We NEED YOUR HELP! Our next hearing is scheduled for February 4th, 2008. We need all residents of Larimer County to get as many signatures on the petition that was mailed to you and we need everyone to send letters to the County Commissioners (see Public Hearing for addresses and more information).

We have always known that our mission, in the educational arena, was a tough one. Unfortunately, many people still believe the old myths that the only good wolf is a dead wolf. Since our inception in 1994, we have constantly struggled to balance the true nature of the wolf. In the wild, they are perfect and fulfill a very necessary role to keep the ecosystem healthy. They are not vicious and prefer to stay far away from humans. In captivity, they are totally out of place and their wild spirit is usually not understood or accommodated appropriately and thus their lives are seriously jeopardized.

After eight years since our original county approval, and without a single complaint, the hysteria over the word “WOLF” again surfaced at our recent public meeting with the Planning Commission. Neighbors from as far away as two and a half miles were up in arms. Absurd accusations about the Sanctuary and the “dangerous” animals we care for were continuously thrown out. We were very shocked by what the opposition believes to be true. Some of the false claims include noise issues, animals escaping regularly, Wolf having no responsibility for animals that might escape, staff poaching wildlife on our land to feed the wolves, plans to release wolves in the event of a fire, and threats that it’s only a matter of time before the animals kill someone. One person claimed the animals are going to escape and eat her grandchildren. These kinds of statements can only be referred to as irrational fears about wolves with no shred of evidence to support them.

Wolf has completed all the necessary testing to show we are NOT a nuisance to our rural mountain neighbors. The tests include: sound testing at the property lines, traffic studies, geological hazard reports, floodplain mapping, special licensing and safety considerations. All have shown Wolf is NOT negatively affecting its neighbors, and is therefore completely compatible in our rural setting! The sound tests have found the noise from the animals is no louder than ambient background noises at the property lines in the direct path to the nearest residences. We are licensed by the USDA, CDOW, PACFA, and are the only wolf sanctuary in the country accredited by both national sanctuary associations, ASA and TAOS. Our standards for the containment of captive wolves and wolf-dogs are the leading standards globally. We wrote the accreditation requirements for captive wolves, wolf-dogs, and wild canines for TAOS, and have consistently exceeded the minimum requirements for both sanctuary associations. We have never had an animal escape since our incorporation as a non-profit, and the chances of an animal ever escaping is extremely remote. In the event of an escape, we have outlined procedures to retrieve the animal, and would never refuse the responsibility.

Threat Of Attack By A Wolf

Excerpt from: “Gray Wolf”
By: The Humane Society of the United States

Traditionally feared by humans, wolves actually shy away from human contact. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, no attack on a human by a healthy, wild wolf has ever been confirmed in North America.

Excerpts from: “Report To The Colorado General Assembly”
By: The Canine and Feline Hybrid Advisory Group

A wolf’s behavior is typically more socially shy and timid toward humans than that of a dog.

The wolf is typically less territorial than domestic dogs and is recognized as being more timid, aloof, and less involved with humans.

Excerpts from: “Gray Wolf—(Canis lupus)”
By: The United States Fish & Wildlife Service

... some people continue to carry the unrealistic belief that wolves routinely attack people or threaten outdoor activities. In fact, wolves generally avoid humans and are rarely a threat to human safety. While wolves certainly have the ability to kill people, there are only a handful of reports where wolves have deliberately attacked or seriously injured a human in North America… However, wild wolves are still wild animals and should be respected as such. Wolves can be very tolerant of human activity if they are not deliberately persecuted so there is rarely ever a reason to restrict human activity, including logging and mining, simply because wolves live in the general area.

Excerpt from: “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” -- Revisited
By: Dr. L. David Mech

(L. David Mech is an internationally known wildlife research biologist who has studied wolves for almost 40 years. He is the founder of the International Wolf Center and current vice chair of the Center’s board of directors. He has published widely in scholarly and popular journals. His books include The Wolf, The Way of the Wolf and The Arctic Wolf, which has recently been reissued by Voyageur Press with an expanded text. )

I have spent the last 12 summers virtually living with a pack of wild wolves in the high Arctic... Every night during those summers only the thin nylon of my tent separated me from the wolves while I slept. Often, adult wolves howled or barked, or pups whimpered, a few feet from my head, interrupting my sleep. Even when I was outside my tent eating, or sometimes when otherwise indisposed, my summer canid companions would nose around and make me chase them off. This doesn’t count the number of times I have caught them rolling around on my freshly-cleaned under-shorts that I had spread on the tundra.

All in all, I have worked and lived around 16 of these Arctic wolves, and none has ever made me feel afraid of it. One got into the habit of lying outside my tent like a dog while I slept. Another let me sit among her pups and take notes while she nonchalantly howled only a few feet away. Others once stuck their heads inside my tent and pulled my sleeping bag out; fortunately I was watching from a distance and was able to get them to drop it by letting out a sharp hoot.

Nevertheless, these are the same wolves I have watched tackle an adult musk ox and tear it apart. Their jaws were strong enough to crack the ends off the musk ox’s three-inch-wide leg bones. Relatives of these wolves to the south have been able to crack open the skulls of adult moose. It is clear that wolves could easily kill a human if they so desired. Yet,… no one has ever turned up dead, missing, eaten or even seriously injured by a non-rabid wolf during all the many millions of visitor days in our national forests, parks and other wilderness areas where wolves reside.

Excerpt from: “Are Wolves Dangerous To Humans”
By: International Wolf Center

(The International Wolf Center is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to educating people about wolves. The organization is committed to advancing the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wild lands, and the human role in their future. Founded in 1985 by a group of biologists led by Dr. L. David Mech, world renowned wolf biologist, the Center opened in June 1993.)

From the small number of documented attacks, it can be concluded that the vast majority of wolves do not pose any threat to human safety. A person in wolf country has a greater chance of being killed by a dog, lightning, a bee sting or a car collision with a deer than being injured by a wolf.

Excerpts from: “The Wolf”
By: Dr. L. David Mech

Anyone who has spent much time in wolf country will verify that the wolf is one of the wildest and shyest of all the animals in the northern wilderness. Many an experienced woodsman has lived a lifetime without even glimpsing a wolf in its natural surroundings... …the scent of man causes a fearful and rapid avoidance. This is one of the main reasons that more people do not see wolves during their wilderness excursions...

A second characteristic of wolf personality is the animal’s basic aversion to fighting. Fentress’ wolf avoided aggressive encounter with dogs, and Crisler described a tame wolf becoming “frantically upset” at witnessing its first dog fight. The wolf finally broke up the fight by pulling the aggressor off by the tail!...

Further evidence of the basically docile nature of the wolf is found in several incidents of man’s encounters with wolves in the wild. For example, Murie crawled into a wolf den and removed a pup, after the female had darted out of the den when he was twelve feet away. Both male and female did nothing but bark and howl in the distance... Lois Crisler also reported that her husband once made off with a litter of pups, while the adult wolves just “bounded around crying.”…

Additional records show that a wolf also readily submits to man when cornered. Canadian biologists George Kolenosky and Dave Johnston subdued adult wolves in steel traps merely by placing a forked stick over their necks and pinning them to the ground. Once pinned, the wolves offered little resistance...

Although this is difficult to believe, there is an even more fantastic report by J. J. Audubon and J. Bachman, whose reporting is usually highly respected. These naturalists accompanied an Indiana farmer in checking his “wolf pit” – a large hole in the ground baited to catch wolves. They discovered three large wolves in the pit, and the farmer descended into the midst of the animals. “We were not a little surprised at the cowardice of the wolves. The woodsman stretched out their hind legs, in succession, and with a stroke of the knife cut the principal tendon above the joint, exhibiting as little fear as if he had been marking lambs” …

That a cornered or wounded wolf is not necessarily aggressive can also be vouched for by conservation officer-pilot Robert Hodge, of Minnesota, who has shot hundreds of wolves from an aircraft. Once when he had only broken an animal’s front legs, he approached the wolf on foot to finish it off. Instead of finding a snarling and threatening man-killer, he encountered a meek and docile creature, which wagged its tail in the friendly, submissive gesture of a whipped dog.

…In view of the above records, we can conclude that generally the wolf possesses the kind of personality that in humans would be labeled “agreeable.”

…There is no basis for the belief that healthy, wild wolves in North America are of any danger to human beings. On the contrary they are extremely shy of man and usually try to avoid him as much as possible.

Threat Of Attack By A Wolf-Dog

Excerpts from: “Report To The Colorado General Assembly”
By: The Canine and Feline Hybrid Advisory Group

Behavior of Wolf-Dogs: A wolf’s behavior is typically more socially shy and timid toward humans than that of a dog. Whether a wolf-dog cross should be consider more dangerous than a dog depends on behavior specific to the individual. Implanted behavior can effect innate behavior. The socialization of each individual is affected by training methods. The risk to the public safety is affected by the socialization of each individual wolf-dog cross.

There is no conclusive evidence to show that wolf-dogs are more aggressive toward humans than other big dogs (e.g., Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Chows and Pit Bulls). The behavior of a wolf-dog is not directly proportional to its percentage of wolf content, in that a high percentage wolf-dog cross may have behavior more typical of a dog. Conversely, a low percentage wolf-dog cross could behave more like a wolf. The behavior of a wolf-dog is not determined by its genotype or phenotype. The innate behavior of a specific animal can be anywhere within the broad spectrum of its genetic background.

...We were unable to find any scientific, peer reviewed statistical evidence that suggests wolf-dogs pose any greater threat to humans, animals and property than other domestic breeds of the canine family.

Most incidents of canine attacks involve irresponsible ownership, such as the lack of proper containment...

Report: “Risk of Dog Attacks and/or Wolf Dog Attacks as Compared to Other Selected Risks”
By: National Canine Research Council

There is no documented case of a child being killed by a wolf dog in the state of Colorado over the past 42 years (1965 – 2007). The only documented wolf-dog related fatality in Colorado was an attack on an adult, who happened to be the caretaker of the two wolf dogs. (Black Forest, 1996)

References: Wolf dogs and dog attacks: National Canine Research Council, Child abuse deaths: - The Children’s Hospital, Denver, CO, Alcohol related traffic fatalities: State of Colorado, Department of Transportation, Other fatalities (other causes): Centers for Disease Control.

Excerpt from: An Affidavit
By: Dr. Michael W. Fox, DSc, PhD, BVet Med, MRCVS

(Dr. Fox, is a well-known veterinarian, former vice president of The Humane Society of the United States, former vice president of Humane Society International, and the author of more than 40 books on animal care and behavior, and bioethics. Dr. Fox is known as a sharp and eloquent critic of the biotechnology industry as a whole and of the FDA and USDA in particular. As a professor, bioethicist, and veterinarian, Dr. Fox has spearheaded the movement to foster the ethical treatment of animals since 1976. Besides writing and lecturing worldwide, Dr. Fox has appeared on The Tonight Show and has spoken about bioethics and conscious food choices on National Public Radio, The Today Show, and National Geographic Society specials.)

A wild horse, once broken or tamed, is considered to be domesticated because its genotype is virtually identical to other horse breeds. A wild wolf is genetically little more distant from the domesticated dog than wild mustang is to a quarter horse. (That wolf and dog can be hybridized, while a fox and a dog cannot, points to the genetic and ancestral affinities of wolf and dog.) The genetic and phenotype distance between wolf and dog is closed by hybridization and by taming or human-imprinting early in life. In sum, a first generation wolf-dog hybrid raised with human contact, like the offspring of a tamed or broken mustang, cannot be considered to be a wild animal in any sense of the word.

Excerpt from: “Of Wolves & Dogs: Dispelling the Myths”
By: Kim Miles

Although wolfdogs are not Golden Retrievers, they are also not the wild animals that some maintain. A wolfdog is merely a dog with more recent wolf inheritance than is typically found in most other dogs and, just like other dogs, many of them have been domesticated through selective breeding.

Are wolfdogs for everyone? No. Since they are large canines, potential owners should determine if such an animal is right for them. Just like a Rottweiler, Doberman, Shepherd, or Malamute, a wolfdog is not an appropriate companion for many dog owners; and they should never be obtained due solely to the exoticism of the “wolf” in the title “wolfdog.”

Excerpt from: “Wolf Hybrids & The Press”
By: Wolf Park

(Wolf Park is a nonprofit education and research facility which was established in 1972 by Dr. Erich Klinghammer. Along with research and seminars on wolf behavior, particularly reproductive and inter-pack social behavior, Wolf Park provides interpretive programs to school groups.)

Overall, the wolf hybrid has been presented negatively by the press. Attacks by hybrids, often on children, are unfortunately sensational and make headline news. The public is given the impression that these animals are “genetic monsters” confused, even “schizophrenic” and “unpredictable.” The press paints a picture of a dangerous “vicious” animal snarling and baring its teeth. The truth is that the animals often receive blame for what essentially is not a “vicious animal” problem, but is a people problem.

Excerpt from: “Responsible Ownership The Alternative To Breed Banning...”
By: American Veterinary Medical Association

Data in a report published in the Sept 15, 2000 issue of the JAVMA indicate that breed-specific legislation is not the solution to dog bite prevention. The report revealed that, during the past 20 years, at least 25 breeds of dog have been involved in 238 human fatalities. Pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers were identified as being involved in 66 and 39 fatalities, respectively, over that 20-year period; however, other purebreds and crossbreds caused the remainder of fatalities. Twenty-four percent of deaths involved dogs that were not restrained and were not on their owners’ property, 58 percent of deaths involved dogs that were not restrained but were on their owners’ property, 17 percent involved restrained dogs on their owners’ property, and one percent involved a restrained dog off its owners’ property.