Wildfires were spreading in Naples and we thought we’d be OK. That was Thursday night 04/20/17. Friday morning, 04/21/17, CCSO deputies came to Shy Wolf Sanctuary and told us we were under mandatory evacuation. We were ordered to relocate all 60 of our exotic animals.
Our volunteers were alerted and they came…some being allowed to leave their full time jobs to help the animals. People from our own community and across the state learned of our emergency situation and offered transport vehicles, crates, supplies, shelter, food and drink to help get our animals to safety and support our volunteers.
Our eternal gratitude to the organizations and businesses who helped transport or provide sanctuary to our residents:
Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Exotica Compound, Felids and Friends, Rottweiler Rescue Ranch, Florida State Animal Response Coalition, Grizzly Experience, Gulf Coast Humane Society, Kowiachobee, The Pit Bull Crew, Shelzmide K9s, Southwest Florida K9 Search Unit, SWFL Reptile Rescuers, The Spirited Painter
Trained volunteers safely transported our animals to different secured locations in three counties (Collier, Lee and Charlotte) around southwest Florida. We worked round the clock to care for our animals checking on them, taking food and feeding them, and loving on them to help reduce their stress…and ours.
Saturday the rains came and it rained hard. It rained on Sunday as well. We’ve never been so happy to see rain! It helped the wildfire containment improve from 10% to 50%. The wildfire came within half a mile of Shy Wolf Sanctuary. Over 7,500 acres were burned in this wildfire sparked by a lawnmower hitting a rock.
Sunday the authorities removed our mandatory evacuation. Shy Wolf Sanctuary was spared from the wildfires and we were able to start bringing our animals home.
We had a plan. We learned a lot. We’ll have a better plan in the future as a result, but we don’t ever want to have to evacuate again.
New Sanctuary:
We are diligently looking for a new larger property of at least 20 acres for Shy Wolf Sanctuary in Collier or Lee County so we can remain near our volunteer support. Our animals are currently housed on 1.5 acres of private property with no buildings to shelter them in a natural disaster. Our new sanctuary designs include a hurricane rated building that would also function as a fire shelter, where we can lock down our animals in secured enclosures. There will be extra kennels and space for temporary kennels or crates to house additional animals, whether it be First Responders working the natural disaster or community members evacuating an emergency situation. We believe all lives are precious and wish to serve as a greater resource to the community. Achieving our goal and building the new Sanctuary will accomplish this as we will have dedicated caretakers who would stay and could provide constant care to our residents and guests.
If you would like to be part of our future and help us build a new sanctuary from the ground up,
please give From the Heart ~ For the Animals.
I have just learned about your facility and I am very grateful that you and the animals had the help of so many wonderful people to keep everyone safe and protected during this horrible ordeal. We have been experiencing wildfires in our county as well, and our wild animals have had to scramble to stay safe. It sounds like you have a wonderful facility and staff, we look forward to driving down to visit you in the near future. Thank you for all you do for these beautiful animals.