International Wolf Center

Students from Wilkin and Otter Tail counties spent the night with wolves this week.

Milan Drewlow, 4-H program coordinator for Wilkin County with the University of Minnesota Extension and four other adults chaperoned 23 students to the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minn. Monday.  They participated in a two-day wolf sampler program, which entailed two on-site programs at the center and two field trips.

The students learned about the hunting and feeding behavior of the center's ambassador wolves and the history of wolves. They spent the night in front of the wolf viewing window.

Visitors to the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minn., have the chance to get up close to the facility’s ambassador wolves. The hand-raised grey wolves are used to educate people about wolves and wolf survival. courtesy international wolf center

"We learned how wolves react to humans and about predator-prey relationships," Drewlow said. "We saw videos of wolves tracking deer, and learned how they work together as a pack."

Students went on a hike and identified trees and plants in the area, and that evening went on an expedition and learned how to howl like the wolves. The next morning students learned how radio collars are put on wolves to track them.

The center, which opened in 1993, has five ambassador wolves, which are captive animals and live on more than an acre of land. Three wolves are retired and live in a separate enclosure away from public view. The grey wolves come to the center as pups at about two weeks of age, said Jessica Edberg, information services director at the International Wolf Center. The animals allow visitors to observe wolf behaviors.