In expanding our sanctuary’s campus, Shy Wolf is currently under contract to purchase a 17-acre parcel of land at the corner of Golden Gate Boulevard and 3rd Street Northwest. The contract is pending finalization of a commercial re-zoning (expected Spring 2021), which is expected to process smoothly following the overwhelming support of Golden Gate Estates residents. This property is ideal as it has  five existing houses, which  will be incorporated into the design at a significant construction cost savings.

Our priorities in phasing out the construction are to ensure safety for our animals and our neighbors, to build habitats with environmental sustainability in mind and to work with partner organizations to incorporate dynamic educational experiences.

Major components of property development:

Welcome and Educational Center:

This building will be the first structure seen by guests and will provide a welcoming atmosphere to introduce visitors to the history and purpose of the Sanctuary. Plans call for an existing structure to initially serve this purpose, expediting the sanctuary’s move onto the property.  A brand new Welcome and Educational Center appears in a later phase of development. Designed with a classroom that can be divided or opened to accommodate additional participants, this will allow us to expand our educational programs by welcoming school field trips and groups.

Shy Wolf will be able to expand our therapeutic Healing Hearts program for at-risk children and veterans living with invisible wounds. Natural habitats designed into classroom walls will allow our smallest captive-bred exotic animals to engage young children in caring for the environment. This building will be a collaboration with the Florida Wildlife Federation and other key partners.

Large Animal Habitats and Care Buildings

Animals rescued by or surrendered to Shy Wolf Sanctuary are often abused and neglected, coming from frightening circumstances. The habitats that we build will be their shelter from the storm. Eight enclosures will surround each of four animal care buildings, for a total of 32 habitats. The large animal care buildings will provide a place for medical evaluation and care, enrichment, and  shelter from hurricanes or wildfires.  These buildings will  be available as a community resource in times of crisis as volunteers will stay on-site to care for our resident animals.

Outside of the building, each of the eight habitats will exceed Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation’s safety standards with 10’ fencing, cantilevered 3’ lean-ins and anti-dig components. The habitats will also feature varied enrichment and water features  providing a more natural and exciting environment through which packs can be rotated.  The ability to move animals from one enclosure to another is a revolutionary and unique concept not achievable in most facilities.

Small Animal Habitats and Care Building

In addition to our wolves and wolfdogs, Shy Wolf has smaller animals including foxes, prairie dogs, skunks, Gopher tortoises, and raccoons. There will be a separate area outside of the visitor center to care for our smaller residents.  Each habitat will provide a natural environment, creative enrichment, and cater to the species for which it is constructed.

Veterinary Center

An existing building  will serve as a dedicated veterinary center. Design features will include a large open exam/surgical area and the ability to house large captive-bred exotic animals for monitoring and care. Specialty equipment will be acquired to perform necessary procedures such as x-rays and ultrasounds. There will be basic lab testing abilities as well. Shy Wolf Sanctuary will open this center as a resource to others like the Florida Panther Preservation program and Golden Gate Estates community.

Animal Food Preparation Center

Shy Wolf Sanctuary’s resident animals consume over – 24,000 pounds of raw meat per year, with some animals requiring special preparation of fish or chicken. One of the existing houses will  function as a food preparation center for more efficient receiving, storage, and processing of animal nutrition.  A loading dock, walk-in coolers, walk-in freezers, and industrial-grade kitchen equipment will allow the sanctuary to receive larger quantities of meat to be safely processed and stored.

Property Manager Housing

Animal care requires a dedicated property manager to live on-site. One of the existing houses will be remodeled for this purpose and will accommodate the property manager and his or her family. The house will be accessible outside of normal operational hours and fenced off from the sanctuary but will have a gate with direct keyed access for emergencies.

Administration Building/Intern Housing

Another of the existing houses will offer an administrative office for our executive director and office staff.  An additional benefit will be the opportunity to offer intern housing. Shy Wolf Sanctuary  receives many requests from graduate students looking for internships as they pursue careers in zoology, biology, genetics and psychology. Unfortunately, due to a lack of housing, we are forced to turn down the interns. Developing stronger internship programs for graduate students will help us support educational projects as well as sustainably expanding operations.

How can you help? 

We are currently have over 60 rescued animals at our existing facility. You can help by sponsoring the food, veterinary care, or enclosures for one of our existing animals. Sponsor Our Resident Animals

Raise awareness by hosting a friend-raiser event where we will bring out one of our ambassador animals to raise awareness for the critical services that we provide. Contact Us

Volunteer to serve our capital campaign committee. Once our plan is finalized, we will need volunteers to serve a variety of roles. Email our Executive Director Deanna Deppen