Spring/Summer
In the holidays and on public holidays (Lower Saxony / Bremen):
10 am - 6 pm
Outside the holidays, from March 15 till October 31:
Wednesdays to Sundays, 10 am - 6 pm
Feeding time: 11:40 am, 2:20 pm, 4:20 pm
Guided tours in German: 11:30 am, 3:30 pm

Fall/Winter
November 1 till March 14: Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am - 5 pm
In the holidays and on public holidays (Lower Saxony / Bremen), daily, 10 am - 5 pm
We are closed on December 23 - 26, 31 and January 1.
Feeding time: 11:40 am, 1:30 pm, 3:50 pm
Guided tours in German: 11:30 am, 3:00 pm
Last admittance is 1 hour before closing time.
In case of storms, freezing rain or sleekness the outdoor facilities might be closed.

Admittance
Adults (13 years +) 12,90€/person
Students (wih student card only) 11,40€/person
Children (3 - 12 years) 9,90€/person
Children (2 years and younger) free
Family ticket (two adults + two children younger than 13 years) 39,90€/ticket
Groups of 15 and more:
Adults 11,40€/person
Children 8,40€/person

In spring 2005 Frank and Christina Fass, who live in the rural district of Verden, Lower Saxony, went on a four week trip to Canada. Little did they know, these four weeks were going to change their lives forever. While touring the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia and Alberta in their motor home, the couple was able to observe nine wild wolves in four different places.

Frank Fass managed to take only a few pictures of these fascinating creatures – the wolves were too shy and careful to show themselves long enough for a photo.

The real spark ignited when the couple visited Northern Lights Wildlife Wolfcenter in Golden, BC. This visit caused a change in the lives Frank Fass and his wife over the following years - both professionally and private. "The way we were welcomed as guests and how the employees passed on their knowledge about the Canadian wolves was formidable. It was especially impressive to see how they promoted the wolf and their public relations. The staff´s enthusiasm was catching: within minutes we were mesmerized by the wolves in their enclosure – delegates of their wild fellows – and the topic in general". Then, as the wolves were habituated to people, Frank Fass managed to take better pictures.

Back in Germany Frank Fass could not forget the encounter. Knowing that wild wolves had resettled in Germany, Frank and Christina Fass decided to swap their current jobs with that in public relations to promote and educate about wolves. They started to work on plans for their own wolfcenter. Until then wolfcenters were non-existent in Germany. Their goal was and still is to give their visitors food for thought and thus to give the opportunity to rethink one´s opinion about wild wolves based on correct facts.

After five years of careful planning the couple managed to do what lots of people thought unthinkable: In April 2010 the first German wolfcenter opened its doors to visitors.

Hundreds of phone calls, appointments, emails, letters, facsimiles, personal introductions and memoranda - in combination with the inspection of several potential estates and after the financiers were convinced of the Wolfcenter´s concept – finally led to the implementation of this concept which was tailored to Germany´s needs. "Now and then one of us was ready to give up on our project, but then the other spouse kept urging it forward. And that is our secret weapon. We both wanted to put the Wolfcenter into practice and run it successfully." say Frank and Christina Fass.

Today the Wolfcenter is an economical company working in environmental education and tourism. All staff members have made it their business to intensively inform visitors about wolves´ behaviour, their habitat and social structure, hunting and protection of wolves in a copious, comprehendible, objective way. Frank Fass is convinced that it is possible for people and wolves to live together in Germany even though problems will have to be solved.

The concept and learning opportunity have been carefully designed and the target group is clearly defined – everybody!

The big main building offers two permanent exhibitions. The multimedia-based exhibition "The Wolf" carefully examines this great predator: its relationship to the environment, the conflicts concerning agriculture, hunt and the general public. This 230 sqm exhibition follows the modern concept of interaction: the visitors get actively involved. Taxidermied animals, amazing photography and short movies communicate (portray) a wolf´s life. Emotional experiences are created by pictures, sounds and haptic orchestration. At the same time printed texts provide background information for each topic. "Do-it-yourself"-exhibits make this exhibition a special experience for young and old.

In April 2012 the second permanent exhibition, the "Tunnel of Time" was opened. Along a time line the development of humans, dogs and wolves in North Germany over the last 15.000 years is shown in parallel comparison.

In the little movie theatre films about wild wolves in Germany are presented. A small but nice shop offers souvenirs and gifts.

Two conference rooms with projectors enable the Wolfcenter staff to offer all kinds of learning opportunities such as seminars for kindergardens and all schools. For adult education there are seminars for livestock owners, teachers, hunters and people generally interested in wolves. Photography workshops are offered on a regular basis.

The spacious restaurant "Wolfsrevier" with its patio offers a great variety of seasonal food as well as a unique location for celebrations of all kinds.

Four twin rooms – homely and clean – allow for longer visits, the chance of howling concerts is included.

At present, the outside compound of 5,2 hectare accommodates two wolf enclosures with an observation deck each. One enclosure is inhabited by European Grey Wolves which were bottle-fed. The second enclosure has been devided into two parts: one is occupied by European Grey Wolves which were brought up by other wolves, the second part is occupied by hand raised Hudson Bay Wolves. Bringing wolves up by bottle-feeding has the advantage that these shy animals are much more relaxed around humans than their wild relatives and our guests have a better chance to actually observe them. This is the Wolfcenters only reason to create such an artificial relationship between humans and wolves. Our wolves are representatives of their wild fellows and help us work in public relations. For the future we are planning to build more wolf enclosures to present different subspecies.

Every day several guided tours are offered around the enclosures. In these guided tours the Wolfcenters staff explains about the wolves, their return to Germany and the conflicts connected to it in great detail.

The combination of wolf enclosures, wolf dogs and the small flock of sheep with their life stock guardian dog contribute to the demonstration of this extensive topic.

To top it all off, at the end of each guided tour the visitors and their guide howl together to encourage the wolves to howl.

Other special events are the public wolf feedings.

Of course, the Wolfcenter also offers classical elements such as a petting zoo and a playground.

The trapper fort is often used as a location for company parties, but the Wolfcenter´s own events such as "A Night With Wolves" or "Summer Solistice" take place in this charming rustic environment.

A great experience is a night in the Wolfcenter: our tepees are located right between the wolf enclosures. A camp fire, a clear starry sky, fresh forest air and a tasty barbeque will prepare you for a relaxing night in the tepees – probably accompanied by the wolves´ howl.

By agreement the Wolfcenter also supports institutes, PHD students and regular students in their studies.

The second great novelty within the Wolfcenter is the tree house hotel "Tree Inn" which was commissioned in April 2012. Here we reach out to those visitors who are looking for quiet and relaxation in a special atmosphere combined with a great view of the wolves. Where else can you find a place to sleep 5m above the wolves or relax on a deck 8m high between the trees, looking down into the enclosure?

Together with his wife Christina, Frank Fass is in charge of the company "Wolfcenter". In addition he explains about the wolves, their behaviour and ecology to the visitors. Born in 1974 in Lower Saxony, he grew up in a family of hunters who built the basis for his affinity to nature. He could not hide his passion for hunting dogs - thus it was his experience with dogs which awakened his interest in wolves. An engineer for aerospace technology, he used his spare time to educate himself about wolves. Instead of studying biology he passed his hunting exams, studied the relationship between dogs and their owners at "CANIS-Zentrum für Kynologie" to get his license as behavioural consultant, took part in an advanced training at "Wildbiologisches Büro LUPUS", the German head quarters for wolf affairs, to become a "wolf consultant" and completed several internships. Since he is also interested in falconry he passed his falconer exams.

Christina Fass manages the company and is responsible for human resources, finance, events, and the restaurant. Born in 1971 in Lower Saxony, she turned her interest in planning and organization into a profession as industrial business management assistant. After 21 years in the steel industry she switched over to the Wolfcenter.

Contacts:

Wolfcenter GbR
Kasernenstraße 2
27313 Dörverden
Telefon: +49 4234-94311-0
Telefax: +49 4234-94311-19
info@wolfcenter.de
www.wolfcenter.de