All creatures, all species need a place to call their own, a place to call home. But that's especially true for a species as social and territorial as Canis lupus.

The Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania, 465 Speedwell Forge Road, Lititz, is currently an adopted home for 54 displaced gray wolves and wolf-dogs. All of the resident wolves are rescues, from different settings and difficult circumstances in places like Colorado, California, Florida, Canada and even more remote areas of Pennsylvania.

For most, the Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania is their final stop, their forever home.

"We provide a lifelong home for displaced wolves," said Michelle Mancini, the Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania's education coordinator. "They resemble their domestic relatives, but they don't thrive in household settings. They're built to live outdoors. They all come to us from different settings, but the most common is household settings. We also have wolves from a handful of other settings like zoos."

Appropriately enough, more than 80 acres of natural woodlands west of Brickerville serve as the setting for the Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania. Its wolf population is broken down into pairs or packs based on demeanors and personalities, then housed in fenced-in outdoor areas of 1 to 3 acres in size.

"There's a lot of mystery surrounding wolves," said Mancini. "They're very important to their ecosystems. They're super intelligent. They don't respond well to training, but they do well in problem-solving. And they're super strong."

"As individuals, wolves are interesting to learn about," Mancini continued. "They're social, but it takes a long time for them to build trust. Some wolves may be very shy when they get here. Some may trust us over a long period of time, but we don't force anything."

The Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania was formally founded as a refuge in 1980 by Bill and Barbara Darlington. After laws governing the possession of exotic animals changed, the Wolf Sanctuary became inundated with more and more rescue requests.

In 1993, the Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania was opened to the public and was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

"Our secondary mission is education," said Mancini. "We really want to foster a pride for the animal. People either adore them or fear them."

Not only are guided walking tours of the Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania available, they're encouraged. The tours require reservations and serve as both an educational tool and a fundraising mechanism for the refuge.

For additional information about volunteering or donating, go to http://www.wolfsanctuarypa.org.