Story and Photos By Rachel Knight
Like most six-year-olds, Achilles starts his day with a carefully prepared and balanced breakfast. Once each bite of his morning meal has been cleaned from his dish, Achilles learns and practices new skills. A short recess gives him a break before completing a finger painting masterpiece sure to make any mom’s heart swell with pride. So what’s so special about Achilles? He is a wolfdog at Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary. Achilles is one of 13 rescues currently cared for at the only wolf and wolfdog sanctuary in Texas. He is what wolfdog breeders call a high content wolfdog. This means that Achilles is 85 to 99 percent wolf. Mid content wolfdogs are 50 to 84 percent wolf, and low content wolfdogs are one to 49 percent wolf. Since SFWS was started by Jean LeFevre in 2002, SFWS has saved 38 animals.
Brittany McDonald, SFWS manager, jokes that the wolf sanctuary fell into LeFevre’s lap. “She never had any plans to start a wolf sanctuary whatsoever,” McDonald says. “She moved here so she could be in the peace and quiet of the Texas countryside.”
LeFevre started a rehabilitation program for birds of prey shortly after moving to her Montgomery home. She quickly became known as the local animal guru. When a mystery wolf was caught in a trap and shot in the shoulder, it was only natural for locals to call LeFevre after seeking medical treatment for the wolf at the veterinarian.
“Jean went in and met the animal, who, at the time, was starved and skinny and scared,” McDonald says. “She fell in love with Mystery, got the permits to keep a wolf, and brought her home. She built an enclosure for her and thought that was it.”
As fate would have it, Mystery’s previous home was soon discovered. Mystery had escaped from the North American Wolf Association, a sanctuary in Conroe. NAWA was shut down in 2003 after half its animals died from distemper caused by a lack of vaccinations. LeFevre was contacted by the local government and asked to take in NAWA animals to prevent having to euthanize them.
Fifteen and a half years later, the 5013c nonprofit still runs on a strong love for animals. The sanctuary has only two paid employees, but about 40 volunteers help take care of the animals and facility.
“All around, our mission is to just do the best that we can for them,” McDonald says. “We also want to further that by advocating for the species. We have a lot of educational opportunities to do that, particularly with our tours.”
Sanctuary tours are offered Tuesday through Saturday, but must be made in advance. During guided tours, SFWS visitors learn about the individual animals. Each animal has a unique personality and story. Meeko, an upper-mid content wolfdog, is a fan favorite according to McDonald. His rich black coat, high energy, and piercing gold eyes accentuate his playful personality.
While Meeko is a star at SFWS, Rose — the high-content wolfdog in the enclosure next door — is a movie star. She was an extra in “Into the Wild.”
Meeko and Rose may be kept in separate enclosures, but neither lives alone. Meeko is part of a pack of three, and Rose lives with a companion named Big Boy. Contrary to popular belief, wolf packs do not randomly come to live together in the wild. According to McDonald, wild packs are typically made up of a mom, dad, and their babies.
“They have the same relationships that we do,” McDonald says. “Their mom and dad teach them how to hunt. They keep them safe. They help protect the territory. They work as teams to accomplish their goals. Even here in captivity, they instinctively know that they need someone to survive and make life bearable just like people do.”
Though the animals have an instinctive desire to live with companions, it is more complicated than one might originally think to find good companionship fits in captivity. If the animals are too similar in personality and energy level, they are not good for each other. “Two submissive animals are going to be really anxious together, and two dominant animals are going to fight,” McDonald says.
In addition to keeping the animals with companions, SFWS uses enrichment activities to help stimulate their natural impulses. Enrichment activities range from having the animals tear open boxes to simulate tearing open a carcass, to hanging food above a swinging platform to challenge the animals’ problem solving abilities.
“Since they are living in captivity, their lives are very routine whereas in the wild it’s different everyday,” McDonald says. “Enrichment is meant to make their life as natural and variable as possible. We’re trying to insert things into their day that mix it up and keep them physically active and mentally stimulated.”
While there are not wolves living in the wild in Texas currently, this was not always the case. McDonald notes wolves were naturally found in the wild in Texas until the 1970s when they were eradicated. Texas is just one of many states that is anti-wolf.
SFWS advocates for the species by talking about their impacts on conservation and their ecosystem during tours. McDonald says her favorite example is the trophic cascade that occurred in Yellowstone National Park after the wolves there were removed. The elk, bison, and deer populations increased and overgrazed and destroy the landscape, according to McDonald.
The difference in Yellowstone’s well-known landscape with and without wolves serves as an example of the importance of wolves in an ecosystem, McDonald says. When the wolves were brought back, they began to control populations of elk, deer, coyotes, and bison; which in turn, allowed the plants to grow back.
While wolves are not natural in Texas, McDonald says animals come to SFWS from across the country, and most find themselves in need of a new home after their owners realize owning a wolfdog is harder than they originally thought. In addition to being costly, the animal’s require a much greater amount of attention than common dogs in order to keep them from becoming less socialized and turning back to their natural wolf instincts.
Although SFWS is currently located in Montgomery, the sanctuary has purchased land closer to the heart of the Brazos Valley. When the sanctuary’s lease ends in 2019, SFWS will move to their new location — allowing them to build bigger enclosures and take in more animals.
“We’ll be closer to College Station, and there are a lot of students there that want to work with animals in the future,” McDonald says. “They will have an easier time of commuting to volunteer with us and come on tours.”
Phase one of the move entails building enclosures for the animals currently at SWFS and moving them to the new location. The project includes building more enclosures, adding artificial dens and waterfalls, and creating a large educational center. The new location will allow SWFS to grow.
“Since the first of this year, I have had 46 requests to take in animals,” McDonald says. “None of those are animals that we have been able to say yes to. … Most of those animals will unfortunately be euthanized.”
From SFWS’ mysterious beginning to its current growth and expansion, a passion for animals has always been the fuel that keeps it running.
“Once people come here and fall in love with the animals, they tend to donate what they can for as long as they can,” McDonald says. “Obviously, anytime you have people who are unpaid that do something for five years like many of our volunteers, you definitely have a passionate group of people.”
Birthday Bash!
Celebrate the animals at SFWS during the sanctuary’s annual Birthday Event on Sunday, April 22, from 11am to 5pm. The event features keeper chats, enrichment activities, food trucks, live music, and more.
According to McDonald, all wolves are born in the spring, so this event serves as a way to celebrate a new year for SFWS residents.
A silent auction and raffle will feature items like a chance to play tug-of-war with a wolfdog, paintings by the animals, and more.
There is a recommended donation of $10. Tickets are sold online at www.saintfranciswolfsanctuary.org, but are not required to attend.
