By Scott Harrison

s.harrison@krdotv.com

COLORADO SPRINGS--Big cats haven't cornered the market on sanctuaries in Colorado.  There's also a wolf sanctuary in Divide.  The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center prepares for its 15th year with a grand opening July 7.

The center currently offers tours four times a day, every day except Sunday.  This year it moved to a new location on 35 acres along Twin Rock Road, off U.S. 24 just west of Divide.  Previously the center operated in Lake George and Florissant.

"This is fabulous.  It's exceptionally clean," remarked visitor Kathy Emmons.  She and her friends live near Fort Morgan and heard about the 15 wolves living at the center.  "I have the utmost respect for them.  They're exceptional animals.  I'm aware of a petting zoo in Oregon where they actually drug the animals so you can go in and pet them.  Pathetic."

Wolves remain largely misunderstood and either endangered or threatened in the lower 48 states.  The center's wolves may be the only ones in Colorado.  The state's last recorded sighting in the wild was in 1945.  The animals recently were reintroduced into Wyoming's Yellowstone Park area and have done well.

A tour after moving to Woodland Park from California, convinced Peggy Jehly to volunteer and then become one of the two-woman staff.  "I couldn't be happier.  I love what I do.  I feel real fortunate to be able work with these animals every day.  I think they give me more than I give them."

The center's wolves are a mix of full-blooded and hybrids which were kept as pets, and rescued from bad situations.  "Sabin" came from an animal house where he wasn't the worst animal. "He came from a college dorm," Jehly explains.  "Three guys thought it would be neat to raise a wolf in a dorm.  They kept him locked in a bathroom, fed him pizza, gave him beer.  He was left to drink out of the commode."

The center has struggled at times, moving from Lake George to Florissant and now to Divide. The center needs donations of money, meat and labor to operate.  However, founder Darlene Kobobel says whether or not you love animals, we all should care about these canines--including the two coyotes and four foxes there.

"There's still a lot of people who have a fear of the wolf," she explains.  "Hopefully with these tours out here, by the time they get through, they have a better appreciation of wolves, and maybe not fear them, and maybe want to be a voice for them."

The center staff says it's the state's only wildlife sanctuary certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. For more information, visit the website.