If you opt to get into the wolf pens to interact face to face, you will get dirty! They will paw you, possibly jump on you, they’ll slime you, and rub against you. And they are stinky. You know when a dog finds something in the yard and rolls on it? They do that to deer carcasses. True story. So expect to get dirty, stinky, and you may get a tear here and there. Worth it.
This is part of the message we received from Take It Outside Excursions in preparation for our “Tails & Trails” day in Brookville, Indiana. Suffice it to say that I was a little daunted when I read this.
I knew I wanted to get in the pen with wolves, mostly to feel their coats and take pictures, but thinking about them pawing me, rubbing against me, and stinking of deer carcass was enough to make me reconsider. But — I didn’t. I put on some old clothes that I planned to throw away if the stench was too bad, and I went to the wolf reserve ready to get up close & personal with some wolves.
I was surprised to see how many there were! Kathy Baudendistel and her husband founded the wolf habitat and sanctuary with four wolves. They learned that wolfdogs (a wolf and dog hybrid) were being displaced in the region, left to die after their owners no longer could care for them.
“People were getting them as pets and realizing when they matured they couldn’t take care of them,” she told WCPO News.
Owning a wolf or wolf hybrid is illegal in most states, including Ohio and Kentucky. A permit is required in Indiana.
From those original four, the sanctuary has grown to more than 20 wolves that live in nine animal enclosures. The wolves are grouped into packs, with most enclosures having 3-4 wolves each. During our visit, we were able to enter three of the enclosures with staff who explained how many misconceptions there are about wolves.
They’re not much like dogs at all. They are not the people-pleasing canines that we so easily imagine they might be. They are more like cats as far as personality and willingness to “people-please.” Meaning — they don’t. They’ll come to you or they won’t. Like a cat. It made me love these wolves all the more.
But as Amy, the founder of Take It Outside Excursions reminded us, “All it takes is one wolf growling in your ear and you remember that these are wild animals.” Point taken!
Once they do come near, they like to be scratched and have their bellies rubbed — like dogs. But only for a minute — like cats. The wolves were actually very skittish, despite having visitors nearly every weekend. One of the staff members said that people have the wrong idea about wolves; they’re not the vicious, lunging animals depicted in film. They’re afraid of humans who are their biggest predator. They avoid us as much as possible.
Even more interesting is that there is no recorded human death by wolf attack.
All of this was very reassuring as we stepped through the double gates into each enclosure. So, were the precautions we’d gotten from TIOEX accurate?
We did have wolves rub against us, leaving their scent. My son had two wolves pawing him, but not in an aggressive way. We did see the wolves gnawing on their sections of deer carcasses and maybe they stunk like rotting flesh, but we all smelled by that point, so who knows.
We petted them, rubbed their bellies, listened to them howl, and watched them interact with each other. By the time we left, I wondered why I’d ever been worried in the first place. That’s actually the goal of the sanctuary: educating people on what wolves are really like. Fantastic creatures that should remain wild.
Would you get in the wolf pens?
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Wow, very cool! I have no idea if I would go in the wolf pens myself or not… but a friend of mine has a wolf/shepherd mix, and she’s a lovely dog. They were very aware of what they were getting into and did a great job working with her.
That’s good. I’m sure it has its own challenges.
The nice part about Wolf Creek Habitat is that you can walk along the balcony for free and see/learn about them. They were fascinating.
Yes, yes yes!! I would get in the pen with the wolves. I would LOVE to do this! I might not like the stench but as you said, I’d get over it. I would love to interact with them and scratch their bellies. I knew just from seeing them the couple of times I have in the wild that they are skittish. That’s why you can only see them at sunrise and sunset so much of the time….those are the times they are usually disappearing and reappearing because these are the times humans are appearing and disappearing respectively. Your photos are beautiful and I would love to do this!
You’d love it, Heather! They love having their bellies scratched — at least for a while. When they’re done, they’re done, but what a great experience!
We are putting this on the list. Getting in a pen with wolves sounds amazing. They are just so majestic and beautiful. We are cat people so it’s just fine that animals come to love us on their terms, not ours. Big yes on this one.
I think you’d both love it! I know I did.
Very very interesting, and what a great experience to see wolves close up. I learned a lot from this post! It’s interesting how you compare wolves to cat personalities. I do feel like they are often portrayed with that cat-like personality in films. However like you mentioned they are also portrayed as vicious people-eating monsters, which they clearly are not!
That’s what I found fascinating. I know they are predators, but they don’t seem predatory around people. In fact, big cats seem more threatening to me.
I was going to go to a wolf sanctuary when I visited Seattle, but then time constraints didn’t allow me to visit as they were only open on certain days. I really cannot wait to go to wolf sanctuary now! I want to be part of House Stark! lol
I hope you get the opportunity!
This reminds me of my wolf encounter earlier this year in Quebec! We often have the misconception that they are dangerous, but they are not! I’m glad you did this 🙂
It reminded me of reading about your wolf encounter, too. I’m glad so many places are drawing attention to the wolves and the misperceptions surrounding them.
I don’t usually support places that let you interact with the wildlife but I do agree that wolves are fantastic creatures. It is a shame that their numbers are dwindling. I’m trying to do some research on this place – do you know how they rescue the wolves? I know the wolf-hybrids were pets but wasn’t sure about the actual wolves. I’ll have to do some more research on this place as visiting animal sanctuaries is one of my favorite things to do!
Ashley, I think some were rescued from being “pets.” I didn’t get the full story because the owners weren’t there that day, but I’m sure they could tell you the story behind each one.
Oh, yeah. I would definitely be in the pen with the wolves — but it’s good to know about the “stink” problem. Bringing a change of clothes for after would fix that right up. I loved hearing about your interactions with them, and that they enjoy the pets — on their own terms, like cats.
It didn’t smell as bad as I feared it might. But they do love their deer carcasses! If they’d been fresher, or more rancid, I’m sure it would have been worse.
Oh yes, I would most definitely get in there! The opportunity to see them up close without a fence would be fantastic. We saw a few in Yellowstone, they are super shy, but they weren’t anywhere near as close as you got!
Not only see them up close, but pet them, and scratch their bellies! IF they decided to let you. It was great!