|
Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana
When I'd phoned ahead of time, I was advised to get here early before it gets too hot. Once the summer sun rises, the wolves and bears are loathe to do much til it cools off. So I arrived bright and early. The Grizzly Discovery Center (GDC) is housed in a complex which also includes a brewpub, an IMAX Theatre, and some gift shops. There's also a gift shop within the GDC and I was pleased to see that it wasn't the same old junk that is at most gift shops.
After paying, you enter a small museum which is mostly geared towards kids. Lots of things to light up and hear recorded facts about bears and wolves. There are also a lot of printed handouts for adults to read. Outside, you'll first encounter the wolves which are housed on the right hand side. The entire left side of the facility is for the bears. The bears are rotated into the play yard and between rotations, employees go into the yard and leave stuff for the bears. They hide fruits and veggies in the logs or under rocks, they'll smash watermelons on the rocks and throw out giant blocks of ice, which have food frozen inside, into the pond. All of this is done to give the bears something to do.
Similar tactics are done for the wolves to keep them busy. Bones will be frozen in blocks of ice which are then thrown into their pond. Splashing into the pond, the blocks of ice simply bob away from the wolves when attacked. Also, food will also be hidden in the enclosure, buried, or hidden in trees forcing the wolves to use their imagination in retrieving the items.
|
