Seacrest Wolf Preserve

About Seacrest Wolf Preserve

Seacrest Wolf Preserve is a nonprofit organization at 3449 Bonnett Pond Road in Chipley, Florida, in the state's northwest. Its website describes it as a place where wolves and humans connect in nature for educational purposes. It is registered as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and its mailing address is a post office box in Wausau, Florida. The preserve is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The visitor information page places the preserve about an hour and a half from Tallahassee and 45 minutes from Panama City. Every visit requires a reservation.

History

The preserve's mission page states that the organization was founded in 1999 by Wayne and Cynthia Watkins, and that what began as a small rescue effort has grown into a large preserve focused on education. Its about page describes it as having been dedicated to wolf and wildlife conservation through science-based educational tours for over two decades. Its stated motto is Education Through Preservation.

Exhibits and habitats

The preserve describes its residents as ambassador wolves who work with the education team to teach visitors about the species and its ecological role. The mission page lists 22 wolves of gray, Arctic-type and British Columbian varieties, plus a variety of small native species, including a coyote, foxes, raccoons and skunks. Both the mission and about pages say more than a dozen of the wolves serve as ambassador wolves.

The ambassador page groups wolves into packs, including the Rowdy Ones, the Brat Pack, the Lovers, the Trial and the Arctic's. Named wolves include Pawnee, Iasha, Dreamer, Apache, Freedom, Maverick, Baby Chaco, Miska, Spirit Prince, Kaya, Kenai and Yeti. The page describes them as North American gray wolves, Arctic wolves and a British Columbian wolf, and notes that some, including Pawnee, Miska and Yeti, were born at the preserve. Ages and descriptions on that page change over time.

Conservation and programs

The preserve says its mission is to build bridges of greater understanding and respect for wolves and to raise awareness of the species as a keystone species, through science-based educational tours. The mission page describes work to dispel wolf myths and to explain their role in the ecosystem, and states the organization's opposition to a proposal to remove federal Endangered Species Act protection from the gray wolf and to state-level efforts, in states it names including Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, to remove remaining protections for wild wolves.

Programs listed on the website are Saturday group tours, private VIP tours, school and group educational tours, professional photography sessions, a Small Animal Adventure, offsite educational programs and local wildlife community outreach. A symbolic wolf adoption program, a quarterly newsletter, volunteer opportunities and a gift shop are also listed.

The Saturday group tour page describes a tour of about three hours starting at 10:00 am Central Time, with a group limit of 50 guests. According to that page, the tour visits habitat areas for gray and Arctic wolves, offers each guest the chance to be near a wolf with no fences, and ends with a Small Animal Meet and Greet featuring ambassador animals. Cameras and cell phones are not permitted during the tour, though disposable cameras are, and a separate photo opportunity with ambassador wolves follows. Private VIP tours allow one-on-one visits inside enclosures.

Planning your visit

According to the visitor information page, the preserve is open six days a week and closed Sundays, with tours Monday through Saturday, private VIP tours Monday through Friday and Saturday group tours on Saturdays. Office hours are listed as 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Central Time. The preserve says it is also closed for certain holidays as announced. The visitor information page says VIP tour reservations are made by phone, and ticket details are on the preserve's website.

Guests are required to review the preserve's visitor rules in advance. The visitor page states that no rain gear of any kind is permitted inside the wolf enclosures and suggests bringing a change of dry clothes. Tours operate rain or shine unless severe storms or lightning are forecast, and heavy rain on a Saturday cancels the photo opportunity with the wolves. Tour trails are unpaved, with sand, grass and sometimes mud. The gift shop and restrooms are listed as handicap accessible. The visitor page lists motels in Chipley and Bonifay, which it places 15 to 30 minutes from the preserve. The preserve's phone number is 850-773-2897.