Tourists who fail to catch a glimpse of wild wolves restored to Yellowstone National Park can troop to the nearby Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Mont.


For an undisclosed price, the privately owned center recently purchased a 10-member pack from a Montana breeder and unveiled the animals to the public Aug. 7. Director Gale Ford, who has a doctorate in veterinary medicine, says the new pack, along with educational films and lectures, can help dispel myths about the predators.


But unlike the Yellowstone wolves that are free to roam up to 50 miles per day, this pack is permanently confined to two acres of land. Marv Hoyt of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition views the attraction as a profit-making side-show. “These folks aren’t interested in wolves in the wild,” he told the Idaho Post Register. “They’re interested in wolves that they can get somebody to pay to see.”


* Diane Kelly


This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Pay-for-wolf play.

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