COLORADO SPRINGS – A new show which premieres on Animal Planet this weekend has ties to Southern Colorado. The premise of the show Wolves and Warriors is to improve the lives of military veterans by enlisting their help rescuing endangered wolves.
The episodes follow the adventures of Navy Veteran Matthew Simmons, co-founder of the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center in California. Simmons leads teams of veterans through remote parts of Minnesota and Montana in search of Gray Wolves who are targeted by trappers or that are in danger of being captured and killed for preying on livestock.
One of the veterans is Jamie Havig who lives in Colorado Springs. He served in Iraq as a Navy Corpsman with the Marines. His current job is to recruit veterans to be on the show. Havig said the veterans connect with the animals in an unexpected way.
“You don’t walk up and say I like that wolf, it looks cool and I want to work with him. It doesn’t work that way. These things are pack animals. They select you based on your vibe. Whatever you’re bringing to the table, either they accept it or they don’t,” Havig said. “One of the wolves is going to pick you to be in their pack and it is outstanding what happens.”
Wolves and Warriors debuts at Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Animal Planet. Jamie is always looking for veterans who are interested in appearing on the show. He encourages them to connect through his Instagram page @The_Dark_Viking.
