MCM: Wolf Haven International

First an explanation. MCM stands for Mavadelo’s Cause of the Month. This is an initiative I am planning to do each month and it can be all kind of causes. I do accept suggestions for it.

Since I am a big fan of the wolf I chose the above as the logo for the Cause of the month. For now it is a temp logo since I have asked but not yet received permission to use this picture so it might be altered. For the same reason I chose a wolf related cause for my first entry so without further ado…. goes

Wolf Haven International History (taken from http://www.wolfhaven.org/PDF/History.pdf)

In the spring of 1978, Steve and Linda Kuntz, purchased a wolf pup from an exotic animal breeder in Colorado. At the time, Steve and Linda knew very little about wolves, their needs, or that wolves were an endangered species.

Steve and Linda started raising Blackfoot, and in the process, met Ed Andrews, who was raising wolves in Boulder, Colorado. Ed and his wife Elizabeth taught Steve and Linda how to better care for their wolf.

In 1980, the Andrews moved to Washington to set up a wolf facility where they could educate the public about wolves. Steve and Linda soon followed.

Steven and Linda studied wolves and continued to gain hands-on experience. They learned about proper diet, how to construct sound enclosures for the wolves in their care, and began conducting public educational forums about wolves through fairs, civic meetings, and at schools. This work was done under the name of Wolf Country.

Funding was scarce in the early days, and with the need to raise their own family, the Andrews’ relinquished Wolf Country and the 22 wolves that resided there, to Steve and Linda.

In May of 1982, Steve, Linda, and their young daughter Collette, moved to the site that would become Wolf Haven International. Steve filed for nonprofit status and became Wolf Haven America, a sanctuary for wolves.

Their purpose was simple: to provide the best possible care for the wolves that resided there wolves that, for the most part, had no other place to go. They were also concerned with educating the public about the importance of wolves in a healthy ecosystem, and why wolves should be preserved and protected in the wild. These early days were supported entirely by dedicated volunteers and donations from concerned individuals.

Wolf Haven eventually became Wolf Haven International complete with a Board of Directors and Executive Director. The Board, staff, and volunteers of Wolf Haven International have been working for wolf conservation since 1982. While intentionally broad, this statement unites all the programs that WHI undertakes. We incorporated the word “international” into our name because we recognize that wolves need help all over the world, and our supporters can be found around the world.

Worth preserving any day of the week

For me personally wolves are the most beautiful creatures on earth. Both in appearance and nature. They are quick, slender, smart, cunning and brave. They are very social and they can be very protective as a pack when it comes to the cubs

Artic wolf with cub

Wolf Haven International has several ways for you to be able to help them preserve these animals, I will list them here

Become a member

Wolf Haven International has been working hard to conserve and protect wolves and their habitat for 30 years. Here are just a few things that we do:

• rescue captive-born, displaced wolves and provide them with a loving, lifetime home (over 170 since 1982)
• participate in two Species Survival Plans (SSP) for critically endangered canids: 1) the Mexican gray wolf and 2) the red wolf
• provide educational opportunities to over 12,000 people a year through our wolf sanctuary tours and education programs
• promote wolf restoration to their historic habitat
• advocate for our remaining wild wolves

We can only do this work because YOU care enough to support our efforts. You can help Wolf Haven International continue our mission by becoming a Wolf Haven Member.

There are several membership options for you to choose from. Every level of membership includes a one-year subscription to our award-winning magazine, Wolf Tracks.

They have several plans to join starting from $35 for a lone wolf membership up to $5000 for a life time memebrship. Non US viewers will wanna opt for the Lone Wolf package while US viewers might want another package with more options like guided tours, guest passes and more. click the link above this option to compare plans.

Adopt a wolf

You can help us care for the WOLVES THAT LIVE IN OUR SANCTUARY by ‘adopting’ or sponsoring one (or more) of our wolves.

Wolf Haven International has several options for you to adopt.They start from $25 for an adoption to $125 for a classroom adoption. I should mention that international customers outside the US will have to pay shipping costs for memorabilia you receive after your adoption. again, click the link above this section if you like to adopt a wolf.

Think Again Campaign

Wolf Haven International stands firm in its opposition to breeding, selling, owning, trafficking and promoting wolfdogs (and wolves) as pets and believes that most wolfdogs are bred and purchased by people who are unaware of the animals’ highly unique physical and social needs, behavioral traits, and possible characteristics. For this reason, and more outlined on the following pages, Wolf Haven Intl. strongly advises against the keeping of wolfdogs and wolves as pets.

To read more about this campaign please click the link above this sectionOf course you can always Donate

the above link for this section brings you to a page that tells what the donations might be used for and a button to the donations page itself. What can I say, if one of the above options isn’t for you, maybe this option suits your needs a bit more. Donations start from $10 for the pre-made choices but there is a option for “another amount” so if your little son/daughter/sister/brother/nephew/niece wants to donate his/her $5 allowance that is possible as well 😉

There are two other options to help that I consider US/Canada only due to their nature

you can volunteer or you can join in the Wheels for Wolves campaign

Finally, if you not just want to donate but want something in return for your money, you can always visit their cafepress shop for a T-shirt, a mug or a bag.

One of the people from Wolf Haven International runs his own blog right here why not grace it with a visit 😀