By Leah DeAnda — Staff reporter
LAKE COUNTY – A wolfdog hybrid was caught by Lake County Animal Control (LCAC) after running loose for almost a month. He was transported to a new home at a wolf sanctuary in Acton.
After multiple failed attempts, Olmak, a 200-pound, 8-year-old wolf hybrid, was captured with baited food containing a tranquilizer on Feb. 28. He was immediately vaccinated and neutered by LCAC, according to Bill Davidson, the director of LCAC.
Animal Control Officer Nehemiah White transported Olmak to the Wolf Connection wolf sanctuary on March 6, according to Davidson.
LCAC has dealt with few wolves since the species were extirpated from California nearly 90 years ago, according to Davidson.
“This is the first one I can remember in the last five years,” Davidson said.
Loren Freeman of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) North Central Regional Office said he has not seen any since being hired seven years ago.
Olmak first came to the attention of the CDFW in March 2013, when it received a complaint concerning someone owning two wolf hybrids in Middletown.
CDFW officers investigated and found that a Middletown resident was in the possession of two dogs with wolf-like features. The resident had both animals contained adequately, according to Davidson.
The female wolf had few wolf-like qualities and was not a concern to the CDFW, Davidson added. Officers proceeded with gathering a blood sample from the male with the assistance of LCAC and the sample was sent to the University of California, Los Angeles, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department.
The DNA test results came back confirming that Olmak was 73-percent gray wolf and 27-percent domesticated canine, according to Davidson.
The California Code of Regulations classifies first-generation (F1) wolf hybrids as the progeny of a full-blooded domestic dog and a full-blooded wolf. It also makes F1 hybrids illegal to own without a restricted species permit.
While conducting an investigation into the matter, CDFW Officer Doug Wilson met with Chief Deputy Richard Hinchcliff of the Lake County District Attorney’s (DA) office to discuss whether the DA’s office would file a case against the animals’ owner for not having the proper permits, according to Hinchcliff.
However, the case lacked someone who could testify with 100-percent accuracy that the particular percentage of wolf in Olmak would meet the requirements of a F1 wolf hybrid, Hinchcliff said.
The animals’ only paperwork was from a vet check in Texas when they were puppies, according to Freeman.
“Based on the DNA test results and way the law is written, we would not be able to convince 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that this animal met the definition of a F1 generation wolf hybrid,” Hinchcliff said.
A case was never filed, and the animals remained under their owner’s possession.
Eventually, the owner of the wolf hybrids decided to move and was planning to shoot them, but an acquaintance of the man, Nathan Littlebear, agreed to take on the two animals and attempt to find them a home, according to Steve Wastell, the general manager of Wolf Connection.
On Feb. 19, Littlebear called LCAC stating he needed assistance because the male wolf had escaped, according to Davidson.
Davidson said he notified the Lake County Sheriff’s Office of the situation and requested to use a mountain lion trap from Steve Hajik of the Agricultural Department.
“We used the trap for about six days with no success,” Davidson said. “We then decided to try and tranquilize it with some baited food. This plan finally worked, allowing us to capture the animal on Feb. 28.
“I immediately began calling several different wolf sanctuaries in Oregon, Nevada and in Southern California. After several days of back and forth communication, Wolf Connection in Acton, California near the Los Angeles National Forest agreed to accept the animal.”
Since Wolf Connection only had room for one more animal, and the female wolf hybrid did not exhibit aggressive behavior, the female remained in Littlebear’s possession until he found her a home at a wolf sanctuary in Tahoe, Utah, Davidson added.
“Neither of the wolf hybrids were fixed,” Wastell said. “Someone in our network said they saw ads on craigslist with a picture of similar-looking wolves and their pups. We assume the original owner was breeding them.”
Wastell added that most people buy wolves from breeders without any education on how to handle them.
“They’re just like regular dogs when they’re puppies but once they hit 1 to 2 years old their ‘wolfiness’ comes out and they start behaving like bad dogs, but good wolves.”
That’s when people either turn the animals into pounds where they’re likely to be euthanized or, if the animal is lucky, start calling wolf sanctuaries.
Wolf Connection is not only a wolf rescue program, but also a youth education and empowerment program.
“We bring kids out of gangs, juvenile centers and rehabilitation programs to our facility and let them bond with the wolves,” Wastell said. “Most of these kids have been abandoned and abused just like the animals.”
According to the Wolf Connection website, “With the help of the animals, young men and women reconnect with nature, learn to be of service by responsibly caring for another being and work towards becoming the kind of person they want to be. The animals help them focus on their impulses, feelings and emotions in a constructive way; they learn to forgive and give others (and themselves) a second chance.”
Most of the 27 wolf hybrids at Wolf Connection are socialized enough to participate in these educational programs, according to Wastell.
“Olmak is very gentle,” Wastell said. “He was obviously taken care of. He exhibits no real signs of abuse and I have a really good feeling about him. He could be a really good animal for our educational programs.
“If he’s not suited to our environment, we have another sanctuary with pens enclosing a couple of acres each and he could live as a wild wolf. If he’s more suited to people and the community then we’ll keep him over here and he’ll get snuggled every day We’ll let him figure it out. Either way he’s going to be happy.”