His tiny orange shirt stands out so brightly against the gray fur of the wolf in front of him. Being as quiet as a church mouse and standing very still his bright 6 year old eyes light up with wonder and awe at the size and beauty of the creature so close he could reach out and touch it. The wolf seems to stare back at first but really she is looking across and behind him to the other wolf pack across the way. Thankfully the glass between them protects my little man from these amazing but dangerous creatures.
My 6 year old son, Jaece, loves animals more than anything. His favorite places include the zoo and any place with horses or cats. He is loving and a cuddler. I thought we would go and see if he liked the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. I wasn't sure if he would love it or be bored by it. We left in time to have 2 hours of time there before closing. I figured if he got bored we could go sledding after.
The wolves proved to be his favorite of all the places to go and look. We walked around and saw and explored a lot but he always came back to the building he could best watch these guardians of the wild.
It makes sense he would most identify with the spirits of these animals since his own soul has always been loyal to a fault as well as protector of all he loves around him despite his small size. Like the wolves he makes extremely strong attachments. He has extra strong senses including his emotional ones.
Surprisingly he had very little interest in the grizzly bear, Spirit. I had assumed this would be the most exciting part of the educational rescue center but he only wanted to spend about 5 minutes watching her before asking me where the wolves were.
The cold blooded creatures including the salamander, snake and frog also held his attention for a long time. He went to each tank numerous times to find the creatures hiding in their separate habitats.
In the wake of such an increase of tourism in the area many tourists and even some locals do not understand how dangerous these animals can be or know how to respect their home here. When animals including grizzly bears begin showing no fear of humans it becomes an issue. While officials who love these animals hate to do it they are forced to relocate them elsewhere. If they come back many have no choice but to euthanize the animals in order to prevent any human deaths. The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center opened almost 4 decades ago as an alternative for these bears to death. Instead of euthanizing they go to the center and many can come see them and be educated on them.
To see the wolves and bears from the comfort of home the GWDC website has cameras set up to watch them anytime your heart desires. All profits from visiting go toward these animals or helping bears out in the wild.
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