Skip to main content
Clear icon
57º

A pack of exotic animals finds safety in Southwest Florida sanctuary

Wolves, bobcats, prairie dogs find a safe haven at Shy Wolf Sanctuary

NAPLES, Fla. – You wouldn’t know it’s there, tucked tightly in a Naples neighborhood and only about a 15-minute drive from the beach.

It looks like any other home down the row, with tall palms, a grassy front lawn and the hum of a large air conditioning unit working overtime to cool the house adjacent.

It’s the haphazard symphony of a dozen wolves howling from the backyard that lets you know it it’s no ordinary home. It is a second chance for over 60 exotic animals. Wolves, New Guinea Singing Dogs, foxes, panthers, bobcats, even prairie dogs call Shy Wolf Sanctuary home.

Shy Wolf Sanctuary lives behind the home of Nancy and Kent Smith and was once just a large yard that has since been converted into a haven.

Shy Wolf runs on over 61,000 volunteer hours per year, 52,000 pounds of meat and solely on donations.

The sanctuary plans to keep growing, securing permits to develop 50 off-site acres so they can house more rescues.

Volunteers lead guided tours through the facility weekly, giving guests the opportunity to meet their rescued menagerie of animals.

If you want to learn more about Shy Wolf Sanctuary, read the stories of the sanctuary’s residents, schedule a visit or make a charitable donation, click here.