You can read more about the differences on our web site. There is a link on the home page labeled “What Is A Sanctuary?” Part of the explanation on the differences includes an article by Nicole Paquette, Esq. titled; “Sanctuary or Scamtuary?”. True sanctuaries have a much more difficult time existing and the sacrifices required by those who operate them are much more dramatic. To aid these organizations, new associations have been formed with the ultimate goal of separating the true sanctuaries from the pseudo sanctuaries.

These Sanctuary Associations accredit organizations that meet established guidelines and standards. However, due to the wide variety of sanctuaries, covering a multitude of species and at varying stages of growth, reaching agreement on minimum levels of accreditation can be difficult.

Wolf has been in operation for over 14 years and much has changed over the years. The founders both had successful for profit business backgrounds and learned early on that running a non-profit is exponentially harder than running a for profit company. Because of these difficulties, many non-profits fail or get in over their heads, which ultimately is not in the best interest of the animals, and indeed makes the rest of the sanctuaries look bad. When Wolf started, the enclosures were smaller, and both founders worked full time jobs in town in addition to running the facility. As the facility grew, they learned many valuable lessons that have shaped Wolf into the leading edge operation it is now.

Maintaining high standards and ethics however requires a tremendous amount of extra work. Bringing in enough money to cover expenses is no easy task, and continues to become more challenging. That is why the remaining founder spends up to 16 hours a day on the computer (and receives no salary), the Administrator and Program Director spends 10 hours a day (and receives much less salary than she could elsewhere), the Facility Manager quite often works 7 days a week (and is on call 24 hours a day) and all staff members sacrifice days off – all to make sure the job gets done. This is not an easy business, but everyone pushes themselves to accomplish the driving philosophy: “what is in the best interest of each individual animal”.

That philosophy guides how every decision is made at Wolf. Unfortunately, the facilities that struggle and are not able to bring in enough money generally have smaller containment and lower standards of care than Wolf, and many either will fail or will begin exploiting their animals to make money. Some even profess to conduct research on wolf behavior, in order to validate their purchase and breeding of animals – this even though there is no value to the observations of captive wildlife behavior. Wolf does not do any of this, and has actually become a facility others seek to emulate, want to visit, and from whom to seek advice. Because Wolf believes helping these folks will be in the best interest of more animals, the time is spent to give that advice, whether or not those folks will follow through.

Through this level of dedication, Wolf has consistently exceeded requirements for their USDA, DOW and PACFA licenses. Wolf is also the only wolf sanctuary accredited by both existing national sanctuary associations:

The American Sanctuary Association (ASA) (http://www.asaanimalsanctuaries.org/) and

The Association of Sanctuaries (TAOS) (http://www.taosanctuaries.org/index02.htm).

Wolf has also been invited to become one of the Founding Members of:

The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) (http://www.sanctuaryfederation.org/).

All of these associations have their own strict requirements for accreditation. Wolf actually was requested to and did write the standards for accreditation for captive wolves, wolf-dogs and wild canines for TAOS. Wolf principles, policies, animal care practices, facility standards, habitats, and safety record are leading edge and pioneering new approaches that always focus on “what is in the animal’s best interest”.

Wolf implores every individual who truly wants to understand the Sanctuary Concept to research and visit other facilities. Compare their habitats, policies, and standards to those of Wolf. Explore the difference between a true sanctuary, pseudo sanctuary conducting research, zoo and rescue facility.

You can check the links page of our web site for facilities (including a number in this region), educational organizations, and advocacy groups. We also encourage you to share your findings with us and others who might not be aware of all this.