Leaders of the Pack

The Lakota Wolf Preserve provides an intimate look at Canis lupis through its educational and photographic tours.

Article By Jennifer Gidman

Images by Ken Hubbard

The preserve, just a stone’s throw away from the Delaware Water Gap, has its roots in Colorado, where original owners Dan and Pam Bacon started out with two wolves on a 33-acre property. In 1998, they moved East, taking on a partner, Jim Stein, and relocating the preserve onto the property of the Camp Taylor Campground. “We give the campground a portion of the funds that come in,” says Dan. “It’s a totally wild environment for the wolves, where everything is natural. The trees, the bushes, the berries — it’s all real. They do get water and get fed every day, so there’s no pressure for them to have to survive in the wild that way.”

The goal of the three owners: to educate the public on an animal that doesn’t often get into the limelight. “We want to take these wolves already born in captivity and try our best to give them a good, safe place to live out their lives as a wolf, in a pack environment, instead of being stuck in a small cage somewhere like a roadside attraction,” says Jim. “We also want to educate the public about wolves so more people understand what a magnificent animal they are. We do guided educational tours twice a day to teach them about the wolves and let them see the animals in a natural habitat.”

“We have the preserve so people can see what a wolf looks like, what it acts like,” concurs Dan. “It’s a chance for people to study wildlife that they don’t get to see every day. Even if you live in an area with wolves, they’re not the type of animal that’s going to run out and say hello to everybody — they keep to themselves.”

The preserve houses 19 wolves (22 with the addition of three new pups) — a manageable number that conforms to local code. “The township allows us 27 total,” explains Dan. “We don’t raise our own here anymore, because we can’t control the numbers. The first year we had 17 youngsters and had to give a lot away — it was hard to give away pups you just spent six weeks with.” There are also bobcats and foxes on-site.

The Arctic, tundra, and timber wolves on the premises were all hand-raised by Jim and his girlfriend, Becky. “We handle the animals all the time, so they’re very comfortable around people,” he explains. “They’re very special animals,” adds Dan. “They wouldn’t be here today if they weren’t, because man’s done everything in his power to get rid of them!”

Visitors to the preserve learn the fascinating details that comprise these furry friends: Wolves can travel, for example, up to speeds of 35mph for short distances, and can cover 100 miles per day if they need to, according to Dan. He also notes that they have 42 teeth, like all other canines, perfect eyesight, stellar hearing, and a sense of smell that's good for close to a mile. Even their personalities are a standout: “They’re social animals who have never been aggressive with me,” he says. “They’re also very loyal animals who love their children very much. Plus they mate for life — no divorces, which is something we humans can learn a lot from!”

The three new pups — British Columbian wolves, a subspecies of the gray wolf — recently added to the preserve’s roster came from another wolf preserve in Florida. Jim and Becky flew down to the Sunshine State and drove back up with the babies in tow. “Right now, they’re on my property, and Becky and I are taking care of them,” says Jim. “At about 10 weeks old, we can start slowly introducing them to the big guys.”

The male pup is named Tikaani, one female has been dubbed Kayla, and the other female was ceremoniously named — Tamron. “We picked that name as a tribute to Tamron for coming up and setting up so many photographic workshops here and helping us out,” says Jim. “The money we raise through those workshops helps take care of the animals here, so we appreciate that. Plus, it’s a cool name!”

The photographic workshops run by Tamron — under the direction of Patty Gregitis, with photographer Ken Hubbard handling the photographic instruction and Q&A — allow larger groups to come in four to six times a year to photograph the wolves, in addition to the people who come in on their own. “We break them up into five groups if there are 30 people — each group shoots a different pack of wolves and then we rotate them, so everyone’s not all on top of each other,” explains Jim.

Even though it can be hard to nab a wolf in your viewfinder, the wolves’ adaptability to people helps visitors to capture beautiful shots. “The wolves are constantly moving,” says Jim. “You can’t train them like a dog to sit or stay. So you have to be good at following them with your camera. But at the same time, they work real well with us and stay right in the area where people are shooting. Our compounds are large enough so you don’t see the fencing on the other end, so the shots look really natural.”

Dan adds, “It doesn’t bother them when people photograph them. We bottle-feed and nurse them, so they’re used to us. We've had groups of up to 150 people watching them.”

The preserve has garnered county and state awards, including the New Jersey Governor’s Environmental Tourism award, and remains popular in the community. “We've done very well with the local people — they seem to enjoy us,” says Dan. “It’s been a very nice relationship.”

In the end, the seven-day-a-week job may be hard work for the Lakota team, but, as Jim puts it, “Not too many people get to raise wolves and spend every day with them — I get to say I look forward to going to work every morning.”

To be part of a group workshop or to arrange one of your own, contact Patricia Gregitis at Tamron at pgregitis@aol.com. For more information on the Lakota Wolf Preserve, go to www.lakotawolf.com/.