs (aka wolf x dog hybrids) in areas in which their ownership is legally permitted, given the physical, environmental, cognitive and emotional care and welfare of the animals are considered. Wolfdogs can range from animals which show few or no wolf characteristics, all the way up to animals which show few or no dog characteristics.  In general, the more a wolfdog looks and acts like a wolf, the more it must be kept like a wolf and the narrower the margin for human errors or inattentiveness during handling them.

Wolf Park also supports and recognizes the growing need in, and for wolfdog rescue and sanctuary placement. While Wolf Park does not directly take in animals from the public, we do support the effort of wolfdog sanctuaries and rescue centers across the United States that work to recognize and meet the needs of these animals.

For a resource list of such facilities, please visit Animal Advocates of Greater Lafayette.

We cannot, we are not a rehab facility. If you are in the Lafayette area, please contact Wildcat Creek Rescue Center.

We do not sell our puppies to private individuals.

We very rarely have extra pups and are very particular which facilities receive our pups. You are welcome to contact our head curator, Pat, at [email protected]. Please provide detailed information about your facility and needs.

Yes. If you have an upcoming fundraiser, please email [email protected] with information. Please include the name & address of your organization, the event type & date, and how the donation will be used.

Due to the volume of requests we receive, we cannot accommodate all requests. We give preference to the following:

• Science & nature-based programs, or programs which support STEM education.
• Libraries
• Other non-profits
• Facilities within one hour travel of Wolf Park.

Our animals do not leave the property, but our staff/volunteers would be happy to set up a booth if we have availability. Please contact [email protected].

Yes. We are happy to provide a program about Wolf Park for your group. Please email [email protected] to set something up.

For schools in Battle Ground and Lafayette/West Lafayette, we are happy to talk to your class free of charge. Out-of-town schools will need to pay for mileage and the speaker.

Fees may apply for other groups.