A Word From Ivy Raen
Ever since I was a young child, I loved animals. In fact, ever since I was brought home from the hospital just days after my birth, I was introduced to my very first childhood dog, Midori, a black Kai Ken. She was very protective of me and lay underneath my crib every night, not allowing anyone other than my parents to hold me. I grew up with Midori and wrote stories about her in my journal. Throughout my earlier years, I got really into dogs, horses, dolphins, and butterflies. My grandmother and great-aunt had a small terrier dog named Ellie who we frequently visited as we were a close family. In 2013, we settled with my grandfather and grandmother on their farm in Arizona, where they owned two beloved farm dogs: Bitsy, an Australian shepherd, and Nikki, a black lab/aussie whom I would patrol the farm with on my mini electric car. Midori joined in sometimes too. Sadly, Bitsy was fatally struck by a car in 2014, and Nikki later passed away in 2017. By that time, we had already moved back to Texas and had been living there for several years.
It was in my Texas home when my animal-related interests shifted into new territory--snakes. I'd always been fond of snakes, but now it was at its peak. My local aquarium had a snake house, and I had the opportunity to handle snakes of all shapes and sizes, from 12-foot Burmese pythons to 5-inch-long rat snake hatchlings. These experiences deepened my love for snakes and reptiles. For my 8th birthday, my parents (reluctantly) got me a baby caramel cornsnake whom I named Hershey. That little snake and I had many adventures, and I enjoyed making videos about him and teaching people about snakes and how they can be very gentle and docile despite the many negative perceptions about them. I even participated in a Halloween snake presentation alongside my dad and taught trick-or-treaters about their true nature. I also got into photography, where I won several Awards of Merit for the photographs of my pet snakes. Over the course of my time in my Texas home, my dad had gotten another snake named JoJo (after Sir Jojo Getback by the Beatles). Around that same time, I fell in love with greyhounds, admiring their speed and resilience. I watched greyhound races religiously (before I discovered the cruelty behind them. Our rental home at the time did not allow dogs or cats, and my childhood dog Midori had passed away by that time, and I wanted my own dog. So, I created an 'imaginary pet greyhound' whom I named Max and took everywhere with me. During that same time, I became infatuated with werewolves and werewolf transformations; specifically American Werewolf in London. I even went as a werewolf one Halloween.
Following that phase, I discovered the Wolf Conservation Center, a center devoted to educating the public about wolves and saving endangered species. When I learned that wolves were being brutally hunted close to extinction, I was determined to help. I began my advocacy journey by learning more about wolves and their conservation; the WCC is my favorite organization. One of the resident black-phase gray wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center named Zephyr caught my eye. I adored his stunning golden eyes and black fur. I desired to protect other wolves just like him- and Zephyr became my provocation for advocacy. Once I learned a little about wolves, I shared this information with friends and family and enlightened them on why wolves are essential and how to protect them. There were moments when it was challenging, especially with legislation aimed at eradicating wolves from the landscape. As I got older, I launched campaigns, signed petitions, continued education, and launched my organization, Conserving the Wolves. Since then, I've spearheaded several campaigns, one of which reached over 60,000+ supporters and counting. I've been incredibly fortunate to have connected with so many like-minded individuals and have so much support behind me. I can't thank everyone enough.
Much more exciting things are coming to Conserving the Wolves in the future, so stay tuned!
-Ivy
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