Lobo Wolves of Kane PA

[Bon]

http://www.kanelobowolves.com/Home_Page.html

[Polo]

I went to the website. How interesting! I would have loved to visit that place!

[Foxfan]

That's much more of a story than I would have imagined. Thanks Bon.

[Sandycheeks]

I remember when I was a kid my Mom and Dad took us to see them and they had just moved them out.  

[Bon]

my book should be here in a few days. I can't wait to read it!!!!!

 

my buddy is still trying to find the article on the wolves. He will let me know as soon as he comes upon it!!

[mr.d]

Remember many years ago going on several occasions to see the Wolves.

[Bon]

Lobo wolf returns to Kane

• By JOELLEN WANKEL Era Reporter erajoellenw@gmail.com
•  
  • 1 hr ago
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Left to right: Jerry Reddinger of Mayport, Ashley Barrett of Chambersburg, Keith Flicker of Mertztown, Matt Zimmerman of Denver, Dee Carley of Kane, Dan Swanson of Ludlow, Bob Evans of Harrisburg, Jason Krause of Pine Grove and Chad Housworth of Upper Black Eddy participated in the mounting project to give new life to the 40-year-old pelt of a Lobo Wolf that lived in Kane under Dr. Edward Heber McCleery’s care. Missing from the photo: Jason Confer of Aaronburg.

• Photo submitted
   

  A Kane physician, Dr. Edward Heber McCleery, and his passion for protecting the lobo wolves is well-known in Kane and surrounding areas, despite the wolves’ relocation four decades ago. Now, thanks to the hard work of several Pennsylvania residents who are in the taxidermy profession, one of the wolves will return to Kane in life-like form.

  Tanya the wolf, whose pelt has become part of the first lobo wolf mount in existence, was born in the early 1970s. That was more than eight years after Jack Lynch and his wife, Marjorie, took over from McCleery and before or at the time that the wolves were relocated to Gardiner, Washington, a move that took place in 1972. The proposal to take a hide that was tanned decades ago led to some interesting challenges.

  “Any tanned skin that is 40 years old may present problems since it needs to be rehydrated for the mounting process,”  said Dee Carly, a member of the Pennsylvania Taxidermist Association who worked on the lobo wolf project.

   

  It turned out that the tanning of this one was exceptional.

  ”As with anything that has been in a specific state for years, changes don’t come easily. The taxidermist who worked on the project persevered nonetheless.,” Carly said.

  Dan Swanson, one of the taxidermists who completed the project, said the hide was “really old,” so it difficult to stretch — and when it did stretch it wanted to go back to the way it had been for 40 years.

  “Also, we had to use a timberwolf form, and anatomically they have different leg lengths and frame sizes,” he said. “We had to make those changes.”

  Swanson explained the mount was completed on the first day of the Pennsylvania Taxidermist Association’s 2018 Convention/Competition. Prior to that day, however, roughly 18 hours were spent on alterations to make the completed project possible.

  In total, there were eight state, national and world champion taxidermist who worked on the project. Swanson noted they were all happy to contribute to continuing the heritage for the museum and the town of Kane.

  “We had a pretty good line of guys and girls that worked on it. It was a good project in that aspect, to get all of those people together and their hands on something,” Swanson said. “We had great donors that donated materials to the project as well.”

   

  Clary also shared her opinion on the experience the fact that the completed wolf will be on display.

  “I am excited that this wolf can be preserved for the public to view and renew memories of having visited Dr. McCleery's Lobo Wolf farm and to learn more about their history,” she said. “It's a great day, especially in Kane, to know that the Lobo Wolves were rescued from extinction and to actually see the first life-size mount known to exist, along with all the artifacts preserved and donated to the Kane Historic Preservation Society.”

  Plans are for Tanya to be unveiled on June 23 during Reunion Weekend at the McCleery Discovery Center in Kane.

  The wolves have moved three times since the original move to the state of Washington, finally reaching a location that is the closest they have been to their native range since Dr. McCleery began his efforts to make sure the subspecies survived the culling efforts in the West.

  New generations of the wolves continue to thrive, cared for by The McCleery Buffalo Wolf Foundation and living near Bridger, Montana. For more information on the wolves or to see pictures of the living relatives of Tanya and the other wolves that lived in Kane, visit http://mccleerybuffalowolffoundation.org/. While the website currently has pictures and a few videos, a plan is in the works to install video equipment and create a live feed to allow a more realistic viewing of the wolves.

  Currently, visitors to the Bridger site see the wolves in a disturbed state, as there are strangers nearby. A live feed would give any interested viewers a perspective of the wolves as they act on a regular basis.