AR-News: Lone Timber Wolf Not Going To Be Alone Any More

[jim robertson]

http://www.komotv.com/stories/31073.htm

Lone Timber Wolf Not Going To Be Alone Any More

May 3, 2004

By Keith Eldridge

KITSAP COUNTY - A lone timber wolf is going to be alone no more.

He was found wandering around Kitsap County until animal rescuers moved in.

But, even though the wolf has been rescued, there's no chance of him 
returning to the wild.

The Kitsap County Humane Society says it's not known if the animal was 
abandoned or just how it got to a Port Orchard backyard. The resident who 
found him didn't even know he was a wolf.

"We had a call from a concerned citizen that they had a stray dog tied up in 
their yard and they had it for about 3 weeks," said animal control officer 
Rance McEntyre. "They were just trying to be nice to the animal so they tied 
it up to keep it off the road."

Oftentimes these animals are returned to the wild, such as bears and 
cougars. But animal control officers figure this wolf had been raised in 
captivity and there's no way he'd be able to survive on his own.

Bring in the folks from Wolftown on Vashon Island. It's a sanctuary for 
wolves. At Wolftown, this wolf will have a home for life since running free 
could prove deadly.

"You can't let him go into the wild be he's imprinted with people and not 
shy enough so the chances are he would get shot wandering into someone's 
yard and also he's probably not predatory enough to go back," said T. 
Martino of Wolftown.

These folks say they'd loved to have just set the wolf free, but realized 
that would be just plain cruel.

Many counties, including Kitsap, have outlawed owning wild pets. One reason 
is that when people get tired of them, they just set them loose with no way 
for them to fend for themselves.

But for Shoka, as he's being called, he'll be taken care of in an outdoor 
enclosure for the rest of his life.

For More Information:

www.wolftown.org
www.kitsaphumane.org





"One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or 
torture an animal and get away with it" —  Margaret Mead.

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