Coolayla

Just three hours north of Toronto way up in Central Ontario is one of the most unique and beautiful destinations in the province. Haliburton Forest is a nature lovers dream. A place for hiking, mountain biking and canoeing in the summer and cross country skiing, ice fishing and dog sledding in the winter. But it is the Haliburton Forest Wild Life and Reserve that makes it so special.

Treat yourself to a rare view of a pack of wolves that live on a 15 acre reserve. The Haliburtan Forest is 70,000 acres of protected forest and its inhabitant. This pack of wolves has 15 km all to themselves free to live out their lives with as little human interaction as possible. There are wild packs of wolves Haliburton as well, but this pack are descendants from two captive wolves dating back to 1977.

A nature photographer from Michigan purchased two wolf pups over thirty years ago and took care of them and their offspring for over 3 decades. Eventually he was not able to keep the wolves and needed to find an alternate home for the pack. So, it was in 1992 that the wolves came to Ontario living on through new litters and pups.

Even during the cold Canadian Winters the sanctuary is alive and well. It is a magical experience to see the wolves play and roll in the snow with their thick winter coats keeping them warm. In the summer, you have a good chance of catching the napping in the sunlight on a hill in front of the viewing platform. The building is located at a place on the reserve that achieves optimal sunlight. The wolves are drawn to here and while seeing them is not guaranteed, there is a good chance since this is their favorite spot. The wolves won’t see you as their is a glass barrier between you and them, but you will be able to hear them through speakers and they can probably sense your presence.

It is also a good location because the wolves are fed from this point. Their diet consists of mainly beaver, but sometimes they are fed deer as well. The wolves are never fed live animals, most come to the centre as victims of being hit by traffic or by local hunters bringing them in. The wolves treat the meat as a kill however and they tear at the animals with wild fury.

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.

Another great thing that the Wolf Centre is working on is dispelling the myths of the Big Bad Wolf. It is a fact that wolves are more afraid of humans that we are of them. Wolves have had a very bad rap in history and they have been ruthlessly slaughtered by humans. Their numbers are slowly coming back, but people seem to be no less afraid of them. Their is actually no evidence of a healthy wolf ever killing a human and wolf attacks are very rare. Often when there is a wolf attack, it is a rabid wolf or wolf/dog hybrids. Wolves are more likely to flee when humans approach.

You can visit Haliburton forest for the day for $15 or you can simply visit the wolf sanctuary for $9.00 to see the wolves. It is recommended to spend a day or two nearby rather than trying to do the trip all in one day. There is plenty of accommodation from camping to luxury resorts. Spend a few days and enjoy the beautiful wilderness spotting wildlife from Moose to otters and porcupines to loons. You won’t be disappointed taking in everything that nature has to offer and enjoying the natural beauty of Central Ontario.