conservation 路 education 路 preservation
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013
The Hearing to Delist the Gray Wolf November 19th, 2013
This hearing was about delisting all of the Gray wolves in the lower 48 states. That means if a wolf ever stepped one paw into our state, they could be killed for no reason. The entire proposal would mean the end of wolves ever having a chance to be in Rocky Mountain National Park and other places in the states that could definitely sustain a pack or more in areas that have been without an apex predator like the wolf. Last night the people voiced their feelings backed by science and biology. Now it is up to USFW to listen to Colorado. Whether they do or not will depend on if they are driven by big money and politics. There was a woman on the panel who said that the turn out was great, but the wildlife service have already made up their mind. We are hoping that this is not the case, however CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Hope This is Hope. We found her under a truck resting out of the sun during our trip to Costa Rica. She looked hungry, so I went into the gas station and bought her some hotdogs. As skinny as she was, she did not want to eat. She got up and walked on the sidewalk away from me. I tried to follow her and call to her, but she just kept walking like she was afraid. I walked in front of her and tossed the hotdogs hoping that if I kept my distance she would eat. No luck. I told her to trust me and she sat down with her head to the ground. She was weak and was giving up. She had the look on her face that she was ready to die. I walked up to her, kneeled down and calmly pet her as I told her it was OK. I looked over at Mike and told him that I could not leave her that she needed a vet. I picked her up and we put her in the back seat of our rental car and drove her to the vet. The girl behind the desk did not speak very much English but she did understand street dog and rescue. A few days earlier we had met a group called PAWS. They do limited rescue, spay and neuter. I had made a connection with them to help when I could so I had their card and brochure with me.
The girl behind the desk was aware of them and gave us a name to call which I did. The man I spoke to said that depending on the blood test and IF they had any room, he could not give me an answer. He told me to call him after the vet saw her. In the meantime, a man came in the room where we were waiting - which is also where you can buy dog supplies. He was looking for something for his dog. He looked at us and commented on how skinny the dog was. We told him her story. His name is Gary and he is from South Africa and also knows John from PAWS. He asked the girl to call John. She said he was on his way to the clinic because he had an appointment! Wow. Perfect timing! So a few minutes later, John arrived. The girl introduced him to us and we both realized that we had met him at the adoption booth on Saturday at the Farmers Market we had gone to. We told him the story of the dog we called HOPE and he said he would call PAWS to see if they had room. While he was doing that the vet called us in. The little girl had her ears cleaned, got inoculated, blood work done, wormed and groomed because she smelled bad and had ticks. The vet asked what her name would be and I said, “Hope”. She told us to come back at 3pm. As we left, John said to call him after we got the blood results. Ticks can cause a disease that is untreatable and some dogs are just put to sleep if they have it. It is similar to Lyme disease.
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Several hours passed and I got a call from John who was at the vet office. Her test results were negative and he told me that he found an angel. When we got to the office he explained that PAWS had no room to take Hope as they were full and the government dictates how many dogs they can have. HOWEVER, a lady who works for PAWS agreed to foster her since I told John that if she did not have a home I would take her back to Colorado in December when I am returning to Costa Rica. Soooo, it looks like hope will be coming home in December with me. She will be healthy and she will be given a second chance. I will re-home her - so as soon as I get back I will start putting something together to get her adopted ASAP. She is very sweet and very quiet. It was meant to happen :)
PAWS - Costa Rica
PAWS is a non-profit organization with its sole purpose to help improve the overall well-being of the animals in our area. “Our Mission is to provide no-kill solutions to reduce the number of homeless cats and dogs, through education, rehabilitation and re-homing.”
www.pawscr.org
A note from her foster mom Andrea in Costa Rica on Nov. 5th Hope is about 4 days out from taking the cone off. She has healed wonderfully with it on, though. She and my dog Lucy were actually playing this morning. Lucy is very, very careful with her and it is sweet to watch. Hope is really warming up, now that she knows she is in a safe zone and gets plenty of food and water, not to mention a bath every other day! I have a new anti fungal shampoo I am using on her that I got at the vets and it is working wonders. Her front right paw is almost healed, which is a miracle. When I first got her, the wound was so deep that part of her bone was exposed. Her feet are still pretty sore, but she walks better and better each day. She always greets me with a tail wag and comes up to me, giving kisses. What a dear girl she is. I think she won’t be ready for spaying for probably a month or so. She will make someone a wonderful companion. She is so grateful! Check out this video of HOPE being trained to watch iguanas by my dog Lucy... too cute! http://youtu.be/TXsX3Y1KnKo
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Always the one to be a camera ham, Micah pretends to howl while playing with a treat from his visitor, Marla
Maggie getting braver!!!!
Burrito visiting in the visitor center!!!
Darlene and her BIGGEST FAN.. Wiley the Coyote!
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
hors d’oeuvres anyone? Mice-cycles, cranberries and... Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
In the News The Massacre expands to Minnesota. Let’s kill ‘em all seems to be the way this is going. What a sad country America has become with its wildlife. A disgrace!
Minnesota opens its 2nd wolf season
and we’d likely see wolves going into the spring in good shape and good nutritional condition because deer are by Elizabeth Dunbar, Minnesota Public Radio stressed from a hard, long winter,” said DNR wolf exST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s second wolf hunting pert Dan Stark. “And so we’d expect pup production to be pretty good.” season gets started at a smaller scale than last year. About 2,000 hunters will participate in the early season, Last year 66 wolves were killed in the first weekend of the and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has hunt out of the 200 that were allowed to be killed in the early season. The DNR halved the quota for both seasons set a quota of 100 wolves to be killed. A survey last winter showed Minnesota’s wolf population combined this year to 200. had dropped, but the DNR believes the conditions were An advocacy group, Howling for Wolves, has asked state right for a large number of wolf pups to be born this spring. officials to cancel the hunt, saying the wolf population is “A hard winter like we had last year is good for wolves, declining too much.
Ranchers Insistence On Cheap Grazing Keeps Wolf Population In The Crosshairs If the October headlines were any indication, the quickest way for a wolf to make the news is to get shot. The Jackson Hole News and Guide reported the story of a Wyoming hunter who bagged a wolf, strapped him atop his SUV, and paraded his trophy through Town Square. A Montana landowner shot what he thought was a wolf (it turned out to be a dog hybrid) amid concerns that the beast was harassing house cats. The Ecologist speculated that hunters were chasing wolves from Oregon, where hunting them is illegal, into Idaho, where it’s not, before delivering fatal doses of “lead poisoning.” Predictably, these cases raise the hackles of animal right advocates and conservationists alike. Both groups typically view hunting wolves as a fundamental threat to a wolf population that, after a history of near extermination, is struggling to survive reintegration into the Northern Rockies. According to Michael Robinson, a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, “Hunting is now taking a significant toll on wolf populations.”
The Next Hearing to Delist the Gray Wolf USFWS has recommended that the Gray Wolf be removed from the Endangered Species list in all 48 states. Your voice is need NOW, before it’s too late! If we lose this fight and USFWS proceeds with their proposal to delist the wolves in the lower 48 states, it is possible that wolves will suffer the same fate that happened with the brutal and irresponsible eradication that occurred by the late 1930’s. THE NEXT HEARING: December 3, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Hon-Dah Conference Center, 777 Highway 260, Pinetop, AZ 85935 (3 miles outside of Pinetop at the Junction of Hwy 260 and Hwy 73); (928) 369–7625.
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Sounding the Horn On Despicable Trophy Hunt Wayne Pacelle: A Humane Nation
At the very time that the world is rallying to save the last rhinos, who are being gunned down by poachers and terror groups taking advantage of the global demand for their horns, the Dallas Safari Club is planning on auctioning an opportunity to shoot a critically endangered black rhino. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seems to be going along with this scheme, prepared to allow an import permit for the trophy. The entire idea is shameful, and it is a disgrace. Only 5,000 black rhinos survive on the planet, and the last thing rhinos need is more men with guns approaching them and shooting them down for profit or for ego gratification. I’ve viewed a lot of investigative footage through the years, but surely one of the images that has stuck in my mind, in the most horrible way, was the shooting of a captive rhino at a canned hunt in South Africa – with the freshly shot animal ungraciously carted off by a front-end loader. In that case, it was a white rhino who was killed, but the only differences between this act and what was proposed by the Dallas Safari Club are the identity of the shooter and some tiny variations in the DNA sequencing of the victim – and that the black rhino is more rare than its white cousin. A magnificent creature, as big as a small school bus and with a prehistoric look and power, shot and killed with glee from a man who took the time and expense to
travel half way around the world to demean our species. The Dallas Safari Club tries to justify its action by saying that money derived from the auction will help rhinos on the ground. True, money can help. But donating to help rhinos need not come with a plan to kill one. It’s very simple to disassociate philanthropy from the killing of one of the rarest large mammals in the world. Rather than paying to kill one of the most endangered creatures on earth, wouldn’t it be philanthropic if Safari Club members invested that money in anti-poaching efforts or in efforts to reduce demand for rhino horns? I am also amused by the false argument, from the Safari Club types, that they are killing postreproductive males in the population, or males who are not essential to the functioning of the population. Have any of these old boys at the Safari Club looked in the mirror? My guess is that most of them are post-reproductive themselves, and we don’t much need their genetic contributions any more, either. Shooting a rhino is not the biggest animal welfare problem in the world, given the vast numbers of animals killed in other sectors. But there’s something about the mania of killing one of the last of one of the world’s most remarkable creatures – and the lengths that individuals go to participate in that act – that is just revolting. I feel sometimes like the people who would do this must come from another strain or breed of our species.
BE A VOICE NOW VISIT PROJECTWOLF.ORG TODAY! Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
The Hearing to Delist the Gray Wolf
Join us for a special holiday celebration Sunday, Dec. 22nd 9am to 10am
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
we do know that there will be a fight as some bigger wolf organizations are already gearing up for a court battle. I would like to say that I am so proud of our CWWC staff and volunteers who made it to the hearing to testify for the wolves. We were all nervous and had sweaty palms and dry mouths, but the words of passion were presented to the panel and made a statement of what we believed in. CWWC made quite an impression as we had at least 30 people who attended. Some were staff and some were people that have known the center for years. It was wonderful to see people who were long time followers and others who we had just met and learned about this horrific proposal and wanted to be a voice. It gave me hope to see that there are still people who say they love wolves and actually do care enough to take time out of their life to support our majestic wolf. We even had a woman who had previously done a VIP tour with the wolves and found out through our newsletter about the proposal. She called us 2 days before the hearing and said that she had some airline miles left and would it help if she flew to Colorado to be a voice? This awesome women lives in South Carolina and she
flew in and testified in behalf of the wolves for SC & CO! Amazing. There were approximately 400 people who attended and 150 signed up to speak. There were many wolf organizations from Colorado and other states, ASPCA, pro ranchers and hunters. There were people who were students, historians, teachers and everything in-between, each speaking about why the wolf should not be delisted and also comments were made about better protections for the Mexican Gray wolf. It was an interesting time with a lot of energy and passion thick in the air. It was good to be amongst others who were there for the same reason.... The wolf and nothing else. We all ended the hearing with our signature group howl that even made USFW smile. For the wolves,
Darlene
Festivities will include: breakfast burritos with the wolves and a meet & greet with Keyni - our ambassador wolf $25 adults kids 12 & under
FREE!
RSVP early. Space is limited! 719.687.9742
The USFW is still open to comments until December 17th, 2013. So here is another chance to do your part. Remember that there is one last hearing in December 3rd in Pinetop Arizona.
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
RSVP 719-687-9742 路 www.wolfeducation.org
Standard Tours
Full Moon Tour
AS OF 1/1/14 $15 per adult · $8 per child
Meet and greet Keyni - our ambassador wolf before the tour. Tour starts immediately after and lasts approx 1 hour
One-hour educational tour of the sanctuary. 10 am, noon and 2 pm Tuesday-Sunday $10 per adult · $7 per child
Feeding Tours
Enjoy this one-hour educational tour while your guide feeds the wolves! Learn about hunting, howling and hierarchy and communicate with the pack in a group howl! $20 per adult · $10 per child Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Photo Tours
Interact with 2 of our wolves for up to 15 minutes while a CWWC photographer captures your interaction! $100 for up to 4 people · $50 per additional person MUST BE 18 OR OLDER
Youth FOX Photos
Full Moon Feeding Fest TouR DECEMBER 13 and 15 3:30 pm check-in
Combines our FEEDING TOUR with our FULL MOON TOUR... Wear warm clothes and good boots. Bring a camera and flashlight.
$25 per adult (13 years+) · $15 per child 8-12 years · No kids under the age of 8 All tours have limited space and we have a no-cancellation policy Reschedules are allowed May-October only
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center
Interact with 4 of our wolves for up to 30 minutes! $150 for up to 2 people · $50 per additional person ADD ON a Photo Tour for an additional $75
Dedicated to educating the public about wolves, wolf dogs, foxes, and coyotes. Although these elusive TO: _______________________________________________________________________________ animals are not often seen in the wild, through our guided tours you will have the opportunity to view them in the most natural setting possible. You will have the chance to view some of some of the FROM: ____________________________________________________________________________ endangered species that live at the Center.
MUST BE 18 OR OLDER
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center
FOR THE AMOUNT OF: _________________________________________________________________ TO: _______________________________________________________________________________ AUTHORIZED BY: ______________________ EXPIRES: _____________________________________ FROM: ____________________________________________________________________________ Excludes holidays and special events · Please mention you have a gift certificate when making reservations Year round tours by reservation only: Tues - Sun 10am · 12pm · 2pm + 4pm in the Spring and Summer FOR THE AMOUNT OF: _________________________________________________________________ AUTHORIZED BY: ______________________ EXPIRES: _____________________________________
Walk on the Wild Side
What could be better than a guided nature walk in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with a wolf? $75 per person Reserve for Thursday & Sunday
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR ALL TOURS AND SPECIAL EVENTS 719-687-9742
Excludes holidays and special events · Please mention you have a gift certificate when making reservations Year round tours by reservation only: Tues - Sun 10am · 12pm · 2pm + 4pm in the Spring and Summer
GIFT CERTIFICATE GIFT CERTIFICATE
VIP Tours
Dedicated to educating the public about wolves, wolf dogs, foxes, and coyotes. Although these elusive animals are not often seen in the wild, through our guided tours you will have the opportunity to view them in the most natural setting possible. You will have the chance to view some of some of the endangered species that live at the Center.
719.687.9742 · www.wolfeducation.org Box 713 · Divide, CO 80814 719.687.9742P.O. · www.wolfeducation.org P.O. Box 713 · Divide, CO 80814
Your child will have their picture taken with our red fox! $100 for up to 4 children (must be 8 or older)
DECEMBER 14 CALL FOR check-in
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center Gift Certificates make the perfect gift this holiday season!
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR ALL TOURS AND SPECIAL EVENTS 719-687-9742
looking for a forever home
A letter from Lake Tahoe Wolf Rescue www.laketahoewolfrescue.com Sadie is a beautiful 9-year-old wolfdog that is sweet, playful and very shy - but also very affectionate once she learns to trust you. She loves her belly rubs. When she arrived at Lake Tahoe Wolf Rescue at the end of March, she had been very neglected and unsocialized. She was quite underweight with little muscle tone. As a backyard-dog for 8 years, Sadie did not get the necessary daily exercise that she needed to keep her muscles strong. Her teeth were also in bad shape, brown as chocolate. She was extremely shy of humans and howled daily for the loss of her male canine companion who died in December. Coming to LTWR was new and stressful for Sadie at first, but she soon bonded with one of our males and it was love at first sight. They played every day and were inseparable. Her teeth were cleaned, she gained weight and her coat became soft, clean and beautiful. Even house trained. Now Sadie is having a very rough time. Beautiful Sadie, has blown out both her knees. First the left hind knee, then with all the pressure on the right, that one tore too. She can hardly get along on her two front legs with very little pressure on the hind quarters. In order for her to have a quality of life she will need surgery on both knees (simultaneously). It will be very hard on poor Sadie but we do not want to euthanize when we know how beautiful and sweet she is when she is feeling good. She needs a forever a home to go to where she can heal, if we can manage to get this surgery done. We need your help. The surgery will cost about $6500 for both knees which includes pre- and post-op treatments. We know that these are hard times with our economy but every penny will help. Please go to our website at www.laketahoewolfrescue.com and give what you can to help Sadie. Click on our PayPal to make it easy to contribute to Sadie’s surgery and recovery. You - our caring supporters who have often been there to help in the past - are desperately needed to help give Sadie a new life. She is counting on you for your support. Your gift is tax deductible.
SLV Animal Welfare Society 719-587-woof (9663) · www.slvaws.org PRIVATE SHELTER - MONETARY DONATIONS NEEDED
Gracie A very caring couple, Craig and Cindy, will kick in a wonderful prize for the person who donates the largest amount to Sadie’s surgery.... a Time-share property in Kauai, Hawaii. Full ownership. The closing costs and transfer fees would be approximately - $400-500. Craig has offered to pay $300 of these costs per unit (there are two separate time-share units) The yearly HOA dues are approx. - $750-850 per year. Taxes are included in the HOA dues. The Cliffs at Princeville north shore Kauai, Hawaii The Cliffs time shares are large at about 8-900 sq ft. They are pretty luxurious and located in Princeville. F403 in Pono Kai 4th floor, usable every year, great views. Cliffs is usable from May -August, peak months every year. Pono Kai Resort About 10 miles north of Lihue, the main town and airport. Pono Kai is in the little town of Kapaa. One week per year, during any of the 52 weeks of the year. All of the Pono Kau units have beautiful ocean views. If interested I can supply more information on the time shares. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at (775) 833-2066. Warmest regards, Pamela Jo - Executive Director
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
Gracie 1 year old Lab Boxer mix
Tallula Less then a year old best guess a Lab Jack Russel mix
Axel
tallula Bunny sweet 1 year old - Tall bunny Jack Russel mix
My name is Axel and am I not the most handsome guy around? Well I think so! I have a sweet temperament but am a little uncertain of other dogs. I can get along with them but sometimes I get a little nervous. I am hoping my new home will have some patience on helping me get socialized and comfortable in my new digs. I am kind of a ham and will get as close to you as I can whenever I get the chance. I need a new best friend and hope they find me soon!
TCRAS, the no-kill shelter in Divide, CO 719-686-7707 · www.tcrascolorado.com
Vieques Humane Society - Vieques, Puerto Rico, a small island located off the mainland’s east coast, for many years offered no veterinary or animal rescue services. During the early 1980’s, a handful of concerned immigrants from the states and a few local residents took a serious interest in improving the welfare of the animals. They began by feeding the island’s multitudinous strays and soliciting the help of veterinarians from Puerto Rico to sterilize them. By 1987, the Vieques Humane Society and Animal Rescue, Inc. was officially established as a non-profit organization. Today they still offer the only veterinary services on the island and have developed strong community based programs. See available dogs at www.viequeshumanesociety.org · CWWC will help you cover adoption fees - 719.687.9742
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org
working together to make a difference “We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” ~ Immanual Kant
The World of Wolves iPad app featuring The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is NOW AVAILABLE on iTunes. Also on iTunes, download the free CWWC app for your iPhone or iPad
FREE fact-filled app about wolves
Natural Resources Defense Council www.nrdc.org
www.aza.org www.projectcoyote.org
“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” www.bornfreeusa.org
~ Martin Buber
Mexican Grey Wolves www.mexicanwolves.org
www.defendersofwildlife.org
For current wolf articles and to be a voice through knowledge
Wild Earth Guardians
www.wildearthguardians.org
Newsletter Designed By Melissa Macis Freelance Graphic Designer smallspaceorganizer@gmail.com
To get Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center on your phone! Scan this code
Information presented on this newsletter is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/ image credit is requested. Some of the documents in this newsletter may contain live feed references (or pointers) to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that CWWC does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials.
Colorado Wolf And Wildlife Center | PO Box 713 | Divide, CO 80814 | 719.687.9742 | www. wolfeducation.org