A Thankful Trip to the Haliburton Wolf Centre

This Thanksgiving weekend, I was able to check something off on my 'bucket list' ( see entry "Reflections"  from January 2013). The Haliburton Hills Wolf Centre located 3 hours north-east of Toronto in Dystar Ontario is a "hands off"  sanctuary for a pack of timber/gray wolves. I was informed by one of the men working at this centre that it is just one of the points of interest of the Haliburton Hills Conservation Area. The man who owns this massive acreage  has created a place where people can come an enjoy various aspects of nature and wildlife.  Those who run the centre take a 'hands off' approach with this pack of wolves. This means that there is no human contact with the wolves. It is a natural setting. There have been times of aggression among the members of the pack in which one of the animals has been injured. Though closely watched, the animals are not attended to medically unless it is absolutely necessary. The wolves heal themselves just as they do in the wild. However, there has been times when medicine was necessary. There was a litter of pups in the spring. Unfortunately, three of the four pups died. The centre was able to determine that one of the pups died of a parasite. The rest of the pack was given medicine that was placed in sausages and there has been no more deaths. In fact, the remaining pup is vibrant and active! My friend and I spent hours at the centre watching and taking pictures of these beautiful creatures. It was such a pleasure being able to observe as the pack was interacting with each other. I was able to gain much information about the centre and it's mission from the men that were running the centre. They would come into the indoor observation area to speak to the visitors and answer any questions they may have. The centre is one building that has a small museum, a room that showcased an artist's work of nature images, a movie room (showing a educational documentary about wolves) and the observation room. The main entrance also housed an area where one could purchase souvenirs and other products. This centre is so important for educating the public of the animals we share the land with. I am so thankful to my friend Houry who took me to the centre. Her generosity in taking me there helped me cross off something on my bucket list. I truly enjoyed the experience and will treasure it always.

Melissa Richardson

Contributor and Photographer