Officers and
Board of Directors:

Nancy Smith: President & Director
Michael Kloman: V. P. & Senior Director
Deanna Deppen: Secretary & Director
Jamie Wills: Secretary & Director

Board of Advisors

At Shy Wolf Sanctuary, all officer and board positions are held by volunteers.

Mission Statement

Our mission is first and foremost, to provide a home for displaced animals. Second, to encourage empathy and understanding in people towards all life; and third to bring about awareness of breeding practices that put these animals and others like them in harm's way.

"From the heart, for the animals"

      An exciting variety of animals coexist at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Education and Experience Center, Inc. Shy Wolf is licensed by both state and federal entities and is inspected on a regular basis. The Center began with Moondance, the Black Asian Leopard back in 1993. Today, Shy Wolf is now is a refuge for a Jaguar-Leopard cross, several Cougars, numerous Wolves and Wolf-Dogs. The rescued also include a pair of Coyotes, Sugar Gliders, Fennec Foxes, three Prairie Dogs and even a Florida Gopher Tortoise named Sara. (In fact, this is one of the few places permitted to care for the threatened Florida Gopher Tortoise.) Even those not so exotic find their way to Shy Wolf Sanctuary. Scooter, Turbo and Miss Chatty cat have found a home here. Nancy Smith has been offering sanctuary and a home to exotic, stray and injured animals for over nine years. The expense of caring for these animals has been carried by Nancy and her husband, Kent, with an occasional donation by visitors. Nancy, her husband, and a few volunteers over the years have built enclosures, cleaned and maintained the facility and helped with feeding the animals.

   The year 2001 saw the formation of Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Education and Experience Center, Inc. a Florida Nonprofit Incorporation. Shy Wolf is also recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation by the Internal Revenue Service. In November of 1999 Michael Kloman began volunteering here at Shy Wolf. It was not long after that he was mentioning "Shy Wolf Sanctuary" (a name given informally by Michael) at the local dog park, where he takes Nakipa, his wolf/dog. Michael took advantage of two local talk radio shows to bring Shy Wolf Sanctuary from being known by word of mouth to a broad radio market bringing more visitors to Shy Wolf Sanctuary. The spring of 2001 brought Deanna Deppen to Shy Wolf after meeting Michael and Nakipa at the local PetSmart store. With her enthusiasm and connections she was able to get both local newspapers and the television news to do a story along with a spot for us on a live TV morning news show! The year 2001 also brought cooperation between Federal Wolf/Dog Rescue of Tampa and Shy Wolf Sanctuary in the placement of two rescue animals.

   We here at Shy Wolf Sanctuary look forward to the continuing expansion of our educational programs. Working with local and state Animal control officials, schools, visitors of Shy Wolf Sanctuary and outings at local public events, we hope to bring the plight of both domesticated and wild animals to a larger audience. A large part of the focus of Shy Wolf Sanctuary's mission is the continuing education of the public about breeders who misrepresent and sell animals unscrupulously only to have the animal dead or at a rescue. With an eye towards a healthy environment and the unfortunate destruction of wildlife habitat, Shy Wolf Sanctuary has taken part in local Earth Day events to help bring about a better understanding of the small world we live in. Together, we all can make a difference.