Camp Feral!: Fifteen Years, 1998 – 2012 (Part 2) – by Fred Patten.
by Patch O'Furr
Article with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.
“Camp Feral! An all-inclusive furry summer camp where the registration fee covers your food, lodging and activities for the most unique and memorable furry experience of your life! Your fee covers all the coffee you can drink, [and] all the breakfast lunch or dinner you can eat.” (from the Camp Feral! 2012 website)
Camp Feral! is the oldest of the recorded outdoor furry conventions, going back to 1998. It is also Canada’s oldest furry event, and the fourth oldest continuing furry convention (after EuroFurence in 1995 and Anthrocon and Mephit FurMeet in 1997). It was started after the oldest furry annual convention, ConFurence in Southern California (1989), gave rise to U.S. East Coast furry conventions in 1995 to 1997 (Furtasticon, Confurence East, Albany Anthrocon), inspiring Canadian furry fans to start their own convention – but with a difference.
Camp Feral!: Fifteen Years, 1998 – 2012, Part 2
“The park had brought in a naturalist to lead a Wolf Howl. Apparently this is a regular event in Algonquin Park. First there was a very informative slide show and presentation, then the naturalist took us outside and tried to get the wolves to howl. What he does is that he howls three times, then waits to see if the wolves respond. If after a few rounds they do not, then several naturalists howl together as though it was a pack howling, sometimes that will get the wolves to howl back. Unfortunately, on this night they didn’t howl. Might have been the rain. I could imagine them sheltering themselves from the rain and laughing at the stupid humans out getting soaked and howling.