fur-ever wild wolves & woods

The staff and volunteers were very nice but the conditions of the animals and the enclosures were very distressing for me. While the wolves had close to passable enclosures, the mountain lions were in very tiny pens (sometimes more than one to a cage). The public were able to feed animals through PVC pipes (WHAT?!) and, to get the fisher out into the public view, one of the volunteers banged on its hideaway place with a stick until it emerged, clearly agitated.Maybe the hearts of the people who run Fur-Ever Wild are in the right place, but they need to seriously reconsider how they're housing, feeding, and exhibiting the animals. Many of the animals were clearly stressed, agitated, and/or lethargic. I express these concerns as a graduate student of animal behavior who has frequented many zoos, research facilities, and sanctuaries over the years. I've seen how healthy, well-cared-for foxes, wolves, and mountain lions act in captivity. These animals were none of the above. To the owners of this facility, I implore you: PLEASE do something about the unacceptable condition of your animals. Do NOT teach people that it's okay to feed wild animals, much less wild carnivores. Do NOT put more than one mountain lion in an enclosure (they are solitary animals that need adequate room to roam). Place more foliage and shelter-type structures in with the animals so they can get away from viewers from time to time. Captive or not, human noise and presence (ESPECIALLY in large numbers) is VERY STRESSFUL to wild animals. They need opportunities to seek privacy and, for the love of everything, respect that privacy and DON'T BANG ON THEIR HIDEAWAYS JUST SO THE PUBLIC WILL BE HAPPY.

It was sad to see all the animals in such small cages. The wolf enclosures were a little larger, but there were several animals in them. You could feed the smaller carnivores "kibbles" through long white tubes and throw hot dogs at the wolves to eat. All the animals were begging for food. The cougars were in very small cages. I was told that they were being built a larger enclosure, but I can't see that it would large enough for the number of animals that were there. And they keep breeding them? Where will they put them all? I won't be back.

I got a groupon for this and really wish I hadn't gone. The wolves and horses had enclosures that were okay as far as size goes but all the other animals were in tiny cages. The full-grown cougar was pacing and obviously not well in a cage that was probably the same square footage as my small bedroom. The raccoons were in a cage the size of a small closet and were climbing the walls of the cage trying to get out. The arctic foxes were the saddest though. One of them waited around at the bottom of the PVC tube that people can drop food (hot dogs or dog biscuits!) into and he seemed confused and couldn't easily find the food even when it came out right in front of him. The other one in the cage I didn't even see at first because he was in the back of the cage, slumped on the top of the kennel with his eyes open and staring listlessly but not moving. Not even food could get him to move. His eyes were open but he showed no signs of response to anything. He was totally lethargic. I didn't even bother looking at the other animals because the ones I saw were so upsetting. My friends were going to look at the fisher, who was in his kennel sleeping but they decided to give it a pass when the staff person said she could get him to come out by banging the side of his kennel.I thought these might be temporary cages for when visitors come so I asked one of the staff people and she said no, these are the cages they live in year-round. The water dishes in most of the cages were totally frozen so the animals had no access to fresh water. A lot of the animals were overweight, likely from lack of exercise and people feeding them hotdogs all day. This is not a sanctuary of any sort. This is a for-profit enterprise. If you care at all about the welfare of animals, you shouldn't go. I wish I hadn't because now I can't get those images out of my head.

Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with my visit to this "animal sanctuary." I visited during the winter with my sister and nephew. Upon entering, we were greeted by a man holding a large fox that my nephew was able to pet, which was very exciting! Upon closer inspection though, we noticed the fox could barely hold his head up and looked like he may have been drugged. The wolves had a fairly open enclosure, but the large cats and other animals (cougars, fox, raccoons, etc.) had shockingly small cages- probably the size of an average dog run. It was very depressing for us to see. We did not see any educational signs near the cages. You are also allowed to feed any of the animals which I found odd because there are many reasons (in human favor) that you should not feed wild animals. Hopefully some wildlife advocates will close this place down and get them transferred to a proper place... or at least require the animals have larger cages.

If you are an adult animal lover, this place will be hard for you to visit. Most of the these beautiful, majestic animals are reduced to small cages and getting fed hot dogs by guests through a PVC pipe. Really hard to experience for my husband and I.

Too many animals put in very small cages. Animals looked agitated, they were pacing and growling. Several animals put together in very small cages with nowhere to go. Strange dead animal decorations (skulls and stuffed animals). Dead deer carcass in wolf enclosure, made a few children cry. Please don't waste your money by supporting this place.

Run down. Small cages. Poor facilities. Save your money. The walk way was all mud and the animals did not appear to be enjoying their small cages. Couldn't wait to leave.

I love animals, so this proved to be the perfect spot to see Minnesota wildlife!The cougars were purring and chirping, the wolves were howling, the little munchkin kitty was darling, and the albino raccoons were amazing. Loved the foxes, baby cougar, prairie dogs, bobcats. So much cooler than a zoo! It's really fun.There are going to be over 50,000 lights for the holiday season!!!! Can't wait to see that!

Really amazing spot in Lakeville. A surprising variety of species, and fruendly staff. It was such a great time feeding the chickens who roamed around while we explored, and we even got to see a baby cougar.

Visited From UK. Had the opportunity to go in the pen with four male wolves around 6 months old. Best experience of my life! Lots of Wolves to see plus Cougars, foxes, racoons etc. great place to visit, not to big, well run by Terri who was very patient answering all my questions. Can't wait until next year to see the new litters of wolf cubs. Very cheap to go in, so dig deep in your wallets and give them a good size donation to help feed the animals.

A fun miniature zoo, if you will, out in rural Lakeville. We had an excellent and very informative tour. No rushing, took our time and asked questions. Were treated like stars! This was a really fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I have visited Fur-ever Wild several times. The last time I took my 10 year old niece who happens to have downs syndrome. What a great time she had, she got to feed the animals and learn about some of our native wild life. It was clean - well organized and a very safe enviroment. It is obvious that the animlas are well taken care of and loved. We are going back when the puppies are born this sping! We can't wait!!

Fun and educational for all ages! My family discovered Fur-Ever Wild and have spent hours there touring, hanging out, taking photos. Everyone gets a personal guided tour that can go as long as an hour! We enjoyed it so much we started volunteering there! (anything to get my daughter to WANT to learn!) I have to say I'm impressed with the knowledge of the staff and attention to safety. I highly recommend everyone take an afternoon and check it out!

Love this place. We have had the pleasure of walking around with volunteers and learning more about the animals. I am sure we will be back again this year too!

If you are an amateur photographer that loves animals, this is the place. The animals love the volunteers and people that come to visit and come right up to greet everyone. Obviously these animals are well cared for and respected. I initially went to cause a stir about the fur farm issue from the last review and I got the answers I needed. They are a fur farm and that helps them classify the animals as agricultural rather than wild/exotic. They do use the fur from the animals- when the animal dies from natural causes, they use everything the animal has to offer for educational purposes. The USDA does not license facilities to raise animals for fur. Fur-Ever Wild does have 2-3 wolf pelts for sale from animals that passed several years ago. They said the last time they sold a wolf pelt was several years ago. So, I went there to be an advocate for the animals because of a previous review and I was frustrated and angry. After talking with my tour guide (yes, they take you on an excellent tour) I changed my whole frame of mind. I learned about the animals, I saw the love the animals had for the owners and staff and vice versa, the area is clean and animals are safe. The tour guide answered my questions and was clear about what the main mission was. The cougar cubs are adorable!! I doubt the last reviewer even visited the facility she just looked it up and saw fur-farm. I, on the other hand, am very happy that I visited and will be bringing my family and friends this coming weekend. So, a bad review made me go and visit and I instantly fell in love with the staff and the animals!!! This all from a bird lover!!!