Like sheep among the wolves

And Lions and Cougars ......

Say hello to the happy sheep of Wolf Run Wildlife Refuge in Nicholasville, KY.  Not only do they have Lions, Cougars, Wolves, Wolfdogs, Foxes, Turkeys, Deer and a few others, but they are also home to 3 rescue sheep who have the run of the property.   In the picture above, the cute little fat tailed one closest to me is extremely friendly and came over for a good chin scratching during my visit,  the fat happy sheep up the hill a ways is blind and the brown sheep(not in the picture) was a wee bit leery of strangers. And to the left of the sheep, you guessed it, a little pack of friendly Wolfdogs.

What prompted my visit to the Refuge was a phone call from my Mom.  She said 'I want to feel the Lions'.  She went on about how she was cleaning out the freezer and since they had way too much meat she wanted the excess to go to feed the lions and it clicked...lol  While I was at it, I cleaned out my fridge too!  Here are a few of the critters I said hello to while I was there visiting.

On the other side of the path behind a double enclosure were two lions.

This is Simba, a full grown lion sans the mane.  He was neutered at a young age thus the lack of a mane.

This little girl was so very happy to say hello to me.

And these two were bouncing for joy.   As I walked around all the little packs of in their enclosures would run up to the fence and bark or wroo at me until I stopped by long enough for everyone to come in for a sniff and say hello.  

Your eyes are not deceiving you.  That is a white deer on the left.

She came straight up to the fence to check me out.

And enjoyed licking the salt from my fingers.

This sweet boy had to get a few licks in as well.

And after this picture, I am vowing to never eat deer meat again.  These are such gentle and sweet animals and he was very insistent on having his chin scratched.  I'm sure I wouldn't be saying that if the two little bucks in the run were in rut, but right now, they are affectionate little guys.

Two cougars.

Bobcats or as we call them in Kentucky 'Wildcats'.

Last but not least the resident donkey with a volunteer who thinks he should be allowed to eat the wolf food too!

If you would like to learn more about the Refuge, I encourage you to visit their website.

They are always in need of donations which can be given via Paypal.

Are you local?  They told me that they can take meat that is past it's expiration date with freezer burn, etc.  As long as it is not rancid or rotten give them a shout.  This is a great way to clean out your fridge;)