SMYRNA – It’s birthday time for the animals at the Wolf Mountain Nature Center and administrator Will Pryor is pulling out all of the stops to throw them a party complete with guests, activities and cake.

Beginning at noon on Sunday, participants will don their party hats for a birthday bash that is open to anyone and everyone interested in learning more about the center and celebrating the lives of some of nature’s most beautiful creatures.

The event is free, but the center will be collecting donations to fund a nine-acre area for the wolf pack.

Birthday cake, coffee and refreshments will be provided and tours around the facility will give guests a chance to see exactly what happens at the unique establishment.

Wolf Mountain isn’t a zoo, and the wolves, foxes and coyotes that reside on the 20-acre reserve aren’t attractions.

When Pryor opened the center five years ago, he wanted to learn about, to teach about and to understand these magnificent creatures.

“It’s about honoring the spirit of the wolf,” he said. “They watch us and learn ... and they’ve taught us so much.”

Pryor explained that because the wolves breed during only a certain period each year, the birthdays of each inhabitant falls in either the month of April or May.

There are currently eight wolves, both arctic and timber, inhabiting the facility: five males and three females. Three of those were in fact born in Wolf Mountain dens.