Group Focuses on Protecting Wolves

A Fillmore organization is trying to show the value of wolves to local students--using the animals themselves.

About three years ago, Robert Smith and five of his closest friends created Wolves-N-Wildlife with a goal of fostering public discussion about the animals, known as vicious and sometimes deadly creatures that generally run in packs.

Smith said the organization is a non-advocacy and nonprofit outfit that seeks to educate young people about the endangered species.

When local schools call, Smith’s crew is prepared to answer questions and, for a firsthand look, he takes one of the nine wolves who live on his ranch.

“We are called often to do private educational functions and even parties,” Smith said. “Parents and teachers no longer want clowns and simple games at birthday parties and in classrooms, they want educational things, and a lot of people enjoy learning about the wolf and our other animals.”

In the group’s stable is a gray wolf family led by father Rambo and mother Princess. The two are parents to Geronimo, Tatonka, Sarah and Duchess born April 23, 1998. Then there are Aiya, Bear and Lily born to another set of parents in 1993.

Smith also has a 600-pound Siberian tiger and a 300-pound American black bear.

Smith said many people have worked hard to pull the wolf back from the brink of extinction. He said he has seen a shift in public attitude that has even allowed gray wolves to recolonize and extend their range in several areas, including the western Great Lakes.

Red wolves were successfully reintroduced recently to some southeastern states, and the gray wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho has also been successful.

Pro-wolf organizations “have been able to bring the wolf back,” Smith said. “They still need our protection, and that is our main focus.”