Lexi, photo by Anice Bommerscheim
Lexi was born in 2003 and spent the beginning of her young life tethered to an 8-foot-long drag chain with about 30 other wolves and wolfdogs. People paid $5 to see them at a now-defunct tourist attraction in Alaska before she was rescued.
Experience Olympia Names Thurston County’s Top 12 Things to Do. Wolf Haven International is a hands-off facility meaning there is no socialization between humans and the incredible wolves in their south Thurston County refuge. Founded on the idea that animals, like humans, deserve to be appreciated for who and what they are, the sanctuary assures they are treated …
Wolf Haven Volunteer of the Quarter – Tashina Kimble
By Dan Monn, Animal Care, Gift Shop and Volunteer Assistant
Wolf Haven International
Tashina is one of our homegrown volunteers; she was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon and raised not far from here, in Yelm, Washington. She has been a volunteer at Wolf Haven International for six years, but interested in wildlife conservation for much longer. Tashina is a recent graduate of Evergreen, and now has her eyes set on an advanced degree as she continues toward her goal of working in wildlife outreach and education.
Tashina began volunteering at Wolf Haven as a senior in high school. She wanted her senior project to be related to wildlife and she found us! She worked with Erik from our animal care team to come up with a project, and has been contributing as a volunteer ever since. Now Tashina guides visits, and does a lot of outreach work for Wolf Haven. She spent time here as an intern while studying at The Evergreen State College, and the work Tashina did then has helped shape the way we convey Wolf Haven’s values and mission to the public.
In fact, Tashina’s favorite part of volunteering is spending time with the public and sharing her passion for the individual animals and wildlife conservation. One of her favorite moments was getting to see Lorenzo, (now deceased) a Mexican gray wolf, get an elk leg. Animal care staff does not usually feed the wolves during public visits, plus elk legs are a rare treat. Another favorite moment occurred during a group howl as she was leading visitors through the sanctuary. To be present during a howl is a special moment for anyone, but it was especially so for a guest who was moved to tears. Sharing that moment is something Tashina says she’ll remember for a long time.
Rocco joins in a howl
Today we pay tribute to Rocco, a male gray wolf who passed away in December. With his tawny coat and amber eyes, Rocco was stunning. Rocco and his sister, Natasha, came to live at Wolf Haven in 2005, after spending their first two years of life in private ownership.
Aside from a recurring skin issue during the rainy season, Rocco appeared to be a healthy and well-adjusted wolf, and celebrated his 14th birthday last spring. By then, he was living with his fourth companion, a female gray wolf named Sitka Rose, (having outlived his previous three enclosure mates).
Rocco’s first official “adoption” photo, 2005. (Julie Lawrence photo)
When animal care staff conducted the walk-through on Friday December 8, Rocco didn’t come to the fence for treats like he normally did. Instead, he paced, seemed disoriented and had a noticeable head tilt. All symptoms were consistent with either post seizure or stroke. Animal care tried to offer him a meatball with medication, but he was not interested in food (very atypical for him). Given his condition and age, a seizure or stroke is not uncommon and we have observed it many times before in our senior residents. Because it would have been severely detrimental to catch him up (he is not tractable so it would have been stressful for him), the decision was made to let him be and monitor him closely. Even had we brought him into the clinic, there would not have been anything we could have done other than just wait and see- either he was going to rebound or he wasn’t. Whatever the outcome, we wanted it to be as peaceful and as least stressful as possible for him and his long-time friend, Sitka.
After spending the remaining morning and part of the afternoon pacing his enclosure, Rocco finally settled and lay down. When we checked on him just before dusk, Rocco was sleeping in the back of his enclosure. When he couldn’t be seen during the following morning walk-through, animal care staff went into the enclosure to search for him. Rocco was found in his den, tucked into a very deep chamber; he had passed sometime during the night. He looked very peaceful in that private space he had chosen as his last refuge.
Rocco’s final adoption photo, 2017. ( Julie Lawrence photo)
Rocco is survived by his beautiful and playful friend Sitka who will surely miss him, as will all of us at Wolf Haven. We thank you for your support in providing a lifetime, loving home for Rocco and his three companions through all these years.
May your journey continue in peace, sweet Rocco.
With the addition of pups, rescues, and Species Survival Plan wolves, we provided care for a howling chorus of 62 wolves and wolfdogs plus two lively coyotes. A record number of animals – 64 – reside at Wolf Haven.
Wolf Haven International is now home to a record 65 wolves, wolf dogs and coyotes thanks to the addition of two new wolves, Mariah and Hodari.
Wolf Haven International invites you to participate in one of our popular wolf photography visits. Photo visits are held during colder months, when the wolves are wearing their winter coats and are more active. The program begins at 8:00 am with a continental breakfast and brief presentation. The group will take photographs in the wolf sanctuary from 9 am – noon.
“I do have a favorite. His name is London, and he is considered a victim of the film industry. People tried training him to be vicious, but he wasn’t a very good actor.”
by Wolf Haven volunteer Sarah Elizabeth Crawford
It is often said that helping others is a reward in itself and many of those who volunteer at Wolf Haven International would strongly agree. Still, the staff at Wolf Haven never misses an opportunity to thank those who spend their time and energy trying to aid in their efforts to increase understanding, appreciation and conservation of wolves.
…wolf cookies!
Enjoying potluck barbecue, complete with…..
One way Wolf Haven expresses its appreciation is by hosting a yearly Volunteer Appreciation event. The event varies from year to year; however, this summer volunteers and their guests were invited to a barbecue at the sanctuary. The festivities began with viewings of a special video made honoring the wolves who have passed away in the previous year, giving volunteers a chance to say goodbye to the animals they have cherished, many since their first days at the Haven. The video also introduced newly added residents, such as the four Mexican gray and eight red wolf pups born this Spring.
The author making a wolf popsicle.
Making delicious smelling sicles.
Adding water to the concoction.
Afterwards, guests donned disposable gloves and dug deep into buckets of hot dog bits, venison biscuits, and clam chunks. Don’t be too alarmed by the spread – these delicacies were layered into cups and frozen into popsicles to be given out to the wolves as a delicious summer treat. The real feast came after, when everyone (the humans, that is), gathered for an outdoor picnic, enjoying a light summer breeze and each other’s company.
Sierra showing off her popsicle.
Cindy Irwin, Director of Education and Volunteer Services shares anecdotes with volunteers.
The event ended with stories from volunteers depicting their experiences at Wolf Haven, and heartfelt expressions of gratitude from staff. During the speeches, the wolves added their own voices as they collectively sang out, reminding each of us of the cause that continues to bring us all together.
Could you be a Wolf Haven volunteer? Want to learn more? Send an email to Wolf Haven’s Director of Volunteer Services, Cindy Irwin, at cirwin@wolfhaven.org.
Wolves & Wine auctioneer Jeff Kingsbury manages to encourage bidding and smiles at the same time.
by Kim Young, Director of Communications, Wolf Haven International
photographs taken by Melissa Poinsett for Wolf Haven
Wolf Haven International launched “Wolves & Wine” in 2011 with the intention of making it our premiere fundraising event combined with our annual meeting. We wanted to create an evening where supporters could learn more about Wolf Haven’s recent accomplishments and future plans, and at the same time raise much-needed funds for our nonprofit sanctuary. We hoped it would offer wolf and wildlife advocates and supporters an opportunity to come together in a relaxed, comfortable surrounding. But above all, we wanted it to be FUN!
If you want to guarantee a successful adult event, it helps enormously to have excellent food and drink available in a convivial atmosphere. We had that covered from the beginning by offering wine tastings from a variety of vintners and delicious heavy hors d’oeuvres served by Bon Appetit catering at The Norman Worthington Conference Center of Saint Martin’s University. The stellar planning committee also believed that a silent and a live auction would be the ideal avenue for us to raise money in support of our mission: conserve and protect wolves and their habitat.
Wolf paintings by Skie Bender
We could sell all manner of wolf-related items: jewelry, custom-made cabinets, paintings, books, etc. as well as more generalized things like a package get-away week-end or sports tickets. The key to the success of the auction, however, was going to hang not only the generosity of our guests, but also on having just the right auctioneer at the helm.
The Perfect Fit – Jeff Kingsbury
We found the ideal company and candidate in Stokes Auction Group and Jeff Kingsbury. Jeff is an actor and director who specializes in musical theatre. His work has taken him all over the country and he has appeared in over 150 plays and musicals. Given his background in the theatre, it isn’t uncommon for Jeff to break into song during an evening’s event. He has a quick and warm wit, and a phenomenal memory for names.
Jeff with wolf paw painting
Jeff is a master at “driving” an incredibly fun, fast-paced evening. He encourages bidding auction items, but without pressure (well, not too much). After having Jeff Kingsbury as our Wolves & Wine auctioneer for the past several years, we can guarantee that by the end of the night, your mouth will hurt and your stomach will ache from laughing so hard. He feels a compassion and commitment to Wolf Haven’s mission and always strives to ensure that Wolves & Wine is a success. We truly hope you will join us on September 30, 2017 for the seventh annual Wolves & Wine – and Wolf Haven’s 35th anniversary! PURCHASE TICKETS HERE.
More About Jeff
As an auctioneer, Jeff has helped raise funds for the American Heart Association, Colorado Epilepsy Foundation, The Pacific Symphony (Orange County), The Amarillo Symphony, and many deserving organizations in addition to Wolf Haven.
Stokes Auction Group
The company, located in Edgewood, Washington specializes in supporting non-profit agencies and charitable causes in reaching their fundraising goals. Their team provides seminars, pre-event consulting, on-site support, professional auctioneers, bid spotters and materials to support your event. They serve groups of all sizes in their efforts to achieve financial success.
Our Media Sponsor for this year’s event is South Sound Magazine. Look for our Wolves & Wine ad in their September issue!