Geo Travel Blog

In Central Ontario, Canada there is a wildlife refuge like no other. Haliburton Forest is the largest privately owned nature reserve in the area and it is a nature lovers paradise. It is a year round destination where people can paddle its lakes and streams, take a canopy tour above the forest or camp in the summertime and ice fish, cross country ski and dog sled in the winter. But it is a unique family that lives in the Haliburton forest that set it apart from other wilderness areas.

Witness and learn about the pack of wolves that live and roam freely on a 15 acre reserve set aside for them. This Wolf Sanctuary sits within 70,000 acres of protected hardwood forest at The Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve. There are a couple of other wild packs and lone wolves that roam the forest as well, but you will have a better chance of spotting these beautiful canines in their natural habitat at the viewing area for the pack of protected Grey Wolves. It is a long story as to why these wolves are protected dating back to 1977 in Pennsylvania.

Originally in Michigan, a photographer raised two wolf pups to photograph and study. As the years past the pack grew and eventually he could not take care of the wolves alone. Haliburton was scouted and chosen as a home for the semi-domesticated wolf pack and in 1992 they were moved to live on as a protected pack in as close to their natural environment as possible.

The wolf centre is open year round and it is different with each visit. In the summer watch the wolves sun tan or in the winter watch them with their thick coats roll and play in the snow. It is not guaranteed that you will see wolves on each visit. They are free to roam anywhere they choose on the 15 acres, hover the viewing area is located at a place where the wolves like to relax. The viewing platform is a glass enclosure where you are asked to speak quietly. The wolves are kept from human interaction to give them as normal lives as possible.

If you time it right, you may be treated to watching them feed. Normally they are fed beavers but sometimes they are fed a full deer. Wolves may look cute and sweet, but to see them eat as a pack is a reminder just how wild they are. No live animals are fed to the wolves that would be inhumane, all animals are dead mostly by roadkill or by local trappers. They wolves are still very vicious when they eat and it is a fight to try and steal a morsel from the Alpha male.

The wolf centre works as an education centre as well, and you can learn a great deal about the workings of a wolf pack just by observing. The Alpha male is the largest and strongest wolf in the pack. Its coat is healthy and shiny and along with the Alpha female they are in charge. The Alpha eats first followed by the Alpha female and the Beta Male. The Beta male is the second strongest male wolf and it is tight with both the Alpha Male and female. The rest of the wolves fill out the clan to the bottom of the pack; The Omega. This poor wolf is the weakest and suffers the most. It is the last to eat, it is picked on by the other wolves and it is left to itself living a lonely sad life.

The sanctuary does not intervene as this is the way of the wolf and it is not for we humans to decide how they should live. Eventually, the Omega will be killed by the pack or it will go off by itself to die, sometimes they become so sick that they need to be euthanized by staff veterinarians. It is difficult to witness, but to take the omega away will only make room for another Omega to be chosen and it would disrupt the whole system of a wolf pack. Eventually, one of the younger Beta Males and Females will overtake the Alpha’s and the cycle will continue.

Visiting the wolf centre in Haliburton is an important step in helping people to understand the wolf. For centuries the human race has feared the wolf and unapologetically hunted it almost to extinction. Wolves are not the evil creature that we have been led to believe. They are more afraid of humans and are more likely to flee than attack and there has actually never been a confirmed report of a healthy wolf attacking a human. The only cases of wolf attacks have come from either rabid wolves or a wolf/dog mixed race. Truthfully there have been more dog attacks than wolf attacks.

The cost of visiting the wolf centre at Haliburton is $9.00 and you can stay for as long as you like looking at the displays and learning about the wolves. Haliburton is located right next to the famous Algonquin Park and you can spend days exploring the wilderness and surrounding area. If you are lucky you may spot a moose or bear and you are bound to see many loons, deer and great blue herons. There are several options for accommodations, bring your own tent and camp or stay in one of the many northern resorts or B&B’s. So take the time to explore central Ontario, there is a great beauty waiting to be explored.

Deb Corbeil and Dave Bouskill are an adventure couple from Canada. They have trekked, hiked, biked and climbed to around30 countries all aroundthe world. Click on their website ThePlanetd.com for more tips, advice and information on travel and adventure destinations. To see their photo gallery visit PicturethePlanet.com