International Wolf Center

On a beautiful day in June, my son and I visited the International Wolf Center just north of Ely on Highway 169.  The residents of this place are four Great Plains Wolves that are called Ambassadors by the people who work with them.  It is their mission to teach people the facts about wolves and to dispel myths and rumors that cause fear of these beautiful creatures.

When we arrived a presentation called Wolfology had just started.  In this presentation visitors learn about wolves while observing them in action.  The employee that lead the presentation was not only knowledgeable about the wolves, but also passionate about educating others.  She used a power point and props such as a wolf fur, a cast of a wolf print, and even fur-covered scat.  I learned that wolves have much better senses than humans.  They can hear from six miles away and can smell things a mile away.  Our presenter said that once the wolves began howling and no one knew why until a couple minutes later when an ambulance passed by with sirens blaring.  As if they had been cued from backstage, in the middle of the presentation, a wolf appeared from the woods.

Denali, a five year old grey wolf, came bounding down the ledge.  He came up to the windows and then laid down in the sun.  I was told by another worker that wolves do not sweat.  They dispel heat by panting.  So the wolf laying in the sun wasn't being lazy, just trying to stay cool while enjoying some sun.  The presenter said that wolves are pack animals.  They like to stay together.  Denali is the pack leader.  The others follow his lead.

Again, as if on cue, the other three wolves came out of the woods and laid down next to Denali.  The Interpretive Center has large picture windows that look out over the wolves natural habitat.  The wolves are used to having people on the other side of the glass so they come right up to the glass.  Visitors can be just a mere three feet from these beautiful creatures.

Before leaving we also spent time enjoying the Wolves and Humans Hands On Exhibit.  This hands-on exhibit was designed by the Science Museum of Minnesota to educate visitors about the ongoing fascination and conflict with wolves.  We started our tour by sitting down and reading the stories about wolves that were bound in leather.  The stories included folklore from Europe and North American.  Only the story from Japan presented wolves in a positive light.  The rest presented wolves as vicious and cunning creatures who attack humans.  We moved on and read the exhibit about the myth of werewolves.  In the center of the room there is an exhibit with wolves and other animals in various poses.   A video monitor plays a video for each pose.  One of the poses shows what the dominant male of a pack looks like.  Another shows what submissive members of the pack look like.  That one reminded me of my own dog.






http://www.wolf.org/wolves/