Oatland Island Wildlife Center to Open New Wolf Wilderness Exhibit
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On Thursday, August 21st from 6:30-8:00 p.m., Oatland Island Wildlife Center will officially open the new Wolf Wilderness exhibit. Major donors, county officials, members of the Center and selected media are invited to the grand opening. The exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, August 23, 2008. The exhibit is part of the continuing renovation of the Wildlife Center into a world-class education, conservation and discovery facility. For the first time, guests will be able to get nose to nose with the Center’s pack of 6 wolves as well as several other species of animals never before exhibited at Oatland Island.
Exhibit Facts
- The $145,000 exhibit was made possible through gifts from many Savannah companies and individuals including the Junior League of Savannah, Georgia Pacific’s Savannah based gypsum facility, Collins Construction Services Inc., The Friends of Oatland Island, and the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System.
- The exhibit features a 900-square foot climate controlled indoor viewing area set up to resemble a researcher’s cabin. The indoor element will provide much needed relief from the elements for visitor’s to the center and allow for a much more intimate view of our wolves.
- Oatland Island currently exhibits 6 Gray Wolves
- Other animals that will be featured include:
- Nine-banded armadillo
- Peregrine Falcon
- Eastern Kingsnake
- Short-tailed (Seba’s) fruit bat
- Texas Brown Tarantula
- Eastern Collared Lizard
- Florida Box Turtle
- The exhibit was designed by Chris Gentile, Director of Oatland Island Wildlife Center, and Kevin Morley, Supervisor of Operations of Oatland Island Wildlife Center and construction was done in house under the supervision of Mr. Morley with assistance from Collins Construction Services Inc. Special exhibitory in the bat, lizard and tarantula exhibits was done by Habitat Systems Inc in Des Moines IA.
Thursday, August 21st Dedication Ceremony Schedule
6:30 p.m. – gates open
6:30 – 7:00 p.m. – dinner served under the Center’s Picnic Pavilions
7:00 p.m. – Dedication Presentation
- Chris Gentile, Director of Oatland Island Wildlife Center
- Dr. Thomas Lockamy, Superintendent, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools
- Mrs. Linn Brennan – President, Junior League of Savannah
- Christen Clougherty – President, Friends of Oatland Island Wildlife Center
7:15 – 8:00 p.m. – Guests invited to tour the new exhibit
The Oatland Island Wildlife Center of Savannah is one of the premier wildlife attractions in the entire Southeast and is home to over 150 animals from 50 different species. The center is a unit of the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The Center is located 5 miles east of Historic Downtown Savannah on President Street (Islands Expressway).
For more information, contact the Center at 898-3980 or visit our website at http://www.oatlandisland.org/.
-Oatland Island Wildlife Center – Savannah’s Wild Side!-
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