About Safe Haven & Educational Adventures, Inc.
Bardou
A couple that lived on a very busy road directly off Wade Hampton found an unusual pup in their front yard in the heat of the summer. They were not sure what it was but knew it was not a normal puppy. By the time he was brought to us he was lethargic and dehydrated. When we got a chance to get a good look at him it was apparent that he was about 2 weeks old. It took a few days to even determine what kind of wild canine he was (fox or coyote) because he was so small they all looked very much alike. By the time we got him well and figured out what he was, he was already imprinted on humans. We had missed the window of time to get him in with another group of pups to be raised for release. He would have to spend the rest of his life in captivity in an educational facility. We decided to raise him ourselves and get him trained exactly as we want to and do it to the level, we want so that he would be a wonderful addition for educational purposes. We go in with Bardou daily for training and he is now trained to do over 20 different behaviors.
Vlad
Vlad was found wandering the streets of Anderson and was picked up by the county. He was immediately recognized as a hybrid wolf and was instantly slated to be euthanized because of it. A volunteer of ours happened to be at the facility hours before he was to be put down and talked them into turning him over to us because we have experience with wild canines (aka Bardou). The facility was locked down for several weeks and for other medical reasons we were not allowed to meet him. After officials visited our facility and did lots of paperwork later, we were finally able to go meet him and pick him up. Nigel discovered that the staff was terrified of him, so we really were not sure what we were getting into. Vlad turned out to be big and rowdy but fit in quickly. We immediately started his training, and he has turned out to be a giant, lovable goofball. He will show his wild side with the unfortunate wildlife that enters his yard because most other animals are seen as prey to these canines. Vlad loves people and especially children, which is unusual for hybrids. He also does not like to be left alone and needs his “pack” which would be his best friend, a German Shepard named Pan. Vlad’s DNA test indicated that he is just over 25% Gray Wolf along with Malamute, Husky and German Shepherd.
Dakota
Dakota came to us at about 8 months of age. He has been purchased from a breeder specifically to have as a pet. He not only had been neutered (a good thing) but he also had a collar on. He had been living in a small dog run and occasionally got the run of the house. Dakota’s owners were moving and could not take him. Since arriving a large outdoor enclosure has been built for him and he’s enjoying his outdoor life. He has been trained by one of our volunteers to do quite a few behaviors using positive reinforcement (from outside his enclosure)
Lenny
Lenny was a monkey that was hand raised by a woman in South Carolina but she was later forced to get rid of him due to government regulations. Life began for him the same way most ‘pet’ primates do. He was purchased at a very young age, only days old in some cases, so that he could be hand raised to bond with the owner. Most private primate owners do not have professional experience with this and raise the monkey as though it were a child. The problem is that a primate baby is not the same as a human baby and inevitably the primate grows up to be aggressive, even to the owner that raised it. Once he arrived at Safe Haven it was quite obvious that Lenny did not know how to be a monkey. Attempts at enrichment to encourage his natural behavior have been a strong challenge. The best thing for Lenny will be to be with other monkeys like him, but given his neurotic state we have been unsuccessful at paring him. Lenny has bonded very closely with volunteers who initiate training and spend ample time bonding with him. Given our vast experience with primates, Safe Haven has been able to decrease in severe neurotic state of Lenny to a manageable level.
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