SMETHPORT — Terry Burlingame presented a program on the lobo wolves of Kane at the McKean County Courthouse Thursday.

The presentation was for the McKean County Historical Society.

At the age of ten, while spending time with his grandparents who lived in Kane, Burlingame had the opportunity to visit the wolves at the Lobo Wolf Park and was amazed by them. Over the years, his fascination with their story led him to share what he’d learned about them with others.

Dick Bly from the Kane Historic Preservation Society shared archival materials on the wolves with Burlingame.

Using a short slide show, Burlingame introduced the audience to Dr. Edward McCleery, a Kane country doctor, who was dismayed when the government encouraged hunters to kill the wolves as they were considered to be a nuisance. He included “Dr. McCleery” in the presentation with the help of young Matt Boyer, who participated in a question and answer session regarding the wolves. Bly then shared information on the photos and other artifacts — such as a wolf’s pelt and another’s skull — that he and Dennis Driscoll brought with them from the Kane Depot.

It is believed that McCleery’s decision to help save the wolves from this destruction made him the father of wildlife preservation and, with the purchase of his first wolf pup from the Sheridan Zoo in Wyoming, the wolf park began. Over the course of 40 years that he had the park, adults could see the pups for 30 cents and kids got in for 15 cents.

Most of the surrounding community was supportive of his endeavor as it brought in tourist revenue for the area. The high school football team in Kane even named themselves the Wolves and made the wolf the school mascot.

In 1959, when McCleery was 92 years old, Leonard Rue — recognized now as one of the premier wildlife photographers of all time with over 1,800 magazine covers in his career — visited the Lobo Wolf Park. They spoke about the doctor’s work with the wolves, his concern for their continued care when he could no longer provide for them, and some possible options he might consider. With the doctor’s permission, he took many photos of the animals and included them with an article about the park that was published in the Alaska Sportsman magazine. Jack Lynch, an outdoorsman in Wisconsin, saw the article.

Lynch moved to Kane in 1961. He met with McCleery in 1962, expressing his interest in the animals and began helping with their care, eventually replacing him as caretaker. Lynch stayed in Kane for ten years. He decided to move the pack to Gardener, Wash., in 1972, but decided the climate there was not beneficial to the animals so then moved them to Immigrant, Mont., in 1980. When he died in 2006, his wife, Mary, and his son, Ed Wheeler, moved them once again to their present location in Bridger, Mont. Today, only the family gets to see the animals, but a webcam is being developed to allow others to view the wolves in that manner. They are able to maintain their upkeep – it costs $75 to $80,000 a year to feed the animals — through a foundation begun called the McCleery Buffalo Foundation.

One can learn more about McCleery and the lobo wolves at an exhibit on display at the Kane Depot.