Kiya

Born in 2008
Passed away on July 23, 2015

Sex: Female
Lived with Oreo and Buku

Kiya’s Story

Kiya came to us from Broomfield, CO, where she had been living in a small apartment. As commonly happens with pet wolves, Kiya’s natural behavior was misinterpreted and she lost her home when she challenged a neighbor who tried to take a shoe out of her mouth.  When Kiya’s owner was ordered to get rid of the wolf, Mission: Wolf decided to take her in.

We later discovered that Kiya is a direct sister of our resident wolf Max. Both Max and Kiya were sold to private owners by a breeder in Canada and advertised as suitable family pets. In both cases, the wolves proved difficult to handle when they reached maturity. They became territorial over objects and were fearful of all people except those they had known as puppies.

Kiya lived the rest of her life in a large secluded enclosure at the bottom of our valley with Buku and Oreo, two goofy wolf-dog brothers. They were often seen playing together, searching for new ways to get into mischief. Kiya’s story serves as a reminder that wild animals communicate differently than domestic animals, and that wolves are amazing animals but not amazing pets.