Description: I talked my husband into going to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center the night before we entered the park. I said we should go just in case we didn't see any critters in the park. Very wise decision. These were the only living bears and wolves we saw on our Yellowstone Adventure. When you enter the building there is a small exhibit area that we just did a nominal walk-through. As a graphic designer by profession, I was ashamed that I didn't linger over this display. However, we wanted to get out to see the animals before it got stormy. As it turned out the storm held off, but we were so interested in watching the animals, we forgot to return to the display. Our tickets were good for 2 consecutive days. I think that is a good selling point. The best selling point is the opportunity to watch wolves in their habitat and bears in their habitat from a safe position. There are actually two packs of wolves. From a rustic looking Naturalist Cabin you can watch one or the other back through floor-to-ceiling windows. Scattered about in the wolf habitats are skeletal remains picked clean. We did not see them being fed, but I assurme that are not given live animals to kill for our entertainment. I think the bones we saw were stage dressing. The wolves seemed alert at all times, one resting while others scouted. In the cabin we watched a long video about wolves wintering in the park. Throughout the day special events helped educate the crowd as to various aspects of the wildlife. The one event we watched was called Kid Keepers. Children 5-12 are gathered in a group, given instructions and then led into the Grizzly habitat. Yes, the bears had been cleared out! Each child is given a small pail (beach toy size) with some kind of food that bears really like. We are talking fruits and veggies and possibly Purina Bear Chow. The kids were allowed to scamper all over the habitat hiding the food under rocks and downed tree branches, hiding in clumps of grass and covered with sand. Then the kids and empty pails were carefully counted and marched out of the combound to a special viewing platform. From here they could observe the bears without nasty, inconsiderate, camera weilding adults jumping in front of them. That day the bears that were turned loose in the habitat were twins rescued from Alaska. Sam weighed in at 1,000lbs and his sister Illie weighed 750 lbs.
Most of the bears are here because they had become nuisance bears or garbage can bears. Often they are orphans. The twins found every hidden morsel and were quick about it. As we left the Habitat area we stopped to look at about a dozen or more garbage cans that had been ripped open by Grizzly bears...and some of them were labeled "bear-proof". Ha! For those of you with mobility problems, don't be afraid to visit this place. All the paths are negotiable for walkers, wheelchairs, and the slow of gate. Benches are provided and elevated platforms with a rail to lean on for those who have trouble seeing over crowds. All and all a well thought out arrangement. We did a turn around the gift shop which was geared to items children could buy for a souvenir. I would definately return to this well run attraction.
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