A recent inspection of Wolf Ledge Refuge and Education Center, in Bristol, revealed neglect and “unacceptable” conditions at the wolf hybrid sanctuary, according to a report by Bristol interim Animal Control Officer Mike Witte.
Witte and Game Warden Joe Lefebvre inspected the facility April 17.
Witte described his observations in a report submitted to the town. The document describes unsanitary conditions and potential violations of municipal and state regulations.
The ground of the enclosures that house the wolf hybrids “was infested with fleas,” Witte wrote.
“There was a great deal of feces in each enclosure and it appeared the pens had not been cleaned for months,” according to the report.
In one area, “the water was green with algae and there was no food or clean water visible,” Witte wrote.
James “Jim” Doughty, the founder and president of the organization, owns the property and lives in a house adjacent to the enclosures.
Doughty, in a May 2 phone interview, said he feeds and waters the animals every day. He said the enclosures were dirty April 17 but were cleaned thereafter. It’s difficult, he acknowledged, to build and maintain the facility without employees or adequate funding.
“I’m doing this all myself,” he said.
Doughty’s state license to keep wolf hybrids expired Dec. 31, 2011 and he has yet to apply for renewal, according to the report.
“Doughty could not produce paperwork on any of the animals,” Witte wrote, including five wolf hybrids and a sixth animal Doughty identified as a husky.
Witte also noted the overall appearance of the property (“very cluttered and full of trash”) and the lack of adequate bedding and shelter. The hard-packed dirt of the enclosures “would turn into a sea of mud during rain,” he wrote.
Doughty said he is going to spread wood chips in the enclosures to avoid such a situation.
“The setup is unacceptable, and is not appropriate for viewing or exhibiting the animals in a natural setting,” Witte wrote.
“In summary, the facility was never completed to the specifications of the original plans and is a makeshift arrangement,” Witte wrote. “Overall, I find this situation totally unacceptable for what the owner states he is trying to accomplish.”
Witte said he has shared his report with the appropriate federal and state agencies and any enforcement action, if necessary, would be determined by those agencies, not the town.
Doughty said he has complied with all of Witte’s directives. He said he has not seen Witte’s report and he said Witte and Lefebvre came to his property on a report of a loose dog – not a hybrid – and never stated their intention to perform an inspection.
The regulation of wolf hybrid facilities in Maine is evolving. A state law, passed in May 2011 in reaction to the refuge, classifies the animals as wild and shifts some of the responsibility for management from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Witte represents Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Advisory Council, the department’s rule-making body. The topic of wolf hybrid regulation is under consideration by the council, he said.
Some aspects of the law, including a requirement for wolf hybrid owners to obtain a permit to possess wildlife in captivity, will not take effect until Dec. 31.
Doughty said he has communicated with the commissioners of both state departments about renewing his license. The Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources wouldn’t renew it because of the legislation, while DIF&W said it didn’t have the authority to do so until 2013.
Finally, after a period of back-and-forth, the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources agreed to visit the facility in the near future and issue a license for the remainder of the year, Doughty said.
Wolf Ledge Refuge has sparked significant controversy in Bristol since Doughty announced his intention to create the sanctuary.
Following a petition drive led by Doughty’s neighbors and opponents of the refuge, Bristol citizens overwhelmingly voted not to allow any wolf hybrid kennel or refuge in a July 2010 referendum.
The opponents primarily cited safety concerns and said the approximately 10-acre property is too small to house as many as 18 hybrids.
The Animal Welfare Program later informed the town that the vote did not have the legal authority necessary to stop Doughty from opening the center.
Last year, former Sen. David Trahan attempted to address the matter with legislation with his bill, An Act to Regulate the Keeping of Wolf Hybrids.
Doughty, at every step of the process, has said he would comply with any applicable regulations.
He has also stressed the educational value of the refuge.
The mission statement of his organization “is to provide a secure, healthy, natural environment for non-releasable wolves and wolf hybrids who otherwise may have to be euthanized through no fault of their own.
“It is also our mission to educate the public about their history, biology and importance in modern times by providing educational opportunities in an intimate, yet safe, setting,” according to a brochure.
