Captive Wildlife

At an al fresco conference dinner in Aspen, we were treated to the presence of a couple of wildlife welfare organizations. Hawk Quest (www.hawkquest.org) is a Colorado non-profit that seeks to educate the public about eagles, hawks, owls and falcons. It was a unique opportunity to get right up close to uncaged raptors, tethered by their keepers. The birds didn't seem, um, ruffled by the attention of the public. This beauty (below), was rehabilitated by the organization after losing an eye.


On the other side of the outdoor event were a couple of wolves brought by The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center (www.wolfeducation.org), which also operates a public wildlife sanctuary in Divide. Yes, they look like dogs, at least until you see how rangy they really are, and how long and powerful their back legs are. This one was happy to get a drink in the polished fountain of the five-star resort. The wolves were also non-plussed at the sounds and distractions of the public, even pausing to give a friendly face wash to those who leaned down close and forgot they were putting their face near the teeth of a wild animal.