Wolf Haven International Wolf Haven International

snowleopard

snowleopard

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Wolf Haven International | Welcome

This is an 80-acre sanctuary for wolves that I've never visited, and only just heard about. It is located in a tiny town between Seattle and Portland, and is in the State of Washington. They participate in two SSP breeding programs, for mexican gray and red wolves, but do not breed the many gray wolves that they take care of. Most of the 50 wolves at the facility are grays, and they have all been taken from roadside zoos, owners fed up with their pets, or the entertainment industry. The website has a short biography on each individual wolf, and might appeal to lovers of this species of canine.
 
Minor update

I've not been there either, though they're only an hour's drive away.

Why, you may well ask? Well, it has to do with a bizarre restriction they place against general visitors where cameras are concerned. They explicitly prohibit visitors from using lenses longer than 200mm in focal length.

The only exception is if you pay them $100+ for their "Photographer's Tour," and take said tour in the winter months, often when Washington's weather is at its worst.

You don't have to take my word for it. Check this link.

Wolf Haven International | Tours

Scroll down about two thirds of the way. You'll see the restriction.

For my part, NO ONE tells me how I use my camera gear, most certainly not what lenses I can or cannot use! I have to wonder how many other folk they've alienated with this laughable policy?

Happy travels.
 
I've taken a few visits up to Wolf Haven.

The reason they have the camera lens restrictions is because they don't want people selling photographs for major profits, since they use their own photographs to sell in their store to raise money for the sanctuary.

But it is a nice place. It's nothing like a zoo, kids aren't allowed to run freely and howl at the wolves which I find highly annoying. Tours are lead by a tour guide who gives information about general wolf information, and a bit about the wolves on tour. Some tour guides are a bit 'robotic' in nature, they speak as if they're reading a script and that's a little odd, no offense to the tour guides at all.

If you're lucky enough, the howling is amazing. 50+ wolves (and two coyotes!) howling all at once is a wonderful sound to hear (as well as the ravens in the background).
 
I never said they weren't a nice place to visit. I never said I wouldn't enjoy the sounds you describe.

What I did say, in effect, is I do not agree with their restriction on lens size. If they're so concerned about people profiting from their visit in that manner, all they have to do is have some sort of legal condition in place that, by entering the park and taking pictures, you agree not to use whatever pics you take for commercial purposes without WH's consent.

Many places I've visited have a similar restriction against commercial use of photos, and it's not one I have any sort of problem with.

I firmly believe WH's restriction on lens size is arbitrary, unnecessary, and obnoxious. There are far easier and less intrusive ways to have a legal leg to stand on, if someone abuses the privilege of entering private property to take pictures they might profit from.

NO other facility I've visited, zoo or oceanarium, inside or outside the USA, has (to the best of my knowledge) ever tried to impose such silliness on their visitors.

Wolf Haven remains off my 'visit' list until they come to their senses in this regard.

Happy travels.
 
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Yes. It's a bit unfortunate that they do have that restriction. I'd love to go with a longer focal length to blur out the fencing. (well, on a regular visit instead of an extra paid visit)
Doesn't seem likely that they'll get rid of that guideline in the near future.
 
DeydraOZ said:
...The reason they have the camera lens restrictions is because they don't want people selling photographs for major profits, since they use their own photographs to sell in their store to raise money for the sanctuary....
Click to expand...

No one is selling animal photos for major profits (even minor profits is a rarity these days). I worked in the photo industry (pro lab) over twenty years and digital has crashed everything. Almost any photo you need now can be purchased for peanuts on web stock sites that amateurs post quality photos on because they don't care what they get. Print publications (the ones that paid decent money) are going away and the few that remain largely use these same cheap stock sites. The prohibition zoos place on commercial photography is completely unnecessary because there is no such thing any more. The few (and they are very, very few) pro wildlife photographers still working do not take photos in captivity.
 
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