Sunday, August 8, 2010

Wolves…

After wandering around the ‘Grand Canyon of the North’, we kept on driving north to Ely. Our destination..the International Wolf Center. They have ambassador gray wolves in their natural habitat on display to educate people about the world of wolves. One of the theaters has windows and a bench running the entire length for viewing. The wolves were raised by people and then introduced to the pack, so they are comfortable with people moving around behind the glass. People are not allowed to go out there, even the people working there don’t, because they can easily pick up nervousness, or illness, or even a pregnancy that was unknown at the time!

They are fed once a week on Saturday evening after the center is closed for the day, but for an additional fee, you can stay and watch the wolf pack dynamics of a ‘kill’. They are fed ‘road kill’ that has been frozen to kill any parasites or bugs etc., then thawed, compliments of the people that live near Ely (they all know to call the Wolf Center when they come across ‘road kill’, and someone from the center will drive out and pick it up). Their two choices for dining enjoyment are deer or beaver.

The wolves come from other Wolf Habitat centers and are not put back into the wild. The sole reason for this center is to teach people about wolves, how they interact with each other, what they eat, the importance of Alpha and Omega, and what that body language and howling means.

They have over one and 1/2 acres of wooded land to hide in if they feel like being aloof, and a large pond with a bridge to play in if they want.

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