We need another and a wiser and perhaps
a more mystical concept of animals.
Remote from universal nature and living by complicated artifice,
man in civilization surveys the creature
through the glass of his knowledge
and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion.

We patronize them for their incompleteness; for their tragic fate of
having taken form so far below ourselves.
And therein we err, and greatly err.
For the animal shall not be measured by man.
In a world older and more complete than ours
they move finished and complete; gifted with extensions of the senses
we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.

They are not brethren, they are not underlings;
they are other nations,
caught with ourselves in the net of life and time;
fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth.

Eric Epperson started with Wolf almost two years ago. It was a rather uneventful beginning, when Eric accompanied a co-worker who volunteered at the sanctuary. Lea had told Eric about Wolf and what we do here. To be honest, we really did not expect him to continue volunteering at Wolf, but that shows you how wrong first impressions can be.

Eric not only continued to volunteer but eventually moved into a small cabin on the property and has volunteered almost everyday for the last year and half. Eric has done what Frank calls "Putting on the Wolf Coat". Once you put it on it appears that there is no getting it off. As Frank likes to tease him, the coat gets tighter and tighter everyday you have it on.

Eric's day usually starts at 9:00 am when he arrives for a quick cup of coffee. The animals greet him with enthusiasm, they know he loves and cares for them. With the help of other volunteers, Eric starts with water and food. This is the first thing on the agenda but not the last. From there he will do whatever is needed, from hauling water to building fences. Eric trains other volunteers, runs errands, shops for groceries, delivers and picks up mail, hauls animals to the vet with Pat, hauls trash to the dump, works on the roads and ponds, shovels snow and anything else connected with the operation of this sanctuary. Eric's favorite task is processing the tons of meat and bone that is donated during hunting season by a local wild game processor. Eric is also the official "Wolf Sitter" on the rare occasion Frank and Pat need to leave the rescue together. In addition to all of this, he works in town to pay his bills.

Raised in Indiana, Eric went to college at Ohio State majoring in Broadcast Journalism. Somewhere along the line he got caught up in the music scene and traveled with the Grateful Dead for a number of years. He has since been a roadie, salesman, bartender, and cook. He currently works part time at Vern's, (the restaurant just down the mountain from Wolf), as a cook.

Before becoming involved with Wolf, Eric adopted a sugar glider. As his understanding of the plight of exotic pets has developed, he has regretted the adoption. However, taking responsibility for his actions, he has become very knowledgeable of the requirements of these small nocturnal marsupials. He now receives calls from the local humane society and has rescued three additional sugar gliders that needed homes.

Frank and Pat tease him about being a "wolf slave", but they know in their hearts that without him they would never have enough time (or energy) to do all the other things it takes to run Wolf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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