Wildlife Sanctuary Visit

Last year visited the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge in New York state where they do their best to care for wild animals in need. We decided to go check out the sanctuary while we were vacationing in Lake Placid since we heard they had wolves as well as many other animals.

This is an excerpt from the sanctuaries web page, explaining what happens to the animals in their care. Obviously the hope is that they can be released back into the wild, but the reality of it is that it’s not always possible.

When you work with support from local veterinarians to care for sick or injured wildlife, there are three common outcomes: naturally, some animals die despite your best efforts, while most recover to the point where they are able to forage and/ or hunt, and can be released into the wild.  The critters who remain in our care, and are used in educational demonstrations and displays, are animals who are generally healthy, but are no longer able to make a living in nature.

http://adirondackwildlife.org/

The Wolves

As you enter through the gates, the first animals you approach are the wolves. We were in complete awe watching them run around their enclosure with the staff members who take care of them. It was amazing to get within a meter of the wolves and watch them play.

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Next to the wolves there were Eastern Coyotes – an animal we hear many times while camping – which are noticeably smaller than the wolves.

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More Animals

As we walked through the sanctuary, there were black bears, a moose, and a whole section for birds. Some of the volunteers told us that there were a couple of injured bald eagles in their possession that were found by hunters. It is illegal to have a bald eagle in captivity, so they were only at the sanctuary until they were healed. There were also many other kinds of birds, but the snowy owl was the most intriguing as it would stare with its big yellow eyes.

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Nature Trails

What was really neat is that the sanctuary also had multiple nature trails where you can walk the grounds. One section of the trail was called the “boneyard”, this is where all the discarded bones from the animal feeds gets placed to naturally break down.

If you head down to the Lake Placid area I would highly recommend visiting the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge and visit with these wonderful animals. During the week they also provide educational talks about the wolves and bears.