Update on Daphne, our special needs coyote

Click to donate to GTMD24

During the 20 days of GTMD24 Early Giving, leading up to Give To the Max Day on November 21, we will be sharing stories about our Wild Paws residents and what we have been able to accomplish in celebration of our 10th Anniversary this year. Early Giving means you can donate now instead of waiting until Nov 21 (although it will all be tallied on that day.)

Update on Daphne, our special needs coyote

by Elizabeth Gray

As autumn comes to a close, it’s time for an update on Daphne, our special needs coyote. In June we shared that Daphne had sprained her leg. She instinctively knew to rest her leg, and she recovered nicely from her injury. This sprain gave us quite the scare. Thankfully, Daphne recovered quickly and she was back to patrolling her habitat and being her sweet self.

Daphne took full advantage of our nice summer. She spent time napping in the sun, playing with her squeaky toys, sniffing for treats, and enjoying her favorite foods. She put on some weight and is growing a thick winter coat. Daphne looks beautiful and healthy as we head into the cold weather.

We were concerned how the construction of the new Fab 4 Fox Habitat would affect her. Daphne took it all in stride! On the days heavy machinery was clearing trees and pounding support posts, Daphne was unfazed. She has come so far in the past year, and it seems her stress levels have lowered.

What does continue to bother her is conversation. When multiple voices drift into her space, Daphne commences with the spinning. On group volunteer days, she gets an extra dose of her medication to prepare her for the change in normal routine with more people onsite. While this doesn’t completely stop the spinning, it does calm her and she quickly gets back to normal at the end of the day. We must be able to communicate when we are working outside, and we are grateful to see improvement when she gets an extra dose of her medicine.

---

During these last nice days of fall, Daphne got some special surprises from her keepers. She gets a variety in her daily enrichment, including new toys, peanut butter kongs, different scents and treats, to name a few. Our Animal Care Team works hard to ensure that Daphne’s limitations don’t prevent her from a contented life. 

We hope that you enjoy this video of Daphne and special her Halloween enrichment.

---

One nut we have not been able to crack is Daphne’s stress level when it is windy. When the weather is blustery, Daphne gets disoriented and more anxious. One of our generous donors purchased a special winter dog house for her. This dog house is large with a spacious entry/exit. We hope that this allows Daphne to comfortably enter and get herself positioned inside without bumping her head. There is also an extra layer of insulation to help keep her warm and cozy. Working with Daphne involves some trial and error, and we all have our fingers crossed that she will find comfort in her new shelter this winter.

Thank you to all of our followers for joining us on this journey to provide a meaningful life for sweet Daphne!

Wild Paws Progress

2020 has started out with onsite development happening quickly for Wild Paws!

Updated March 26, 2020

First and foremost, these accomplishments wouldn’t have been possible without our lovely donors and hard-working volunteers. So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support.

In the spring of 2018, Wild Paws purchased a beautiful 80-acre parcel of land. With big dreams in mind, we set to work planning each phase of development.

Phase One is currently in construction.

Volunteers have cleared the perimeter of 5.15 acres and the fencing is installed!

●      Electricity has been installed onto the property and we now have power, thanks to your generous donations to our Give MN Give To The Max Day Energize Wild Paws campaign

●      The original shed has been gutted and converted into a tool shed

We are also excited to announce that we have recently secured funding to purchase permanent housing for a resident property caretaker.  A major Legacy donation has been made in honor of Michael Hamlin. This generous gift will allow us to focus our 2020 fundraising efforts on preparing enclosures and habitats for our first resident wild animals.  

Plans are being made to have this residence ready for occupancy by this summer, with enough space for an onsite office for Wild Paws as well.  We also plan to be able to offer housing for a first intern on site when the needs of our program expand in the future.

---

We want to thank our enthusiastic and tireless volunteers for all of their hard work in making this possiible!

---

Within those first five acres, seven permanent habitats will be built. Each habitat will be constructed to the individual animals’ needs. It is our mission to provide every animal we rescue the most natural space possible. Features of the habitats will include:

- Live standing trees for shade

- Logs for climbing and scratching

- Rock walls or man-made concrete caves for privacy

- Natural substrate

- Secure and private lockout area with den

---

We have received many requests to rescue animals in need. Knowing there are animals in need right now is what propels us everyday to work hard and accomplish our goals. We are so grateful for our supporters who have helped us get this far, but there is much more work ahead.

This year we hope to have on-site housing for staff, start building our first habitat(s) and so much more.

We have achieved approximately 65% of our fundraising goal to build our first habitat. We have about $7000 more to raise. Please consider donating to our efforts so we can become a forever home for our first residents. We thank you for your support!