Meet a gray wolf up close at free Will County forest district program

Amow, a North American gray wolf, will take center stage at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Mammal Madness event on Saturday.

The free event will feature mammal-themed, family-friendly activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon.

Amow lives at Big Run Wolf Ranch in Lockport, a federally licensed nonprofit educational facility specializing in North American wildlife, according to a news release from the forest preserve district.

A staffer from Big Run Wolf Ranch will conduct two 45-minute live animal presentations at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, according to the release.

Amow is 9 months old and weighs more than 80 pounds. He was born in captivity at another wolf facility that was closing, according to the release.

Previous Mammal Madness events have featured smaller animals, including skunks, porcupines and opossums. Last year, a Canada lynx was part of the lineup.

In addition to the wolf presentations, visitors will be able to learn more about mammals from a naturalist while touching mammal furs and bones in a show-and-tell room, according to the release.

A craft room will feature a local artist providing mammal-themed face painting for kids, according to the release.

Outside the building, attendees can participate in Mammalympics to test their abilities against other mammals and find out if they can jump as high as a fox or smell as well as a deer, for instance.

A self-guided mammal hike will lead visitors through the woods around Four Rivers while giving them the chance to spot some of our region’s mammals hiding in the trees, according to the release.

The Forest Preserve District offers an annual Mammal Madness event to educate members of the public about the creatures we see around us every day, Jerome Gabriel, the Forest Preserve’s facility supervisor at Four Rivers, said in the release.

“From deer running through an open field, to a raccoon sneaking through a backyard at night, mammals are some of nature’s most easily recognizable ambassadors,” Gabriel said.

“This event gives people the opportunity to learn about all of our regional mammals in a fun, hands-on way right in their own backyard,” he said.

For more information on the Forest Preserve District of Will County, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.