Our Human Pack

Brittany first fell in love with wolves when she was just 8 years old and has been actively pursuing her dream of working with them ever since! Though she is Minnesota born and raised, her passion for wildlife has led her all over the United States where she has gained experience caring for wolves, big cats, primates, reptiles, and so many more.
As a long-time supporter of Wild Spirit, Brittany has always admired the sanctuary’s dedication toward making our rescues’ health and happiness our number one priority, and with her knowledge of concepts like animal health and behavior, enrichment, and operant conditioning, she’s excited for the opportunity to further contribute to that philosophy!

It goes without saying that the role of Executive Director is one that encompasses many responsibilities, but as she prepares to follow in the footsteps of those that came before her, Brittany is confident about her abilities to lead the team toward continued growth that will forever aim to honor each of the “wild spirits” that call the sanctuary home.

Paul is a returning member of the Wild Spirit team, having first volunteered back in 2015 and 2016 while he obtained his Bachelors in Wildlife and Fisheries Management. Paul has since graduated, and transitioned into a career in Conservation Biology, participating in Recovery Action Plans for endangered species around the globe. This includes species such as Tasmanian devils, dingos, spotted-tailed quolls, howler monkeys and scarlet macaws.

Over the duration of Covid, Paul also spent his time working and apprenticing as an animal trainer. Having completed his apprenticeship, Paul intends to fill a niche role in the industry as a Conservation Trainer, using positive reinforcement techniques and environmental enrichment to increase the reintroduction success of captive breeding programs.

Wild Spirit has always been on his mind, and after 7 long years, he has finally returned to call it home once again.

Jillian first came to Wild Spirit as a summer intern in 2023. She instantly fell in love with the wolves and staff during her short time here. And she knew she wanted to come back and possibly work here in the future.

After graduating college at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with a wildlife ecology and management degree, she pursued another internship which focused on exotic and native felines to gain more experience and knowledge in the captive wildlife field. However, her love for wolfdogs never ceased and she knew she wanted to pursue wolf sanctuaries for the rest of her life.

Now she has come back as a staff member and is loving her time here already! She especially loves seeing Cassian everyday, who is her favorite wolfdog on site.

As a rather small carnivore, Maya came to Wild Spirit hoping to learn the secrets to success from one of the most iconic carnivores, the wolf. Even though wolves have fascinated her since she was a toddler, this is her first big step towards a lifelong dream of working with them. In her free time, Maya can be found exploring nature, making art, conversing with the spirit realm, experiencing psychic visions, and other typical woodland fairy activities. Since her magical abilities appear to be strengthening around the wolves, she plans to continue working alongside canines and contributing to the conservation of other misunderstood predators. Maya dreams of future where humans can peacefully coexist alongside the natural world and its inhabitants in all their wild beauty!

I grew up in South Dakota and although I have always had a strong love of animals, I didn’t realize I could make a career out of it, until after college. I attended the University of Montana, where I earned degrees in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology. I worked in various research labs handling animals like mice and degus. Since graduating, I have worked with rodents, chimpanzees, and cats (small to big). I am looking forward to adding wolves and other canids to that list!

Chris looks human, but don’t let him fool you! He is the actually a robot created and operated by the precocious, young pup featured in the photo: Saruman. Born and raised in Saugerties, New York, Saruman always dreamed of being an animal caretaker. With his small stature, he knew his goals were both literally and figuratively out of reach . . . until he began developing C.H.R.I.S. (Cool Hairy Really Interesting Servant).

Chris can perform complicated tasks, such as attending University for Animal Science, picking up litter and scat, informing others of the complete history of sliced bread, and of course, tending to his master’s every need. To start his journey, he decided it would be best to learn from his ancestor–the wolf–before applying himself to other species in need. With this groundbreaking innovation, the productivity of our sanctuary has increased 10 fold! To order your very own Chris, please visit our gift shop and type in “definitely not a scam”; if Saruman is in the mood he may create one just for you!

Jacob, or “Fish” as he’s commonly referred to as, came to us from Detroit on the recommendation of a friend. He’s been a great asset to our team, with the exception of the insane amount of time he spends in the bathroom. Fish spends his evenings blowing glass, and hanging out with his cat, “Special Agent Dale Cooper”.

Decades of working have given her a huge heart for non-profits and their respective visions. Though Merry is an avid animal lover and owner of a dappled mini para-weenie, she’s never worked with animals with the exception of a feral, bare-footed childhood with her beast of a sibling. While her sibling was eventually tamed, Merry remained a red-headed messy-haired hippie.

She hopes to crunch Wild Spirit’s numbers into submission and form meaningful connections with staff and rescues alike.