Shel:
The Lakota Wolf Preserve states that "All of our wolves have been hand raised and are very special and friendly." That apparently is why they can offer photographic opportunities where you can closely approach the wolves. Despite the fact that it is less than an hour from my home, I have not yet had an opportunity to visit it yet. I plan to do so in the near future.
Wolf Haven International is quite different. All of their wolve are former pets that someone unwisely chose then later wisely decided to give up or wolves that were injured or had to be removed from where they were because they became hazards to people, pets or wildstock. You can't get inside the fences at Wolf Haven, unless you are a trained naturalist, vet or animal handler. One main emphasis is to return wolves to the wild when possible, working with the Nattional Parks and other agencies. They treat their wolves as the wild animal they are, and try hard not to turn them into human-friendy creatures, which would cause their death upon return to the wild. The web page for Wolf Haven International is:
http://www.wolfhaven.org/
Dan M
Shel Belinkoff wrote:
Hi Daniel,
This seems like a great place on some levels. I sent my sister the information thinking that she may want to explore the area with my niece.
One thing has me concerned though. In the photography section it's noted that you can get to within three or four feet of the wolves. That seems awfully close. Have the wolves become used to people? If so, that's something of a shame, although, it may not be too bad a thing considering they're on a preserve.
Do you have a URL for the Washington State preserve? I'll check as well.
Many years ago I spent some time in the company of a few wolves during a summer working in Montana. They are wonderful, highly intelligent creatures.
Shel
From: Daniel J. Matyola
For those of you who are located in the NY, NJ, PA area of the USA, or who may be travelling to that area, there is an interesting Wolf Preserve in Northwestern New Jersey. I, of course, love wolves, and have supproted Wolf Haven in Washington State for many years and visited there two years ago. I highly recommend that facility for those in the Northwest with an interest in wolves. If you have never howled with the wolves, you don't know what you are missing.
The New Jersey facility is the Lakota Wolf Preserve, in Columbia, NJ. In addition to twice daily wolf watches, they offer photography sessions, one with two wolf packs, and one with wolves, bobcats and foxes. Their website is at:
http://www.lakotawolf.com/
I plan to visit soon, and will post any relevent comments.
