The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center

So, I haven't written in a few days... Yeah I know I suck lol I am not really good at writing every day. I also couldn't think of anything witty to title this post as, so you are stuck with a boring title. I hope that doesn't deter you from reading this.

Well, my blog would not be complete without mentioning The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. The first time we went was in 2006. Just like the name of it says, it is a place where they have wolves and bears. They try to rescue animals who would otherwise die. They also spay and neuter all the animals so that they won't have any babies in captivity. The center would rather not breed their animals.

In 2006, we went just to see what it was about. The center is awesome. They have a little museum inside that teaches about the animals and the history of them being hunted to the point of endangerment. All the animals they have in the museum have explanations of where they came from. A lot of them were the result of illegal hunting and trapping. It is an incredible place. Here are a few pictures of the museum area.

After you walk out of the little museum, you walk outside to where the enclosures are. In 2006, there were only 2 enclosures; one for bears and one for wolves. They had other enclosures in the back so they could change out the bears and so they could keep the older wolves separated from the young ones. I had a chance to adopt one of the wolves. Now, I don't mean really adopt it, haha I just mean donating money to the center and in return I got a picture of the wolf. I decided to adopt Hayden. He was the alpha male of the pack at the time. This is him.
He is so gorgeous. This is one of the pictures I took of him. He seems to have been posing. I loved this wolf dearly. I spent my time taking pictures of him mainly. I was just drawn to him for some reason. Maybe it was because he was so fluffy from his winter coat shedding haha

On the other side of the pathway are the bears. They usually only let one or two grizzlies out at a time. The enclosure isn't big enough for them all to be out at one time. I loved all the grizzlies and didn't really have a favorite. This is one of the bears that was there at the time. I honestly couldn't tell you the difference between the bears there, so I am not sure which one this is.
As we were getting ready to leave, there were a couple of wolf pups in a kennel. We were confused since they didn't allow breeding. We didn't know how they could pups then. We went over to them and learned that a breeder had bred them for a movie, but the movie didn't want them anymore, so they were going to kill the pups. The Center was able to step in and adopt the pups before they were put down. Their names were McKinley and Leopold. They were so adorable.
Now, if these two had been killed, they wouldn't have experienced life at all. Today they are the alpha and beta male of one of the two packs the center now has. They have grown a lot. This is them as of now.
They have grown to be amazing wolves. I wish they could have experienced their lives in the wild, but at least they are alive and healthy.

The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center is a great place to go and learn about wolves and grizzlies. If I lived in West Yellowstone, I would be there every day, either working or volunteering. I love that they have rescued so many precious lives that would have been lost. I don't mind spending the money to go to a place that cares for these animals and loves them the same way I do. I am grateful for the people who own it and take care of the animals.

Hopefully this post made up for the couple of days that I was lacking haha! I love that I actually have people who read this. Thank you! It means a lot to me. I am grateful for my friends and family who support me in what I want to do with my life. I am grateful for the education I am receiving and the professors who are teaching me. I am grateful to be so close to nature. Hopefully I will be better about updating this every day :) I love you all! And I love wolves!