AR-News: AR NEWS:A plea: Never buy wolf

[WeArPetitions at aol.com]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2244347,00.
html

Cute cubs morph into snarling adults, straining shelters 
By Gary Gerhardt, Rocky Mountain News
September 9, 2003 
The number of Coloradans buying wolves and wolf-dog cross- breeds is 
skyrocketing and space to take care of the animals once they become unwanted is 
becoming scarce. 
Sanctuary owners, state wildlife officials and ranchers are concerned that if 
there aren't enough facilities for those animals, owners may simply turn them 
loose in the wild to fend for themselves. 


Free-born wolves wandering into Colorado from New Mexico or Wyoming are 
protected under the Endangered Species Act. But if it was impossible to tell where 
the animal was born, it might be shot in the belief that it had escaped from 
captivity. 
Frank Wendland, who cares for 37 unwanted animals at W.O.L.F. Rescue & 
Education near LaPorte, says there could be as many as 25,000 already in Colorado, 
and half could be pure wolves, which are illegal to own without a special 
permit. 
But owners can get around the law easily, he said. 
"It's impossible to tell one canine from another, so they sell them as 
wolves, then the owner says it's 90 percent wolf, 10 percent dog to bring it across 
state lines, and say it's 100 percent dog when the city they live in won't 
allow wolf-dogs," Wendland said. 
Wolf cubs act much like puppies for their first two years, said Kent Weber, 
who founded Mission:Wolf, a sanctuary 40 miles west of Pueblo. 
"Then, when they turn 2, their mentality suddenly shifts from being a 
teenager to a mature adult. They challenge their owners for leadership, must become a 
constant member of the human's 'pack,' and use the furniture as chew toys." 
At that point owners realize their mistake and come to the sanctuaries hoping 
to dump the animal. 
Virtually every week, Mission:Wolf, W.O.L.F. and the third major wolf 
facility in the state, Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, turn away requests to take 
unwanted pets. 
Today, the Colorado Wildlife Commission is considering stricter regulations 
for commercial wildlife parks, which will include wolf facilities. 
Of major concern is a provision requiring all such facilities to be "for 
profit," effectively preventing any new refuges from opening. Losing the ability 
to take tax-deductible donations would cut off revenue the facilities need to 
survive. 
Weber says it costs $200,000 a year to keep Mission:Wolf going, and Wendland 
posted expenses of $253,000 last year for 37 animals. 
The proposed regulation would allow the existing wolf refuges to continue to 
operate as nonprofits, but would not permit them to move or build satellite 
facilities without converting to for-profit status. Operators believe there will 
be no new sanctuaries to help with the mushrooming requests to take unwanted 
animals if the for-profit requirement goes into effect. 
Weber and Wendland both believe authorities are attacking the problem from 
the wrong end. 
"We need stricter laws against breeding, selling and purchasing these animals 
because that's where the real problem is," Wendland said. 
Weber also thinks all animals should have a tattoo or implanted microchip to 
trace it to its owner. 
"The answer is a law requiring the owner to kill the animal if they can't 
find a shelter or force the breeder to take it back," Weber said. 
A breed apart 
Some important differences between wolves and dogs: 
Wolf 
• Doesn't respond to forceful discipline. Will retreat or bite. 
• Highly intelligent, brain is 30 percent larger than average dog. 
• Needs to be indoors with humans who become its "pack." 
• Needs 2-5 pounds of food a day and won't share. 
• No desire to please humans. 
• Difficult to housebreak. 
• Digs in yard, is destructive to furniture, won't defecate in only one area 
and urinates to mark its territories. 
• Skittish and fearful around humans it does not know. 
• Not a good watchdog. 
• Howls in the middle of the night. 
• Will prey on smaller pets and instinct may be triggered by small children 
running or crying, although there is no verified case of a healthy, wild wolf 
attacking and killing a human. 
Dog 
• Allows humans to dominate, easier to train. 
• Most breeds are people-friendly. 
• Shares food and can live on dry dog food. 
• Can be content as a single animal and stay outdoors. 
• Can adjust to living in small homes or apartments. 
Source: Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. 


gerhardtg at RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5202 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/attachments/20030909/af740740/attachment.html