Living and dying with the spirit of the wolf


Jami Willard and Gead, a wolf hybrid she once owned. Photo submitted

Jami Willard was as proud as the animals she cared for


by Jeanne Daniels and Raelynn Hunter

DANBURY - After the sudden and unexpected death of Jami L. Willard, 50, Danbury on May 22, 20 adult timber wolf hybrids needed someone "anyone" to take care of them.

Thanks to friends and supporters of Willard's love of the wolf, her wolves will be given a new life in a sanctuary in Colorado created just for hybrids.

Last Friday, just one day after the wolves were taken into custody by the American Humane Society based in Golden Valley, Minn., more than $8,000 was raised by individuals to help pay for Willard's memorial needs as well as to pay for the cost of shipping her beloved beasts “ as she called them “ to the W.O.L.F. sanctuary. This sanctuary is a national rescue organization for wolf hybrids, located on more than 180 acres in the mountains just 15 miles northwest of Forth Collins, Colo. A transport date to the sanctuary has not yet been set.

Those who knew Willard best, unanimously stated that her wolves were her family. They were her children. Just like any mother, or rather, the leader of the pack, as was Willard's case, she took care of the kids first and took care of herself last.

Willard raised hybrid timber wolves for over 25 years. Throughout those years, when she wasn't working locally as a bartender, she would spend most of her time tending to their every need. When they were babies, she bottle fed them from the time they were two or three days old because it was her experience that mother wolves tend to roll over on their young and inadvertently suffocate them. She also kept the cubs inside her home.

With so many mouths to feed, Willard had to keep up with supply and demand. Merritt McDowell, owner of Hootie's Drive Inn, Danbury, stated he sold as many as 10 bags of feed to Willard every week.

"She took better care of her animals than she took care of herself," McDowell said.

Willard was also brought deer on a regular basis and the wolves were allowed to eat the meat. The area was cleaned and the carcasses were burned in the spring.

According to Scott Thalin, Danbury, friend of Willard, she was not only a good caretaker, she was also a responsible breeder. Thalin said she kept very good records regarding the pack and their offspring and often limited breeding to one female per year. She kept records of where all the sold cubs were and kept track of breeding lines to avoid inbreeding. She also reportedly ran background checks on potential buyers and if she felt someone wasn't right for raising a wolf, she wouldn't sell the cub, according to those who knew her.

Friends said Willard's respect for the wolves included the understanding that they are a wild animal that cannot be trained. She believed that hybrid wolves were not dangerous or vicious, but also believed they should never be treated like a domestic animal. Once they are bonded to you, however, they are bonded for life.


Local and national attention

Willard's wolves received both local and national attention.

Thalin explained the wolves were a popular attraction for Falun preschool kids for years. He said Willard was previously a teacher for the preschool his daughter attended and the students used to have field trips to Willard's home to play with the wolf cubs.

On a larger scale, however, was the national acclaim Willard's wolves received. According to Marge Cook, Danbury, one of Willard's wolves appeared in the 1990 movie "Dances with Wolves."The wolves were also featured in National Geographic magazine and their photos appeared on post cards and in various magazines.

Located within Willard's home were paintings of the wolves called "The Brat Pack"and Night Life series - Timberwolf done by artist C.J. Connor. They were both autographed by Connor.

In addition to everything she did to take care of her wolves, Willard's friends said she was generous with them, too.

Daisy Eckstrom, Danbury, stated, "Jami was a big-hearted lady. She was one of my best friends and I will miss her."

Friend Kathy Mails, Danbury, shared a similar sentiment, "Jami would give anybody everything in the world and take nothing in return."


Rest of the story

It is for all these reasons that outrage was the foremost emotion from local residents who watched the 10 p.m. news on channel 5 on May 25 which, according to some who saw it, portrayed this story as just another case of animal neglect.

The initial news story that aired on channel 5 indicated that Willard's wolves were living in squalor. The story showed the animals tied to trees, without running water or food with only deer carcasses to eat. What the news story did not indicate fully, according to Willard's friends, was what a desperate situation both financially and physically Jami Willard was in.

Earlier this spring, Willard had become very ill and, unknown to her friends, her house was being foreclosed upon. Money became exceedingly tight and as a result her phone and electricity were disconnected. With a little help from her friends, Willard was able to continue buying dog food and she carried water back and forth to her wolves from a nearby river every day for nearly a month following the disconnection of her electric service.

One friend of Willard's, Kevin Green, formerly of Hertel, said he got increasingly worried about Willard when he couldn't get through to her on the phone. He made a special trip to Danbury from La Crosse on April 1 to check on her.

"Jami knew she was sick. She knew she was dying. She just didn't know how much time she had left,"Green said.

Green also stated he tried to encourage her to go see a doctor, but she wouldn't go. She stayed at home with her pack and did what she could to survive.

Green stated he discussed with Willard the idea of his family moving in to her place to help her take care of the wolves and get the house in running order again. According to Green, Willard wanted him to continue breeding the wolves and bring new life to the operation and was looking into financing so he could purchase her property. Unfortunately, nothing had been put on paper and with Willard's passing, Green's dream of continuing the wolf legacy died, too.

Willard passed on May 22 after a blood clot in her leg traveled to her heart. It is not known what other health ailments she suffered from.


Legal opinion

Julie Turner, detective for the Burnett County Sheriff's department stated she was aware of the plans being discussed between Green and Willard. She also stated it was the corporation counsel that told her and the local sheriff's department the animals had to be removed from the property.

Turner recalled her visit to Willard's home after learning of her passing.

"I received the call about Jami's passing that Monday afternoon," Turner said. "I went to check on her wolves and saw that they were without water and they were emaciated."

Turner said she was surprised to see them in that condition because she had always known Willard to take excellent care of her animals and said everything Willard ever did revolved around her wolves.

Turner also stated she had tried over the last few months to stop and see Willard, but she wouldn't come to the door.

"Jami had been withdrawing from people over the last few months. She was so proud and so stubborn, she was too stubborn to ask for help."


AHS asked to intervene

Because Burnett County is not equipped with the resources or facilities to handle an animal seizure of this magnitude, the Animal Humane Society was asked to intervene.

Keith Streff, director of investigations for the Golden Valley, Minn., AHS, stated his office was initially contacted by Burnett County Humane Society director, Ann Heinrich, because she was aware of the resources available at the Golden Valley facility. Streff stated they had the food, shelter and medical care necessary to restore the hybrid wolves. He also said they were in search of a sanctuary, possibly in Wisconsin or Colorado, that might have room for the entire pack.

Streff said when he reached Willard's property on May 25, what he saw was horrific. He stated, "There was no food, water, power, or shelter and there were deer carcasses everywhere."He continued, "This was a catastrophic situation for these animals."

Although he knew that the animals had been fed and watered by local authorities for at least 24 hours prior to his arrival last Thursday, Streff felt that based on the conditions he observed they were living in, he was surprised the animals were still alive. He stated, "It is a true testament to the survivability of these hearty creatures that they could be subjected to such poor conditions without food and water and still be OK."

Prior to loading and kenneling the wolves for transport, for which some of the wolves needed to be sedated, each animal was given a certification of veterinarian inspection which means the animals showed no signs of communicable diseases such as parvo-virus or rabies. The CVI is not to be considered a clean bill of health.

The animals were given complete physicals once they reached Golden Valley and, according to Ann Heinrich of the BCHS, the wolves were found to be malnourished, dehydrated, parasitized, suffering from neurological conditions and muscle atrophy. They were generally in poor condition.


Hybrids doing well

Streff reported on Saturday, May 27, that all the wolves are doing surprisingly well. He stated, "They are doing much better than expected. They are hydrated, stable and isolated and they are much less anxious than we anticipated they would be."

Streff also explained that because the wolves are a hybrid dog-wolf mix, they are not qualified to be on the endangered species list. Willard's wolves were generally about 85 percent wolf and 15 percent dog. There are also no laws in Wisconsin regarding licensing and/or breeding of hybrid wolves and no county ordinances in place in this regard. There is also no law against keeping an animal chained to a tree as long as food and water are within reach.

Detective Turner had the pleasure of visiting the animal rescue station which housed the wolves over the weekend. She stated, "Although one wolf hasn't eaten yet, none of the wolves have been euthanized."She continued, "The wolf who has been blind all of his life is going to have cataract surgery so he can see and they're also bringing in an orthopedic surgeon to fix any hips that need fixing. It's just amazing what they can do there."

Turner also stated, "Animal rescue footed a huge bill by agreeing to enter a jurisdiction they are nowhere near. They had a vet and a contractor on site, free of charge to Burnett County."

The future for the wolves looks good, Turner stated, and she was informed the majority of the pack will most likely stay together at their new home in the Rocky Mountain state.

As for this story being one of neglect, Turner said, "Jami's only crime is that she was as proud as the animals she cared for."


Donations sought

A nonprofit organization has been created in Jami's name to help fund her memorial and cremation services as well as fund the wolves' trip to Colorado. To make a donation in Jami's name, please send your donation in any amount to the Jami Willard Fund, 2253, Hillsdale Ave., St. Paul, Minn., 55119. The fund will be converted to the Jami Willard Foundation in the near future. The foundation, with the help of various Humane Societies, will provide services to people who've fallen on hard times and aren't able to properly take care of their pets.

A June 17 fund-raising event is being planned in the St. Paul area for Jami's foundation. Corporations such as 3M, REI and Cub Foods are participating


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