When you search about wolves on the internet, you would typically get a brief description. But if you want to learn more about wolves, I have the perfect non-profit organization for you. Like some of you may want to, I wanted to learn more about them myself, and I did so by going to the Apex Protection Project.
Apex Protection Project. Is a “Los Angeles based 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was created in 2015 to save the wolf species through education, rescue and advocacy.” Cofounders Paula Ficara and Stave Wastell are the “driving force behind this mission, and their approach to advocacy has been shaped by the unique experiences that lead them to dedicating their lives to this service.”
When I visited this organization I didn’t expect more than the surface-level information from what you would typically get from a search engine. Instead I learned about their gentle nature, intelligence, playfulness, humor, and more. Interestingly enough, wolves have similar feelings to humans when losing a loved one; they become unable to move on for periods of time. When visiting one of the places of the organization, I had expected the place to be a bit smaller. Entering the property, along with my family I was greeted by Paula Ficara and Steve Wastell themselves. Wastell showed me a statue of one of the former wolves that lived there, walking inside the building I noticed multiple pictures of wolves they have saved over the years. After signing a waiver, both Ficara and Wastell gave us a tour of the place. Going towards the back of the building. There were about 12-15 wolves. One of the few times I was allowed to pet one of them, their coats were soft and slightly dirty. As we continued the tour of the place I learned about some of their emotional bonds with the other wolves, some romantic and some platonic. And as the day went by they would sometimes howl, whether it was bright out or not.
With both the work of Ficara’s and Wastell’s years of professional experience, bringing their “sensitivity, creativity and personal touch to their work. Their success stems from acknowledging the importance of connecting people to wolves on an emotional level.” With Ficara and Wastell’s work and effort, we are able to have a different perspective. To help understand wolves, and give them a better environment to live in. (https://www.apexprotectionproject.org/about-apex) is the website to learn more about them.
By going on their website, you can pay for interviews to meet the wolves. Or meeting with one or both of the co-founders, you can have “The Alpha Experience, The Beta Experience, and The Sun Rise Experience.” (https://www.apexprotectionproject.org/about-apex)
