It was 1982 and 22 captive wolves from a private wolf facility, which was closing,
were going to be killed unless someone did something. Someone did.
The first volunteers were Steve and Linda Kuntz and their daughter Colette, and Ed
and Elizabeth Andrews and their daughter Victoria. Together they moved the
wolves to the current site of Wolf Maven International. Only a few months later, the
Andrews family moved and left responsibility for all 22 wolves on the Kuntz family
alone. They weren't alone for long.
With the sole goal of saving the wolves, they recruited volunteers. Together they
organized, filed for nonprofit status, raised funds to rent land and to build some
very simple wolf enclosures.
Within three years, the group had started an outreach program (still in effect) that
takes information about wolves to elementary school classrooms, received a grant
to develop educational materials, raised funds to purchase 76 acres of land, built
an information center, and set up an outdoor amphitheater.
Since 1985, Wolf Haven has grown and matured to being one of the most
prominent wolf-awareness programs in the world. Among its accomplishments:
Plans for Expansion
Today, in 1997, Wolf Haven Intemational, at the ripe old age of 15, continues to
build on its considerable record of accomplishment.
Wolf Haven operates its sanctuary on 80 acres of rural land located just south of
Olympia, Washington. Its success as an educational resource, as a major catalyst
for wolf-saving operations, as a resource and training center for wolf research (and
researchers), and as a humane and caring home for 40 wolves has made
renovation and expansion inevitable. The work just has to be done.
Contact Information
To learn more about Wolf Haven International, and how you can become involved, you can write to them at Wolf Haven, 3111 Offut Lake Rd., Tenino, WA 98589
