Sunday
was an Arrowhead Gardens trip to the Wolf Haven Sanctuary just south of
Olympia. Not only did the weather cooperate, the wolves did too.
This is the second trip this year and was scheduled to accommodate those
folks who couldn’t be included last month. That first outing was an
interesting visit with a very knowledgeable guide. It was a cool day, and we
were able to see several of the 10 wolves, wolf dogs, and coyotes available for
public viewing. But they stayed near the back of their enclosures, except for
one who was using the fence to shed its winter coat.
Once again, we had a great guide, who this time was accompanied by
another volunteer who had large pictorial displays of maps, etc. and a very
pleasant young college intern. But this time all of the display wolves were
front and center. It is an “Enrichment Sunday” for the wolves and the
treat was one or more large (12” or so) sprigs of mint. In each
enclosure, the animals came up near the fence as we approached, hopeful one of
us was the Animal Care Specialist. Several of the wolves treated the mint
as a cat might: rolling on it before gobbling it down and approaching the fence
once more, essentially asking “Well, that was great. How about another
one?”
And then, the magic happened: In response to some barking from a
pet left in a car in the nearby parking area, they started to howl. What
an incredible experience. First one wolf would start, yipping at first,
and then howling, and then the register of the howl would change, fluctuating
up or down the scale. Then another nearby wolf would howl in response.
After a short time, we watched a nearby wolf sort of shrug and seem to
say: “Well, I’m done.” It was interesting how seductive it was and I found
myself quietly joining the wolves (as did my nearby friends).
And such interesting facts:
·
Each Thanksgiving, each wolf gets a
whole turkey, stuffed with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and Brussels
sprouts. All of which disappears very quickly, except the Brussels sprouts (The
wolves are just as smart as our grandkids when it comes to Brussels sprouts!)
·
You can immediately tell a dog from a
wolf: The wolf walks paw in front of paw; the dog walks: well, like a dog
– all four legs working as a unit. Wolves have larger paws and a “pointed”
chest – all of which allows them to function better in the snow of their
natural habitat.
·
The only breeding at Wolf Haven is as
part of a national effort to save the Mexican Grey Wolves and Red Wolves from
extinction. As a result, puppies have very restricted contact with humans
in order to enhance their introduction into the wild when grown. When a
medical check of the current litter was finally necessary, it was discovered
that the den was at the end of a 17-foot (!) tunnel that the wolves had
constructed.
·
Wolf Haven provides sanctuary for
around 50 animals at any one time. Except for the few who are part of the
breeding program, it is the final home for these wonderful creatures. As
visitors, we were impressed with the total commitment by the staff and the
members of the volunteer team. These individuals are clearly committed to doing
everything possible to ensure that each animal leads as fulfilling and as
nearly natural a life as they would in the wild.
Take a
few moments to check out the website (www.wolfhaven.org) for further information, great videos, and a short audio clip.
The next time you are getting ready to write a donation check, consider
making it out to Wolf Haven.
Laura Ramsey
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