I was fortunate enough that my employer, The Mountain, allowed for us take a little road trip to a nearby Wolf Sanctuary called, Wolf Hollow, located in Ipswich, Massachusetts for a day of adventure, education, and new experiences. Working for an apparel company, whose known for Wolf designs, we already had a deep love for the majestic creatures. We even celebrate #WolfShirtWednesday every week on our social channels with our #MountainTribe members. Needless to say, we were beyond thrilled to have the privilege of a private tour of Wolf Hollow lead by the Director, Zee Soffron, himself. We anticipated seeing beautiful wolves up close and personal, but we didn't expect a life changing experience. These are some of the unforgettable moments that we captured while roaming the grounds.
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Welcome to Wolf Hollow, a real life Wolf Sanctuary!
Myself, The Mountain® Public Relations, and Chelsea, The Mountain® Social Media Director, standing out in front of Wolf Hollow ready to get our fill of Wolf knowledge and beauty (Photo taken by Daniela Maria).
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A view of the "Main Pack" sunbathing
The Main Pack enclosure includes siblings: Argus, Arrow, Grendel, Neveah.
Source: www.wolfhollowipswich.org
Time to make the beds
We learned that wolves enjoy a comfy resting place just like the rest of us, and placing hay on the ground makes a great bed (Photo taken by Daniela Maria).
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Treats?! Who said, "Treats"?! Hand em' over!
Wolves love treats just as much as any other animal, or human for that matter.
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This adorable picture of the two of the wolves mirroring each other while going in for a treat
More please?
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Zee has been surrounded by wolves since he was 14 years old
Before Wolf Hollow went public in 1990, he was the youngest graduate of Wolf Parks Behavior seminar.
Source: www.wolfhollowipswich.org
Here we have Zee Soffron, Director of Wolf Hollow and son of founder, Paul Soffron
Paul Soffron founded the North American Wolf Foundation (NAWF) in 1988 as a state and federally licensed 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The purpose was and always will be “to preserve the wolf in the wild, through education and exposure” (Photo taken by Daniela Maria).
Source: www.wolfhollowipswich.org
Meet Bear, the wolf/dog hybrid, and his wolf lady friend, Osa
The lighter wolf, Osa, used to be all by her lonesome until Wolf Hollow took in a wolf/dog hybrid named, Bear, who was sold to his original owner as a "Husky". Bear loves attention, and Osa is shy, but with each other, they are inseparable. They are Yin and Yang.
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Osa may be standoffish with visitors, but truly loves her men, Zee and Bear
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Witnessing Zee's interactions with all of the wolves was very heartwarming
Zee told us that he's accepted by the wolves as an Uncle figure to them.
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Bear was by far the biggest lover of the bunch, as you can see...Nonstop kisses
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This is Linnea, who has her own enclosure due to being picked on by her siblings
Linnea's siblings are Arrow, Argus, Grendel, and Nevaeh, who are all together in the Main Pack.
Source: www.wolfhollowipswich.org
She took a little while to warm up to us, but thankfully she is partial to women
Even after walking away from her area, she kept an eye on us, and frequently let out little whimpers, as if to say, "Come back and hang out".
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From the moment Zee introduced us to Linnea, I completely fell in love with her
Look into those eye. I could easily hang out with her all day, everyday.
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Zee is obviously the exception to Linnea's "being partial to women" rule
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Linnea, like Osa, was very sweet and gentle
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As much as she played the shy girl, she definitely wanted her lovin' from Zee
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This is Jelly, and she is the oldest wolf at Wolf Hollow
Unlike Linnea, Jelly was the one who was the bully, not the bullied, which is why she also had her own enclosure. For being 15 years old, she still had some serious spunk in her. When we approached her area, she started doing laps around her yard. She certainly didn't show her age.
Source: www.wolfhollowipswich.org
Chelsea and I posing near the Main Pack enclosure
(Photo taken by Daniela Maria)
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This picture was taken inside Zee's living room, which was made into the gift shop
You can see a beautiful picture of Paul Soffron and one of the original wolves hanging above the mantle.
Source: www.wolfhollowipswich.org
Located out front is a wolf statue in dedication for Paul Soffron, founder of Wolf Hollow
To learn more information about the importance of Wolves, Wolf Hollow, hear about our adventure, and see more pictures from our trip, visit The Mountain's blog here: http://blog.themountain.com/blog/what-exactly-is-a-wolf-sanctuary
Source: www.wolfhollowipswich.org