Bad weather, happy day

Hello friends,

I only returned home to Cincinnati last week, but have already made my first trip out to Red Wolf Sanctuary. The reason for my prompt return to Red Wolf is my dedication to this wonderful establishment, of course...and perhaps also slightly due to the fact that it is now home to three new wolf pups...

Needless to say, I was one very happy camper. As you all probably know by now, wolves have long been my favorite animals. This small little obsession began long ago, as evidenced by my efforts to convince my mother that wolf-themed wallpaper was an excellent decision for a young girl's bedroom (I still stand by that, but alas it was not to be). So this opportunity to help raise wolf puppies is basically my dream come true. I took a bajillion photos, but they are so wiggly and rambunctious that only a few were not chronically blurred. I didn't think there would be a huge difference between wolf puppies and dog puppies, but I was wrong (a rare happenstance, I'll admit). These puppies are a lot more...intense. They are already trying to assert dominance amongst themselves, and their wrestling matches are filled with snarls that are surprisingly vicious when coming from the mouths of such round fluff balls. 

Anyways, as enthralled as I was by the wolf pups, I had to go visit my girl Rosie (of course). She is as photogenic as ever, and still lets me pet her (even if she is very skittish). 

There is a new friendly fox at the Red Wolf. His name is Akima, and he was previously a pet. He is friendly to the point of rolling over for belly rubs. His hobbies include grunting like a pig and filching things from my camera bag. 

On a less carnivorous note, there was a white-tailed deer fawn at the sanctuary as well. Here, have some more cute baby animal photos:

Unfortunately, you can't just cuddle adorable wild animals all day. We did have to clean the bear enclosures and then feed them. We also fed the raptors, and my coworker Tracy did a bit of spring cleaning of the raptor enclosures while we were there. I forgot my gloves and was not too excited about handling petrified carcasses and such sundry. So I just stood there encouragingly. 

Oh, as the title suggests, the weather was not normal...it was only 55ºF most of the day, with on-and-off rain. I was freezing when I was outside, but nothing warms you up like a nice lapful of wolf puppies...

Hopefully more to come, but next weekend I will be out of town for a graduation.

Until next time,

Taylor