While in Ely, MN, we got to see wolves and bears, up close and personal. Our friends the Eberts took us to the International Wolf Center and the North American Bear Center.

The International Wolf Center

The International Wolf Center is run by the MN DNR. It is a great experience and you can learn a lot about the reestablishment of wolves in North America. They have four “Ambassador” wolves in their Exhibit Pack and one retired wolf at this time; Boltz, Denali, Grayson, and Axel.

As the wolves get older, just like us, they get weaker. At some point it is no longer safe to leave them with the rest of the pack, so they move into their own private retirement den. They currently have one wolf in the retired pack; Grizzer.

They were supposed to get a new pup this year, but because of lack of staff because of the Corona Virus, it had to be put off until next year.

They have daily and specialty programs for your enrichment and education. There are also displays to educate you about the wolves and ways you can support them in the wild. However, many people believe they have become overpopulated and are causing too much damage to livestock and other wild animals.

The North American Bear Center

In our opinion we liked the North American Bear Center better. The Bear Center is a 501(c)(3) (non-profit) established by Dr. Lynn Rogers Ph.D. They are supported by visitors, gift shop sales, and donations.

The Bear Center currently has 4 bears at the center; Ted, Holly, Tasha, and Lucky. There is a large wall of windows where you can watch the bears interact in their natural environment. We got to go on a behind the scenes tour and see an ambassador bear up close and personal.

There is also a very large exhibit in the Ecology Hall of other wildlife that share the woods with the bears. The cub room is an educational experience for kids of all ages.

Dr. Lynn Rogers

Dr. Rogers is a very accomplished biologist and author with over 50 years as a biologist studying wildlife, specializing in bears. At the center, there is a 1/2 hr. video you can watch in the theater about him and all the research he has done on bears. In the video you actually see him put a collar on a wild non-tranquilized bear. He also removes cubs out from under their mother in their den to check on their condition.

Dr. Rogers is a member of the church where my friend Curt Ebert is the pastor. So they are friends of his and they got to go to his private research cabin and meet several wild bears. I got to see pictures of them feeding by hand and hugging some wild bears!

One of the main things Dr. Rogers wants to teach people, is they do not have to be so afraid of BLACK bears. 99.9% of the time they are not aggressive like grizzly bears are. They are much more afraid of you than you are of them.

We spent 9 days in Ely, and wish we had more. We will definitely be making a trip back. The area is beautiful and there is so much outdoor stuff like hunting, fishing, and hiking that I love to do. One thing we will definately plan is to spend much more time in both the International Wolf Center and the North American Bear Center.

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