International Wolf Center

The International Wolf Center is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to educating people about wolves. The organization is committed to advancing the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wild lands, and the human role in their future.

Founded in 1985 by a group of biologists led by Dr. L. David Mech world renowned wolf biologist, the Center opened in June 1993. The Center’s 17,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility is located in Ely, Minnesota (USA) and features Gray wolves viewable through large windows that allow visitors to watch the ambassador wolves communicate, play, hunt and eat.

Visitors have the opportunity to look into a 1.25-acre enclosure and den site that is home for the resident wolves which currently feature two Arctic wolves, Malik and Shadow, and two Great Plains wolves, Maya and Grizzer. The Center will introduce two male puppies to this pack in the summer of 2008. In addition to the main enclosure, the International Wolf Center also has a separate enclosure that contains one "retired," 15-year-old Great Plains wolf, Lakota. Also, the International Wolf Center adopted two male wolf pups, Denali and Aidan, in May of 2008.

In addition to the onsite ambassador wolves, the Center offers a variety of educational programs at its Ely interpretive facility as well as wolf hot spots in northern Minnesota and across North America. Afternoon, weekend and week-long programs include howling trips, radio tracking, snowshoe treks, family activities, dog sledding, videos, presentations, flights over wolf country, demonstrations and hikes.

The Center also houses an award-winning museum-quality Wolves and Humans exhibit, the Little Wolf den designed specifically for children ages three to nine, a theatre for watching engaging presentations on the history and behavior of wolves, and the Wolf Den Store.

To help accomplish its mission, the International Wolf Center provides a comprehensive support program for educators, including Distance Learning opportunities that bring the Center into the classroom. The International Wolf Center has sponsored a video game called WolfQuest, which has been developed by the Minnesota Zoo. WolfQuest is an educational computer game that is meant to teach children and teens about the life of a wild wolf in Yellowstone National Park. The first episode has been released, with three more episodes to come.

External links

* [http://www.wolf.org/wolves/index.asp International Wolf Center homepage]
* [http://www.wolfquest.org WolfQuest homepage]