Wolf Pack Sighted in NW Fla

Did you know there were wolves in our area? There are, actually very many and very exceptional wolves they are. There are several packs of these magnificent animals living 10 miles south of Chipley at the Seacrest Wolf Preserve.

Seacrest is a beautiful place inhabited by several families of wolves and each of these families has their own "territory" with ample room to roam. There are Grey Wolves, Artic Wolves and a couple of other species. They are all either rescued or raised from pups and they are a sight to see.

The most amazing thing is that visitors can take a tour and walk through several of the habitats, actually petting and posing with the wolves. Visitors are accompanied by an expert on wolves and nature preservation and there are several wolf-handling volunteers to keep overly frisky critters at bay, if necessary. During my family's encounter/tour we were delighted to be "up close and personal" with these remarkable creatures.

The volunteers love their work and I recognized one of them from the Destin area, Allen, who works at the local Home Depot. He and the others come out as a labor of love to help this grass-roots non-profit organization.

Cynthia Watkins, one of the founders, is extremely knowlegable about wolves, of course, and guides all comers through the wolf "families" introducing the different individual personalities. Some of the wolves are friendly enough to come up and lick your face. The secret to the wolves comfort with humans is that they are "imprinted" to their human handler/friends within 10 days of birth, when they open their eyes.

Cynthia is very educational, but intertaining and funny as well. At the end of her tour she tells the story of "Spirit", the arctic wolf alpha-male.
It is a wonderful story of love and triumph over hopeless odds. It moved me to tears and I recognized in it the recovery principles I love. That story and meeting "Spirit" was worth the trip to me.

Please make a trip up that way if you love animals, watch Animal Planet, care about conservation or just want a unique way to spend an afternoon. The small cost ($11-$15)of the experience goes to support the educational and preservational efforts of the preserve.

Check out this nearby special and magical corner of our world at:

www.seacrestwolfpreserve.org