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May 13, 2008 4:42 pm US/Mountain
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'Mission: Wolf' Operates In Remote Colo. Valley
SILVER CLIFF, Colo. (CBS4) ―
Mission Wolf sits in a remote Colorado valley, very near the area where one of the last free-roaming wolves in the state was killed in the 1940s.
The only wolves living in the area now can be found roaming behind chain link fences and being cared for by a group dedicated to the return of the wolf to the Colorado wild.
Kent Weber is one of the founders of Mission Wolf. "Many people are afraid of wolves today," Weber said. "We find that when they meet a wolf, they learn a little connection with nature."
Weber and his wife Tracy created the sanctuary in the 1980s. Now it has 200 acres protected for wolves and more than 30 fenced acres in which the wolves live.
But it's not just the humans who are spreading the message about saving the wolf. Rami, one of the wolves who lives at the sanctuary, acts as an ambassador and visits with thousands of school children around the nation.
"We say of all of the wolves in the country, she's probably done more to help wild wolves return than any other wolf we've ever known," said Weber.
Obidiah, another resident of the sanctuary, has a little arthritis but is still an important member of Mission: Wolf. He's one of two wolves there who are 15 years old, something almost unheard of for wolves in captivity.
"Most wolves in the wild live to be 6 years old. If you're lucky enough to live in Yellowstone as a wolf, nobody can hunt you, you've got a lot of food to eat, they're living 8 years."
Most wolves who are in captivity don't live longer than 2 years because the people simply cannot provide for them.
Interns from around the country and around the world help the Webers. Amy Sidderly is from Manchester, England, and is spending a year at the sanctuary.
"I love it. To get out of the city was great, and there's not anything like this in England, especially not live here on site," Sidderly said. "Mission: Wolf just gives you so many opportunities."
Pat Willis is closer to home. He grew up in Iowa. "I have an affinity for them because they're very misunderstood," Willis said. "I feel for them."
Tim Reed is from California but wanted to help the wolves at the sanctuary.
"When talking to people after they've had a chance to meet a wolf, you can really sense a change in what they thought a wolf was like," he said. "Then you get to talk to them about breaking down the misconceptions of the wolf and learning about a true wild animal."
For Weber, statements like those are how he measures success.
"It has always been said that what we do to the animals, we will eventually do to ourselves. Maybe humans in the future will realize that if we take care of the grizzly and the wolf, we will take better care of our children."
Weber says the state's booming elk population could be better controlled with the reintroduction of wolves. He also says that there are several other detrimental environmental effects that have resulted from wolves not being in the wild in Colorado over the past five or six decades.
Additional Resources
- Mission: Wolf is located in a valley between the Wet Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. Colorado Getaways first featured the refuge in the 1980s. Visit their Web site at missionwolf.com.
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