Colorado wildfire, everyone safe? Thoughts and prayers needed for WOLF Sanctuary

[skyrocketneko]

The latest update I've seen is that over 100 homes have been lost. The fire is now nearing 60 square miles.

What's the Facebook page for the wolves? Gosh, I wish I could do.. anything.

[Sarahlacewing]

My heart breaks for the poor animals, I hope that they take shelter and make it through. I will be praying for them to be sure.

[ZennaBug]

Just saw some volunteer pics, Sasha and Pax are safe and having a blast with their temporary foster.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


I'm not sure who the other 11 safe wolves are... that's all I know

[Yurusumaji]

Godspeed to everyone, human and animal alike, caught in this disaster.


My family is sending healing thoughts to the people who have lost their homes and to the volunteers and wolves who are trapped by this fire.

[ZennaBug]

*shudder*  It's getting close to town.  Only a couple miles from one of my best friends (we've been friends since 3rd grade).  Oh man.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[starrypawz]

Wow. O.o
I hope that they can rescue the other wolves soon but it's good to see the rescued ones doing well. I can't imagine what it must be like to be in such a situation

[TickledPink]

Oh god I didn't know it had reached horsetooth resevoir yet :C  Husband and I love to go up there and take photos, especially in the winter :C

Zenna, you already know that I'm safe, but just wanted to check in and let everyone else know that I'm alright. I'm not in FoCo, but even if the fire does spread as far as loveland, I am far enough into the city that I won't be threatened. I'm still worried about it though, forest fires are one of my biggest fears. :/

Yesterday I woke up to ash all over my car, and again today. A friend of mine in Cheyenne, WY says he can see the smoke and sometimes smell it.

[ZennaBug]

   I'm glad you're far enough into the city, Panda.  This whole thing is so scary.  Fort Collins was my home for 5 years and the only thing really protecting it right now is the reservoir.  The fire hasn't gone around the north side yet, but it's moving fast.  If it keeps going, it will hit our football stadium soon.  *shudder*  I used to hike there all the time!    I'm not used to fires hitting areas quite so familiar.

This picture is literally only half a mile north of that last one, a couple years ago on a hike with the hubby.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

Just saw a picture of campus, outside the student center.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

What's the Facebook page for the wolves? Gosh, I wish I could do.. anything.

https://www.facebook.com/wolf.sanctuary.  I'm feeling the same way, it's so hopeless not being able to help.  I'm going to try to scrape up a donation as quickly as I can though.

Post Merge: June 11, 2012, 09:36:33 PM

*Update*

There has been no word yet on how the remaining wolves are doing, but W.O.L.F. is requesting emergency donations to help with food and shelter for the evacuated wolves and to help rebuild the sanctuary once this ordeal is over. If you can spare even $5 please donate on their cause website.  All donations will be used immediately or go straight to the sanctuary to rebuild.  If you can't spare any cash (I understand, trust me), please continue to send good thoughts and prayers their way.

At this point, there isn't much hope that the sanctuary will escape the fire.  We can only hope that the fire dens protect the remaining wolves (since they are still being denied access) and that the money raised is enough to pay for the damage and possible vet bills.  If you live in Northern CO, they are also accepting donations of dog food and toys to keep the evacuated animals occupied.

Post Merge: June 11, 2012, 10:37:19 PM

*Update 2*

New pics of evacuated wolves have been posted, Sigmund (my favorite) and his packmate Tunyan were both evacuated.  I am so relieved!

Handsome Siggi
visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Tunyan (pronounced Too-yan), his alpha female
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[Calico_Star]

How scary! Hopefully the fire will spare the sanctuary and stop before it hits the town I'll keep your wolves in my thoughts and prayers. Good to hear that your favorite is safe; he's beautiful. Is there a way to donate with PayPal? I'd like to make a small donation, but I don't have a credit card.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Glad to hear that most of the wolves are safe and hopefully the rest are able to get to their underground shelters.

I hope that in the future that more controlled burns are able to be conducted - overgrown forest is NOT a good place for a wildfire!  You are right on that one, ZennaBug! 

[ZennaBug]

I finally have some good news!!!  The sanctuary employees were allowed up to check on the animals and facilities this morning and have updated their facebook page:

Here is an update. The fire dens (underground concrete bunkers) that have been being constructed since last year as part of WOLF's survive in place strategy are woking! Yesterday afternoon we were able to get into the facility to check in on the animals at the Sanctuary. Though there is spotty fire damage to the property, the fire had not affected the enclosures. We believe this is a result of the fire road and forest thinning we have been doing around the enclosures since early 2009. Though we did not evacuate any more animal, we were able to get a visual on all of them and bring in more food and water. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers; they are working! Keep up the good work!

Back when I was volunteering, we busted our butts to get that fire road started.  I spent hours and hours in and around enclosures picking up debris and helping to cut down dead trees and this out the living ones.  I actually hurt my arm pretty badly doing it too.    But it was all for this reason.  The fire dens were the final project of the efforts to protect the sanctuary from events like this and they were about half done (the most recent finished only a few weeks ago).  Not a moment too soon, either.  They are now quietly optimistic that all of the hard work will save the sanctuary.

As for an update on the fire in general, it has grown to 43,433 acres and is already the third-largest in Colorado history (after burning for only 3 days).  But they have announced that there is finally "some containment," so that's good news as well.  http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_20838556

Unfortunately, there has been one confirmed casualty.  A 62 year-old woman refused to leave her cabin 

How scary! Hopefully the fire will spare the sanctuary and stop before it hits the town I'll keep your wolves in my thoughts and prayers. Good to hear that your favorite is safe; he's beautiful. Is there a way to donate with PayPal? I'd like to make a small donation, but I don't have a credit card.

You can donate through their website, here:  http://www.wolfsanctuary.net/10-funding/10-01.htm#Donations.  Thank you so much, anything helps.     

I hope that in the future that more controlled burns are able to be conducted - overgrown forest is NOT a good place for a wildfire!  You are right on that one, ZennaBug! 

Definitely.  Usually, our forest service tries to be really good about it.  But with dry summers, pine beetle outbreaks, and high winds (at least in the northern parts of the state), it's tough to schedule appropriate burn days.  It's one of the things we discussed a lot in my natural resource management and forestry classes in college.  But this has already lit a fire under the community (no pun intended) and I expect that there will be a lot of volunteers to help clean up those forests by any means possible now.  And I suppose the trees have been thinned majorly anyway now... 

[kaoskat]

I saw the update on your FB and I teared up. I'm so glad it looks like they'll be ok! I'll keep sending prayers!

[invaderhorizongreen]

I will be sending up prayers tonight for you and anyone in your area.

[TickledPink]

I am so so so relieved to hear that the wolves are okay, and that there isn't much damage done to the property! Thank goodness they used their fire dens!!!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

OH GOD pine beetles!  EWWW!  We are having a LOT of problems with them now here in Alberta, too.