Wolf Stories, Arcs

In mid December, 2001, Jefferson County, CO Animal Control had picked up a free ranging, very high-percentage young male. They had been involved with his attempted capture for several weeks, and had recently been able to determine from whence he came. He was apparently an escape artist extraordinaire, and his human “owners” no longer wanted him. Jeffco Animal Control believed him to be of such high content that they only felt comfortable placing him at a sanctuary-level facility.

Many hours were spent figuring out how to save him. And those were only the beginning… For the interim, he was immediately removed from the county shelter and was temporarily housed in a somewhat more spacious, makeshift enclosure in a large garage of one of Wolf’s volunteers, replete with cedar chip bedding, play toys and bones, and the unabashed awe and admiration of each and every two-legged who came to gaze upon him. His early extrication from his temporary county-provided living quarters was a further step toward ensuring his continued good health and demeanor.

Wolf was faced with the all-too-common dilemma of where to place him, a problem not only of location, but also of how to do so in the absolute shortest amount of time. His environmental needs were determined to be a large enclosure with 8'-10' chain link fencing. An agreement was forged with one of Wolf's volunteers to construct a permanent and secure one-half acre enclosure on his property high in the Colorado Mountains.

The real work began on December 30th, as in to transport all building materials and to then erect a nearly half-acre enclosure, all at 9,120 feet above sea level. Not exactly what most people do with their weekends in winter. The response from our volunteers was outstanding, and we thank them from the depths of our hearts. Tom Nayduch, Steve Singleton, Eric Epperson, Steve Wolfsong, Pat Piscani and Jim Mittl all showed up at the crack of dawn, ambient outside temperature hovering at 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and made it happen. After two days of dawn to dusk, frozen toes and aching muscles, Arcs’ new digs were ready, including a spacious wolf “condo” with removable roof, its floor lined generously with straw. Preparations for the young male’s new home were now complete.

He received the name Archimedes (shortened to Arcs to facilitate his ready comprehension), in honor of the infamous Greek physicist, from his new caretaker. Most of the individuals who helped build his enclosure arrived to see his release into his new home.

This is the part that makes the usually tedious efforts involved in any given wolf/wolf-dog rescue all the sweeter:

Very reluctant, scared and skittish, the tall wolf spirit was gently coaxed toward the outer gate to his new home. He did not understand what was going on, who he should trust or what potential problems lay beyond the imposing gate and fence. As he slowly passed through the main gate and approached the inner gate, he must have sensed something special was about to happen. Arcs made a powerful lunge forward, trying to free himself from his leash and his benign human escort. His startled 200 lb. plus handler was face-planted and dragged 3-4 feet forward through the still-falling snow at the entrance to the inner gate and enclosure. A quick recovery and a quick release through the interior gate sent Arcs bounding off on his new adventure.

For the first few moments, the magnificent beast was just checking out his surroundings, burrowing his massive nostrils into the fresh snow on the ground…and he then clearly reveled in this natural setting. He was doing what we call the 'Heisman', called that because as the animals bounce in the air, they turn their heads and bodies slightly, somewhat resembling the Heisman Trophy.

It was truly a spectacle to behold, this large, semi-wild beast loping and prancing rapidly about the enclosure, inspecting its perimeter, his tail pointing nearly parallel with the earth, giving an occasional gaze upward through the steadily falling snow at the magpies and others of the many forest canopy inhabitants, somehow seeming to know that this was to be his territory.

It was emotionally and spiritually exhilarating to watch. Inside some of us there is a knowing, an understanding, that they do, indeed, matter. Every one of them is special, important and worth all the time, labor and money necessary to save them. This is what it is all about! This is why we save every one we can!

Arcs is enclosure-mate to Kawa (see his story), another moderately high-percentage male wolf-dog animal rescued in March, 2002. Both Arcs and Kawa enjoy almost daily, supervised contact with two wolf-dog females in a connecting enclosure, often romping about with them at high rates of speed, playfully chasing one another and providing an always fascinating glimpse into the dynamics of group wolf behaviors.

You can read our newsletter report on this rescue in our Winter 2001-2002 edition.