Springer has Sprung!

The day F1586 (Springer) arrived at Wolf Haven began with uncertainty. Western Washington was still experiencing flooding, and we were unsure if the LightHawk plane transporting her from Missouri would be able to land at Olympia Regional Airport. Springer had undergone a spay surgery at Endangered Wolf Center just days earlier, which meant her transport window was tight. We had alternate airports mapped out and were ready to move if the weather shifted.
 

By midday, the skies opened into a bluebird window. We arrived at the airport in the late afternoon, the sun quickly dropping in the winter sky. Within minutes, there was a distant buzz of the LightHawk plane – flown by a volunteer pilot – approaching from the east. The plane touched down, and our team met them on the tarmac. Springer was inside her crate, groggy after surgery and travel.

We moved her into a transport van and headed straight for the sanctuary. As the sanctuary gates opened, the resident wolves began to howl. Whether they were greeting her or reacting to a van at the unusual hour, the sound carried.

 

When the crate door finally opened at her new enclosure, Springer did not hesitate. She sprang out in a blur, moving so fast our photographer caught only the shape of her leaving! It was the exact moment she stepped into safety… into her new home at Wolf Haven.

 

Springer is a critically endangered Mexican wolf who needed a permanent, protected home. Her arrival was made possible by many hands working together: partner organizations, volunteer pilots, and supporters like you, who allow us to say yes whenever an endangered wolf needs a safe place to land.