Jun 21, 2012
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Waltz with Wolves fundraiser to proceed as planned
In spite of the High Park Fire, and partly because of it, the annual W.O.L.F. Sanctuary fundraiser, Waltz with Wolves, will take place as scheduled.The event, held from to10 p.m. June 30 at the Drake Center, 802 W. Drake Road in Fort Collins, will raise funds to support the no-kill sanctuary for wolves and wolf-dogs 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins.
Michelle Proulx, the primary animal caretaker for W.O.L.F. said the organization considered rescheduling when 17 wolves were stuck at the facility during the fire. Since their rescue, the organization has decided to proceed, and some funds will go to helping with costs incurred by the fire, including supporting the evacuated wolves.
Waltz for Wolves includes dinner, dancing, auctions and a visit by two “ambassador” wolves, Sasha and Pax. A table of 10 costs $375, and other tickets cost $40 before Monday, and $45 after Monday. They maybe purchased www.wolfsanctuary.net.
With three large trucks and trailers, 15 volunteers and staff from W.O.L.F and the Wild Animal Sanctuary, or TWAS, in Keenesberg evacuated the wolves, who had been left behind after an earlier evacuation effort.
TWAS, one of the only facilities in the country that has the resources to transfer large carnivores, is now hosting 14 of the wolves at their facilities northeast of Denver. The remaining three wolves joined other W.O.L.F. evacuees at a Loveland residence.
At TWAS, all of the wolves are doing fine and are relaxing, sleeping and adjusting to their new surroundings, said Katie Vandegrift, a spokeswoman for TWAS.
“They’ve settled in nicely,” she said.
The wolves will remain at TWAS until it’s safe for them to return home, Vandegrift said.
Their new enclosures include wood chips, dog houses and pools with water. Each wolf has an enclosure to itself, except a few which are kept in pairs. The wolves are arranged in the same pattern as they were at W.O.L.F to preserve their hierarchical structure, said Michelle Proulx, the primary animal caretaker for W.O.L.F.
She said the wolves had done better than she expected.
“The atmosphere where they’re being kept in their temporary locations is very calm and quiet so that’s helping these guys adapt,” Proulx said.
Wolves can be difficult to transport because, when triggered by changes in their environment, they become stressed. Stress can cause an animal’s adrenal gland to fail and even kill the animal, if experienced for a prolonged period of time, Proulx said.
In spite of the risk, all 17 wolves were evacuated from W.O.L.F without injury.
In total, W.O.L.F usually hosts 30 wolves on its 180-acre property northwest of Fort Collins.
Of the 30, 11 were evacuated June 10 when the first evacuation order went out. Two were evacuated the following day, but the area was then closed, preventing the evacuation of the remaining 17 until Thursday.
To move the remaining wolves, volunteers formed a human wall and moved the wolves gradually into smaller and smaller enclosures until they could be caught and loaded into 5-by-6-foot transportation cages, said Pat Craig, the executive director of TWAS who helped with the evacuation.
Between the first and final evacuations, the fire came close to the W.O.L.F property, burning down a small cabin and three sheds.
The sanctuary managed to mitigate damage, however, with long-term wildfire preparation efforts. A donor provided funds in 2009 to thin overgrown forest areas and build a fire road.
The shelter has also been building “fire dens,” or 4-foot-deep concrete bunkers which could protect the wolves from fire even if they couldn’t be evacuated.
Proulx said the efforts helped prevent more damage from occurring as the High Park Fire came through.
“All of our prep efforts for an eventuality like this have paid off remarkably well,” she said. “I’d still say we had a little luck on our side in addition to preparation.”
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