Educational Outreach Event Form

RESCUE. SANCTUARY. EDUCATION.

These are the three pillars of Wild Spirit's Mission Statement.

In order to uphold our committment to education, we provide both on and off-site programs to learn about the animals in our care, as well as their counterparts in the wild. 

Though the opportunity to see these animals up close is already a gift to many people, studies have shown that both humans and animals can benefit from hands-on interactions. When conducted appropriately (keeping in mind the animal's automony, as well as human safety), these experiences are more than just a fun moment in time; instead, they can transform mere animal-lovers into animal-advocates for life.

Our organization seeks to make a lasting impact through our educational programs and recognizes we can strengthen that impact by allowing people to physically connect with our rescues. However, our goal is education, not exploitation. This means our animals participate on their own terms (if at all), and will be treated with respect during on and off-site programs. 

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary operates with an "Animals Come First" mentality, meaning we will NEVER force an animal to participate in an event if they choose not to. 

In some instances, an animal may not wish to leave the sanctuary at all; in others, they may choose to attend your event but refuse to let people pet them; and in some cases, an animal may allow a certain number of people to touch them before getting overwhelmed and refusing further contact. 

Fortunately, Wild Spirit currently has a number of rescues that are qualified to attend off-site events, and will do everything in our power to find an animal willing to participate to your desired level of interaction. 

In the event that this is not possible, your group will be offered a number of alternative options you may choose from later in this form.

There is no cost to meet our rescues (only for the program itself) as their role in Educational Encounters is, once again, to increase the value of an experience, not to make us money. And no amount of money will convince us to bring an animal to your event if they do not wish to go. 

Those wishing to book an Educational Outreach event that involves an animal MUST acknowledge and agree to the fact that attendance and participation on behalf of our rescues is VOLUNTARY and NEVER guaranteed.

Whether your group is seeking the presence of an animal or not, our team understands there are dozens of topics you might be interested in learning more about, so we've created a variety of presentations to choose from:

• About Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary - Learn about Wild Spirit's history, why we (and other sanctuaries) exist, and how these animals end up in our care. 
• All About (INSERT SPECIES) - Experience a general overview of any or all of our species (wolves, wolfdogs, coyotes, red foxes, Australian dingoes, and New Guinea singing dogs). 
• Trophic Cascades - Using Yellowstone National Park as a real-life example, discover how the presence or absense of wolves (or any Keystone Species) can drastically impact entire ecosystems. 
• What is a Wolfdog? - Gain an in-depth understanding of what makes a wolfdog. How do they differ from pure wolves or pure dogs? How do we identify them? What can we learn from DNA testing? Do they make good pets?
• The Silver Fox Project - Did you know that in 1959, Russian scientists set out to learn how quickly they could domesticate red foxes through selective breeding? Learn all about their hypotheses, methods of research, and results!
• Rescue 101 - What goes into a rescue mission for a USDA-licensed facility? In this presentation, guests will learn about every aspect of rescue including intake request statistics; whether or not we accept a new rescue; preparing for a new intake; going to get a new rescue; transportation; and what happens following their arrival at the sanctuary. 

Alternatively, if you're interested in a topic not listed, please feel free to reach out with your request and we will do our best to accommodate your vision! 

Wild Spirit determines the cost of off-site programs based on a number of factors such as:

• Distance to and from the event location and associated costs of fuel
• Length of program 
• Type of program (formal versus informal; whether or not a professional photographer is desired, etc.)
• Hourly wages for staff in attendance 
• Whether staff require overnight room and board
• Other factors as applicable

Remember, you will NEVER be charged for an animal's participation in a program, and participation cannot be guaranteed. In order to avoid issues with payments, scheduling/re-scheduling, and/or requests for refunds resulting from an animal's unwillingness to attend, guests are required to pay for their selected program upon arrival the day of the event. 

Please note, most of our presentations are 15-30 minutes in length, meaning any additional time booked will go toward animal interactions or other agreed-upon activities.

In the event that a rescue does not wish to participate in your event on the day it is scheduled, below is a list of alternative opportunities Wild Spirit can provide.