ABOUT 15 MINUTES into a walk around North America’s largest canid sanctuary, the wolves and wolfdogs begin a low, collective singing. The pack howl thrums with wildness, churning out hypnotic minor chords that seem to wrap around the human visitors.
“It’s them telling everyone, ‘They’re here, they’re here,’ ” says Brittany McDonald, executive director of Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, located near Ramah. The noise seems to originate at the enclosure of Stella “The Yeller” and Summit, mother-and-son wolfdogs who recently arrived after their Colorado sanctuary closed. The wailing carries through to their neighbors, friendly Frisco and Zane, another yeller, before Blizzard, who’s recovering from a recent tail amputation, joins the chorus with his playful partner, Tippy.
Getting to know the individuals of the pack is part of the fun at Wild Spirit, which features the animals’ backstories on twice-daily guided tours from March to December. “A pure wolf walks like a model on a catwalk, one foot in front of the other,” says McDonald, pointing out the characteristics that separate higher-content wolfdogs from more mixed pups like Stella and Summit. Since 1991, the remote former ranch has been home to captive-bred rescues, who live out their days at the 100-acre nonprofit, where none of the animals can be released into the wild because of their reliance on people for food.
These days, Wild Spirit is a fuller house than ever before, following this spring’s urgent campaign to rescue 25 canids from Indigo Mountain Nature Center in Lake George, Colorado, after its founder and executive director passed away. The effort involved nearly $200,000 of fundraising and the swift construction of 16 new 80-foot-by-80-foot metal enclosures.
Now the sanctuary’s “Critter Counter” stands at more than 100, including 92 wolves and wolfdogs, four coyotes and coydogs, two red foxes, and two New Guinea singing dogs named Bowie and Reba. They’re supported by a far-flung bunch of enthusiastic donors, who follow the pack’s adventures via blog posts and live streams on the sanctuary website. Repeat tour guests like to stay at the sanctuary’s attached campground, falling asleep to mystical howls under the stars.
A central and long-running tenet of Wild Spirit’s philosophy involves building mutual trust between humans and wildlife. That’s borne out through the sanctuary’s Educational Encounter program, which offers tour guests a chance to visit with some wolfdogs inside their enclosures. On McDonald’s instructions, we enter the pen of Quinn—a nine-year-old who was born at the Los Angeles Animal Shelter—and walk purposefully to a log positioned in the middle. “Everything we do is on the animal’s terms,” McDonald says. Once we’re seated, Quinn comes over, cautiously giving my hand a sniff before barreling into McDonald’s lap and allowing me to pet his luxurious beige coat.
“A lot of these animals do come in here with distrust and anxiety about people,” says McDonald. “By bringing in guests who are of all different age groups and genders and physicalities, they can help us teach these animals that no matter who comes into your enclosure, they’re here because they love and respect you. That is helping the animals overcome trauma.”
Like the wolves’ melancholy serenade, the interaction feels like a gift, a rare expression of wild-animal acknowledgment that seems to tap into the human spirit. “A lot of people who come here are attracted to wolves because they already make them feel something internally,” McDonald muses. “When we can bridge the gap between what they’re feeling and how the animals are helping them to experience it, I think it creates an opportunity for people to become more self-aware.”
Go to the Wolves
Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary is open to visitors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays, from March to December. Guided tours are available twice daily by reservation.