Grizzly Discovery Center... A Bear and Wolf Preserve
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The Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana, a bear and wolf preserve, opened to the public in 1993 with the intent of educating visitors about the lives, habits, history, and behaviors of grizzly bears and gray wolves. Visitors are able to watch grizzlies and wolves in naturalistic habitats outside, while inside the building educational exhibits discuss bear biology, behavior, and habitat needs. Exhibits teach people how to safely enjoy the backcountry in an effort to help reduce human/bear conflicts. Educational movies are shown in the theater during the day, and staff talks are presented on a regular basis. Topics and times are posted at the front desk.
The bears' natural habitat area contains two ponds, a flowing stream, lodgepole pines, rocks, and downfall. They behave in the habitat area much as they would in the wild. The bears sleep and eat in the security of their individual dens within a building behind the habitat. No one is allowed within this building except for those staff members who work directly with the bears. This promotes a feeling of security for the bears.
The Grizzly Discovery Center currently cares for eight bears who have been rescued over the past six years. Many were orphaned as young cubs, but others were identified as "problem" bears and scheduled to be destroyed due to their habituation to human food. The center offers these wild bears a second chance to live happy, active, and diverse lives in captivity. The bears rotate between their denning building and the habitat area during the day. With random play partners, random times out, and various other environmental and behavioral enrichments, the lives of the bears at the center are enhanced. Visitors see the bears roll, wrestle, mock-fight, forage, and play throughout the day.
Here's a brief biography of these bears:
TobyBorn in captivity in February 1990, he's a Kodiak brown bear, the largest of the three brown bear sub-species to which grizzlies belong. Toby loves to topple trees and impress the visitors.
FredAs a young bear in Alaska's Denali National Park, he was deemed a "problem" bear, as he'd become habituated to garbage at a park lodge. A seven-year-old Alaskan grizzly, Fred is observant of all the happenings both inside and outside the habitat.
Revel & StokeThese twin brothers from British Colombia were born in 1995. The two were orphaned when their mother was killed in defense of property in Canada. Revel's lighter color distinguishes him from his darker sibling.
Sam & IllieThese twin grizzlies, born in February 1996 in Alaska's King Salmon area, were found abandoned/orphaned and habituated to a fishing community. They arrived at the center at about eight months of age. The fate of their mother is not known.
Dobuk & NakinaThis brother and sister pair were born in 1998 and are the youngest twin grizzlies at the GDC. They too were orphaned after a landowner killed their mother and sibling cub near Delta Junction, Alaska.
The Gallatin Wolf Pack consists of ten gray wolves who were born in captivity and originated from four different litters. The now cohesive pack consists of seven females and three males. Due to their exposure to humans, they can never be released into the wild.
Wolf social structure is one of the most fascinating of wild animals. Wolves possess a dynamic and strong "family" structure that can be observed as the animals exercise if you know what you are looking for. Look at body posturing, ear position, location in their habitat, and tail position as the pack goes through social ladder changes.
Editorial copy courtesy of the Grizzly Discovery Center.
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