On September 19, 2003, I visited the ex-NAWA animals in their new habitats.  Words cannot describe how pleased I was when I saw these animals. 

Jerry and Donna Mills started them on the road to recovery by making sure they were properly fed and cared for.  This allowed them to build up their health and begin socialization before the final move.  

 
 I was a little apprehensive when I was asked to go visit Indigo Mountain.  Most of the time I am a little disappointed to see how others keep their animals.  But not this time.  I was both shocked and amazed by the Indigo Mountain animals.  Each of the “regulars” was licking me through the fence and excited to see a new visitor.  Each wolf and wolfdog is leash trained and about as social as any wolves or wolfdogs I have had the pleasure of meeting.  Even though they are not all walked every day, each gets its turn to explore the forest lands around the facility.  I was pleased to see that all the animals are kept in large spacious pens that are clean and consist of more or less natural habitat.  The Indigo Mountain staff includes daily enrichment, and hand feeds each animal.  Water buckets are cleaned daily and checked each morning and afternoon.  Each day, the staff spends time with each group talking and playing with the animals.  

Even though the NAWA rescues are not yet as social as the wolves and wolfdogs that have been there longer, I am confident that the staff will be able to work their magic on these animals as well. 

When I sat in the pens, the animals were calm and I saw a spark of hope in their eyes.  The frantic pacing and fear was gone.  They no longer continuously looked above them for things to fall on their heads.  Sue Cranston sat some distance from me and most of them would go to her for treats.   

I also found it very promising to see them run to the fence when they heard the 4-wheeler start.   They all seemed to know that meant that chicken was on its way.  As I rode with Sue to feed, they were bouncing up and down excitedly along the fence and keeping pace with us until we reached the gate.  All but two or three of the NAWA animals seem to be getting accustomed to being hand fed.  

The 4-pack no longer huddles together.  They lounge about throughout their pen.

I have great hope that the animals that came from NAWA will thrive under these conditions.

Indigo Mountain had planed to rebuild their bear habitats this year.  However, they decided to postpone those plans in order to give these guys a chance at life.  I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Indigo Mountain, Sue, Carol, and the volunteers for what they have done.

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