Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany McDonald.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Brittany. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary was started in 2002 by a woman named Jean LeFevre, after a “mystery wolf” was seen wandering around Spring, Texas. The presence of this animal made a lot of people nervous so they began setting traps and attempting to shoot her. When she was finally caught, her foot was mangled, she had been shot in the shoulder, and she was quickly taken to a local veterinarian to be taken care of. Fortunately, he was able to fix her up, but didn’t know where to go from there.
Jean – a known animal lover – was called in to meet this “mystery wolf”, fell in love, applied for the proper permits to save her, and the rest is history. This animal, who would come to be called “Mystery” was where Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary got its start. To this day we have rescued dozens of wolves and wolf dogs from a variety of situations, and we still seek to offer them a safe place to call home for the rest of their lives.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a non-profit, there are always financial road blocks that we run into along the way. Currently, the Sanctuary leases the property we use from our founder, Jean, but our lease it set to expire soon. Therefore, we are having to relocate to a new property in order to continue caring for these animals.
Fortunately, we are looking at this as a great opportunity for us to grow and improve, and to provide a home to even more rescues!
Please tell us about Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary.
The Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary is the only wolf sanctuary in the entire state of Texas. We are currently home to 12 animals that have needed rescue due to a variety of circumstances. We pride ourselves on our ability to give these animals a second chance a life, and to offer them exceptionally loving care for the duration of their time with us. We are also proud to serve members of our community in an educational manner by teaching thousands of guests a year about the plight of wolves and wolf dogs, both in the wild and captivity.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I had always wanted to work with wolves growing up, and I was 14 years old the first time I saw them out in the wild. I remember it like a slow-motion scene in a movie, watching them run through a forest clearing in northern Minnesota. They were just as beautiful and graceful as the photos that decorated my bedroom.
Pricing:
- Sanctuary Tours – $10 recommended donation
Contact Info:
- Address: 2757 St. Beulah Chapel Rd.
- Website: www.saintfranciswolfsanctuary.org
- Phone: 9365979653
- Email: admin@wolvesofsaintfrancis.org
- Instagram: @saintfranciswolfsanctuary
- Facebook: @saintfranciswolfsanctuary
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