June 2015 Newsletter

In This Newsletter…

Special Invite from Wolf Connection’s Founder

(Click here to download in PDF)

Dear Wolf Connection Community,

I am so excited to share with you Wolf Connection’s newest collaboration and partnership, The Jules Stewart Project. Artist, Writer, Filmmaker and Philanthropist, Jules Stewart, has created The Jules Stewart Project which is dedicated to the support of Wolf Connection’s mission: to rescue and rehabilitate wolves and wolfdogs who would otherwise be exterminated and to provide youth education and empowerment programs with these magnificent animals as the centerpiece of learning.

Wolves are far more important than what most would believe. For countless millennia they have been our companion and teachers, playing a central role in our evolution and success as a species. So at Wolf Connection we believe that wolves hold a key to the deep and conscious understanding of our relationships with the environment and with each other, and they can help us in our development as strong individuals, productive societies, and as a sustainable civilization on this planet. The Wolf Connection Ranch is the real-time, real-space lab where that belief is explored and tested. The Jules Stewart Project is a central partner in the promotion of this awareness and growth.

I invite you to join the Wolf Connection Team at The Jules Stewart Project’s Art Exhibit: The Wolf Collection on June 14^th. Jules will be hosting this art exhibit and fundraiser in Wolf Connection’s honor, donating all proceeds to Wolf Connection and the development of the new Wolf Connection Ranch. So please come, support Wolf Connection’s mission, and meet the team of dedicated Board, staff and volunteers who want to celebrate with you. Stay tuned for your email invite to this event.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Teo Alfero

Teo Alfero, Founder and Executive Director of Wolf Connection

LATEST NEWS

RESCUE IN ILLINOIS

Last month, the entire wolf and wolfdog rescue community from across the country came together to help the Illinois Department of Natural Resources save the lives of 15 wolfdogs that were being bred at a fur farm. Many wonderful people put their time and energy into making sure these amazing creatures were not euthanized.

When sanctuaries and zoos from across the nation began offering new homes for these animals, Wolf Connection did not think that our help was needed. But, when the last 3 yearlings remained, and the clock started ticking on their lives, Wolf Connection decided to step in. Since rescue plans had to be made, our wonderful friends at Grey Wolf in Wisconsin offered to foster and keep them safe until we could arrange transport.

On May 31st, a small team from Wolf Connection headed off to Wisconsin to bring the 3 girls home to join the Wolf Connection pack. This is the biggest trip and rescue for Wolf Connection to date.

Wolf Connection has been amazed by the outpouring of support for the three newest members of our pack and have been diligently putting your support to immediate use by building a custom loading ramp to safely guide these unsocialized females into the transportation crates and building custom isolation kennels so that the three can be near each other in a sterile environment while they heal from their spaying.

These 3 girls have no socialization, so this rescue is just the beginning of a long process of physical, mental and emotional rehabilitation. We hope that you make a trip to visit us and the new members of our pack to witness their rehabilitation. Until then, join us on Facebook as we post live updates from the road during our journey home with the 3 new members of the Wolf Connection pack!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYDER!

Ryder was born on April 1, 2013. He is now 2 years old and beginning his “teenage” stage. Come visit Ryder and wish him a Happy Birthday at Wolf Connection’s July Community Hike.

WOLF PROFILE JUNE 2015: MIKEY

In December of 2014, Mikey arrived at his new, permanent home at Wolf Connection. He was 5 ½ years old and, before coming to Wolf Connection, had been part of a family of about 7 feral dogs and a few wolfdogs. The previous owner was having difficulty with the expense of taking care of these animals and Mikey was fed cornmeal and olive oil.

Since Mikey’s previous canine family was large, he was not used to individual attention and affection. Mikey started out shy, but he is warming up fast and reciprocating the love! He is also enjoying the “weight gain” program he is on…raw meat in the morning and high-quality kibble at night.

Mikey is an excellent candidate to become an Ambassador at Wolf Connection. He is participating in behavioral training programs to even out his temperament and food anxieties. He is quickly becoming a very affectionate, happy, hopefully soon-to-be program animal.

Mikey is currently available for sponsorship and has yet to meet his new benefactor. Please consider sponsoring Mikey and his care in 2015 and, if you are nearby, come meet Mikey at Wolf Connection’s upcoming Community Hike, July 2015.

The best way to help us with emergency care for a rescue is to contribute to our Moonshadow Emergency Veterinary Care Fund. Our goal is to raise $25,000 to cover whatever 2015 may bring, so that we never have to question whether we can cover the expenses for the right medical treatment for our animals.

Please contribute to this fund – a critical part of giving the Wolf Connection pack the best lives possible!

Click HERE to watch Moonshadow’s video

FEATURED ARTICLE: CHANGING LIVES THROUGH THE EYES OF WOLVES: KENAI

The experience of discovering and healing the aspects of self through the eyes of the wolves is available to all of the clients who attend programs at Wolf Connection. The level of willingness, awareness, quality of intention and choices one makes to support one’s intention are the factors that send a client on a journey of deeper self versus simply an interesting time connecting with the animals … The clients are on a healing journey, sometimes quite parallel to the healing journey of some of the wolves. It may be the wolf that assists the human in making a deeper connection to self. Other times it may be the human that assists the wolf’s healing … Often, it is a collaboration of healing.

Kenai is a majestic wolfdog that is learning to trust new people. Loved dearly by his previous owners, Kenai came to Wolf Connection missing his human pack and not sure he could trust more than one or two staff members. For two years, staff patiently worked with an open heart, inviting Kenai to trust. Having made only small strides in Kenai’s rehabilitation, it was decided to begin allowing clients into his kennel, just to sit along the fence. Informed about Kenai’s history, and in agreement with the instructions of how to hold and be present for Kenai, clients began entering his kennel, where he was living with Maya, a wolf dog that offered Kenai support and guidance. One client was deeply touched by Kenai’s powerful presence and yet very shy nature and she began to ask permission to sit outside of Kenai’s kennel during meals … Each week she came and communed with Kenai, sitting about three feet away, careful not to cross the ropes or touch the fence. While other participants were eating and relaxing in the background, this young woman sat on the ground and watched as Kenai began to relax in her presence. Little by little Kenai began to sit along the fence, closer to her.

Kenai now comes out onhikes with small groups of people he doesn’t know …He is healing and his fear is beginning to transform into confidence. Wolf Connection staff and volunteers are grateful to all of the clients who have worked with Kenai … and this particular client who pioneered Kenai’s healing, the young woman who sat watching him with patience, compassion and love … to her we are extra appreciative. As a result of her awareness, intention and choice, Kenai is now blossoming. I recently received an email from her … She let me know that all of the time that she sat holding for Kenai taught her how to be present to herself. She began seeing herself with the same patience, compassion and love … through the eyes of Kenai.

Written by Giulia Cappelli, Lead of Programs and Human Services for Wolf Connection

WOLF FACT

At Wolf Connection, we like to say that wolves understand that they are part of everything around them. They understand their connection with the ecosystem in which they live and their effects on it. One of the astounding things about this balance is that scientists have observed an astonishing reproductive balancing act in wild wolf packs. When the prey is scarce, a pack may have a smaller litter of pups or may choose not to reproduce at all. When prey is plentiful, the litter may be larger, non-alpha females may be allowed to reproduce or sub-packs of related wolves may share territory with the main pack. This sensitivity and knowledge of how to balance the pack’s size and needs with the resources available, is a powerful lesson in sustainability that humans would do well to follow.

EVENTS

Jules Stewart Project: The Wolf Collection on June 14th

The Jules Stewart Project, a new effort launched this week and spearheaded by Jules Stewart, is proud to announce a partnership with Wolf Connection to help raise awareness about the various issues concerning the current wolf population. Through donations and awareness they will join efforts to rescue hybrid wolfdogs and wolves bred in captivity and provide them with a lifetime sanctuary.

Jules Stewart is a screenwriter, film director and artist. Stewart is showcasing her latest series of paintings, “The Wolf Collection”, for a joint fundraising event. It will be on exhibit Sunday June 14, 2015 at Stage 1 on Lemona in Sherman Oaks, CA. Her diverse collection will be available for purchase with all net proceeds donated to Wolf Connection, in support of their efforts to build a learning compound and preservation center in Acton, California.

“Since I was a child I’ve felt a spiritual connection to the wolf and now I have an opportunity to reach out with a helping hand”, says Stewart about the new partnership.

Art Exhibition and Fundraising Event will be held at Stage 1 on Lemona, a sound stage owned and operated by Libertine Films. Lots of great sponsors have already jumped on board to help out; The Organic Face, Hula Girl Liquor, Allied Beverages, and the Lobos Food Truck.

EVENT DETAILS:

Stage 1 on Lemona
5920 Lemona Avenue
Sherman Oaks, CA 91411
Sunday, June 14, 2015 from 3-9pm
$5 Requested Donation

Learn more at Jules Stewart Project.

RSVP to the Event

July Community Hike with the Pack and Potluck

Come visit the Wolf Connection Ranch and meet your wolf pack! Visit our Events page to sign up. A small batch of the 2015 Limited Edition T-Shirts will be at our kiosk, don’t miss out!

Volunteer Information Sessions

Become a pack member! Attend Wolf Connection’s Volunteer Information Session to see if you are ready for this challenge – it’s worth it! Meet the pack and the staff who care for them.

Email volunteers@wolfconnection.org to share your interest and receive times and location details.

GET INVOLVED

Illinois Wolf Rescue – be a direct provider of rescue, rehabilitation and medical treatment to the newest members of the Wolf Connection wolf pack by making a donation.

Moonshadow Emergency Veterinary Care Fund – help Wolf Connection reach our $25,000 goal to cover emergency medical treatment of your pack in 2015. We never want to turn down the rescue of a mistreated animal due to cost of care.

Sponsor a Wolf – Build a special connection with your wolf, visit them at the Wolf Connection Ranch during your sponsorship, receive an HD image by our wildlife photographer with your wolf’s bio, and receive a bottled tuft of your wolf’s fur to keep them always close.

Donate and Recurring Donations – Recurring donations throughout the year could lead to a Sponsorship and are automatic!

Build Your Own Campaign – Funds raised could lead to a Sponsorship! Promote your favorite wolf!

Own a Business? See how your sales can support Wolf Connection. Contact Cate Salansky to learn more at csalansky@wolfconnection.org

Wolf Connection Wish List on Amazon – Amazon makes it easy for you to purchase needed products and give your donation directly to your pack! While you’re there, don’t forget to sign up for Amazon Smile and select Wolf Connection as your chosen charity so that a percentage of all your shopping comes to Wolf Connection, how easy!