WOLF
UPDATE 07/13/21: Maraya passed peacefully surrounded by loving staff.
We are all absolutely heartbroken. We had to say goodbye to our beautiful and sweet wolf, Maraya. We rescued her when she was just a pup, and she left us too early at 11 years old. The past few days, Maraya didn’t have her normal appetite. She was chewing slowly, drooling a lot, and we noticed she had really bad breath. We assumed and hoped it was a bad tooth that could get pulled so we made her appointment right away.
Once she was being evaluated, our vet lifted her tongue to inspect her mouth and there we saw a very large mass. Maraya had a mass that was likely Melanoma and may have spread. Our vet said there was no surgical options for removal. There was nothing we could do for her besides help her cross over so we had to make that difficult decision. These decisions are never easy for our staff and founders to make, but with our veterinarian’s opinion and our desire to make all our animals happy and comfortable, we chose the only option for Maraya.
Maraya was one of the sweetest wolves in the world! She loved just about everyone especially her brother, Misun. She had such a goofy and playful personality and you could literally see her smile. We will cherish the wonderful memories we have of her and she will forever hold such a special place in all of our hearts. We love you SO much Maraya and our hearts ache with your loss. Rest easy sweet girl 
In early summer of 2010, Shy Wolf Sanctuary was able to provide a home to four, 3 – week old pure wolf puppies who were accidentally born at another facility. We gladly welcomed Misun (the only male), Maraya (the only black one), Chatima and Namid. When the pups were about three 
months old they contracted an unknown condition which put their lives in jeopardy. After a lengthy stay at the animal hospital, blood transfusions, and many vet bills, they emerged as happy, friendly pups that couldn’t get enough attention from our volunteers.
In the beginning they lived in our spacious isolation enclosure but after some time had passed, and they grew bigger, we found it increasingly difficult to visit them. They literally very lovingly “attacked” anyone who entered the area . It was at that time we decided they needed adult supervision to calm them down. They were split into pairs and placed with adult wolves and wolfdogs.
We started seeing different personalities emerge. They have all become a bit cautious, a typical wolf trait. Maraya lives with her brother Misun after trying a few different pack situations. Maraya was one that always seemed to be picked on in a larger group.
As a pup Maraya was willing to be an ambassador, but like the others she became more cautious and unwilling to leave her territory as she matured. At three years of age, she wouldn’t even leave to go for a walk around the perimeter with her brother, Misun. She waited anxiously until he returned safely, all the while pacing and running back and forth, torn between her desire to be with him and her need to stay in a place she knows.
When Tien and Indy started to decline in health a decision was made to switch these two pairs. Tien was eased out of the ambassador role due to health issues. Maraya has matured and is becoming more willing to greet guests but is still working on her confidence. Bribes definitely ease the discomfort she feels and make it all worth while…especially liverwurst!
