Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center

Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
Date opened 1993 [1]
Location West Yellowstone, Montana
Coordinates 44°39′25″N 111°05′54″W / 44.656951°N 111.098391°W / 44.656951; -111.098391Coordinates: 44°39′25″N 111°05′54″W / 44.656951°N 111.098391°W / 44.656951; -111.098391
No. of animals 47 (2017)
No. of species 14
Annual visitors 85000
Memberships AZA[2]
Major exhibits 12
Website www.grizzlydiscoveryctr.org

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center (originally Grizzly Discovery Center) is a not-for-profit wildlife park and educational facility opened in 1993 that is located in West Yellowstone, Montana, United States. It is open 365 days a year, and admission is good for two consecutive days.[3][4]

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

History

The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center was started by Lewis S. Robinson, and opened in 1993 with three bears as the Grizzly Discovery Center. It was intended as a sanctuary for bears that were removed from the wild because they had become too familiar or aggressive with people. In 1995, the G.D.C was sold to New York-based Ogden Entertainment. A wolf exhibit and ten captive-born wolves were added to the center in 1996.[1]

In 1999, Ogden Entertainment decided to close the center if a buyer couild not be found. Three long-term managers of the center formed a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and made a $1.7 million offer to include the center and undeveloped land north and south of the center. The offer was accepted, and was financed by a 30-year financing package guaranteed by a United States Department of Agriculture program for rural development.[1]

The center then made agreements with Yellowstone National Park to host some of the park's programs and to test bear resistant containers for the United States Forest Service. In 2001 it received accreditation from the AZA.[1]

In 2002, the center was renamed "Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center," and purchased two buildings north of the center in order to house the "BEARS: Imagination & Reality" exhibit.[1]

Exhibits

Bears

The bears at the center were all acquired after having become nuisance bears or the orphaned cubs of nuisance bears. They are provided with a large naturalistic outdoor habitat that includes a pool and waterfall, as well as private indoor areas. Bears are rotated into the habitat so that different combinations of bears can interact. Staff hides food in the habitat, and stocks the pond with fish, so that the bears can discover and catch food as they would in the wild.[5]

Bears, Imagination and Reality

This exhibit was originally created by the Science Museum of Minnesota, and is now permanently located at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center after having traveled around the United States. It is an interactive exhibit comparing bears in myth, art, literature, and folklore with the bear known by outdoorsmen and researchers. It contains over 25 taxidermic mounts of grizzly bears and black bears.[6]

Wolves

The center has three packs of wolves. The Granite wolf pack has two wolves with one living there since 2007 and the other wolf has been their since 2009. and were moved into their current habitat in 2009. The River Valley Wolf pack arrived as pups in 2007 and are in a separate habitat. The two habitats are separated by the Naturalist cabin, and the two packs can see each other through the large windows of the cabin. In 2013 the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center added a third wolf habitat for the high country wolf pack until they were moved to a behind the scenes wolf exhibit in 2018. (Source) [7]

Naturalist Cabin

The Naturalist Cabin, located between the center's two wolf habitats, lets visitors see two separate wolf packs from the same indoor location through large floor to ceiling windows facing each of the packs. The cabin also includes interpretive displays and a National Geographic film on wolves, and provides a place for the daily "Pack Chat." [8]

Ground squirrel Exhibit

In 2015 the Grizzly and wolf discovery center added a unita Ground Squirrel Exhibit that allows guests a deeper appreciation of predator and prey relationships. Unlike the center's bears, the Ground Squirrels are allowed to go through their natural hibernation. They emerge in March and go back into hibernation in August. (Source) [7]

Bird Of Prey Exhibits

In 2013 the Grizzly and wolf discovery center added four new bird of prey exhibits that house raptors that can no longer survive in the wild. In 2014 the center added an additional bird of prey exhibit and renovated the former golden eagle aviary into a new home for their bald eagles. The exhibit is open from April to November. (Source) [7]

Warming hut

in 2016 the Grizzly and wolf discovery center built a new viewing area for the bears called the Warming Hut. This new viewing area allows guests to view the bears while staying warm as well. (Source) [7]

Other attractions

In 2014 the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center built a new exhibit called Bears on Easy Street. It’s an exhibit that teaches people how to be bear aware and also ways to keep bears away from your house. In 2013 the Grizzly and wolf discovery center opened a new kitchen behind the scenes, as well as a new playground area for children. A new outdoor amphitheater was added in 2014. (Source) [7]

Future

Future plans include a Riparian Habitat Pavilion and a new bear exhibit. The Riparian Habitat Pavilion will highlight the effect of bears and wolves on the ecosystem. Animals to be exhibited in this pavilion will include river otters, cutthroat trout, boreal toads spotted frogs, and diving birds. The new riparian habitat will also connect the river valley wolf habitat to the riparian building and will cover three acres of GWDC land. This exhibit will be open year-round and is expected to open in spring 2019. The new bear exhibit will allow the center to rescue more bears that can no longer survive in the wild. The new habitat will feature river rapids for the bears to play in, trout for the bears to hunt for and will also rotate in and out of their habitat throughout the day. The new black bear exhibit will be at about 2 acres and is expected to open in 2021. (Source) [7]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Press Room". grizzlydiscoveryctr.org. Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  2. ↑ "List of Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  3. ↑ "Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center". grizzlydiscoveryctr.org. Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  4. ↑ "Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center". visitmt.com. Montana Office of Tourism. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  5. ↑ "The Bears of the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center". grizzlydiscoveryctr.org. Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "Bears: Imagination & Reality Exhibit". grizzlydiscoveryctr.org. Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://www.grizzlydiscoveryctr.org
  8. ↑ "Naturalist Cabin". grizzlydiscoveryctr.org. Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
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