Have you ever wanted to experience an up-close and personal encounter with a wolf?
I am a huge advocate of these beautiful creatures. The spirit and beauty that comes from these wolves are mesmerizing. I had the opportunity during our trip to Banff National Park to visit the Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary. The sanctuary sits on a 160-acre property located in Cochrane, Alberta, and is home to 35 resident wolfdogs that range in low to high content.
You may be asking yourself what classifies as a low to high-content wolfdog. When visiting the sanctuary, any questions can be answered; by the skillful staff and guides. I can tell you that low-content wolfdogs tend to have more dog-like qualities and will approach humans and their ears and nose are more rounded. While high content wolfdogs tend to be more wolf-like, they shy away from humans and have pointy ears and noses.
Unfortunately, humans are the wolves’ predators. From that piece of knowledge, it’s not uncommon to see even the high content avoid the handlers as well.
When visiting, you can take part in a self-guided sanctuary walk, where you can stop by each pack’s habitat on your own. For the more adventurous, you can take part in the Intro Tour or the Interactive Tour. These tours are where you can discover more about these beautiful mammals by being up close and personal. The Intro Tour is a guided tour that takes you inside the viewing platform in one of the pack enclosures, where you will get an informative talk with knowledgeable tour guides. The Interactive Tour is a one-of-a-kind experience that allows you to enter into a few habitats with the tour guide, and if you are lucky enough, the wolfdogs will take a treat from your hand.
I highly suggest doing the interactive tour! How often can you be up close and personal with a high-content wolf? These tours last between 30 mins to an hour but make sure to leave time to walk around the property and see the wolves interact in their natural habitats. Be sure to stop by the farm animals as you head out. The goats love some attention as well!
