The International Wolf Center maintains a live wolf exhibit featuring our Exhibit Pack to enhance in-person and online educational experiences. Our ambassador wolves play a crucial role in reinforcing our educational messages and fostering a meaningful connection with each of our visitors, both in-person and online. Their presence enriches the experience and embodies our mission to educate and inspire all who encounter them.
Meet Our Exhibit Pack
The Exhibit Pack refers to the wolves in the main enclosure visible to our in-person visitors. Members of the pack may vary as wolves age and new wolf pups are socialized and added to the pack. In 2024, the Exhibit Pack consists of four ambassador wolves: Grayson, arctic gray wolf born on May 2, 2016; Rieka, born May 23, 2021; and Blackstone and Caz, born April 6, 2022.
Please consider making a donation to support our ambassador wolves. Your donation can help us in several ways, including supporting the socialization process of our pups, continuing the care of our ambassador wolves, or honoring any of the “Gone But Not Forgotten” ambassador wolves. Your support can help provide the necessary care for the current and future wolf packmates. There are various ways to support the ongoing care of our ambassador wolves, such as membership, donations, sponsorships, and our Amazon Wishlist.
Grayson
Rieka
Blackstone
Caz
Meet Our Retired Pack
As of January 28, 2022, there are no wolves in the Center’s Retired Pack.
The Retired Pack was formed in 2002 when the 1993 litter systematically tested for weaknesses. The instigators of those testing behaviors were Shadow and Malik, the arctic wolves who were born on May 8, 2000. Testing is a natural process that occurs in the wild as well as with ambassador wolves. The difference is that wild wolves are free to leave their pack or disperse in the wild. For our ambassador wolves, the wolf care team has to make that decision for the wolves. Since its inception, several wolves have transitioned into retirement based on pack dynamics or aging health conditions. The wolf care team diligently ensures that the wolves’ quality of life is the focus of care in those final years.
When we move a wolf into the Retired Pack, it is not directly on public display (the whole idea of retirement is to get some relief from the sights and sounds of a busy exhibit); we continue to provide wolf log postings, YouTube videos, webinars, and webcams positioned throughout the retirement area.
Our ambassador wolves, living representatives of their wild counterparts, are our most effective educators. They teach us about wolf behaviors and physical adaptations through their own actions. By supporting their ongoing care through membership, donations, sponsorships, and exclusive Wolf Den Store merchandise, you are contributing to the continuation of these unique educational opportunities.
If you have a personal connection with any of our past or present ambassador wolves, we invite you to consider honoring them with a donation. We understand that each connection is unique and meaningful, and we value the personal experiences that our wolves have provided to individuals like you. These experiences are instrumental in helping the International Wolf Center fulfill its mission to advance the survival of wolf populations through education.
Gone But Not Forgotten
The International Wolf Center had ambassador wolves that have since passed away and are known as the “Gone But Not Forgotten” wolves. This section serves as a tribute to these wolves who provided valuable educational opportunities during their lives and taught us many important lessons. In the wild, wolves succeed because of their strong social bonding with pack members, defined rank order, and ability to recognize vulnerability in prey animals and pack mates. However, these instincts make it challenging to manage them in a captive environment. Despite the challenge, we are committed to providing the best possible care for our wolves. If you would like to honor our “Gone But Not Forgotten” ambassador wolves, please consider donating in their memory.
Link to: Axel
Axel
Link to: Boltz
Boltz
Link to: Denali
Denali
Link to: Grizzer
Grizzer
Kiana
Follow a manual added link
Lakota
Follow a manual added link
Mackenzie
Follow a manual added link
Shadow
The 1989 Litter
The history of the Center’s ambassador wolves starts with a pack of four pups born on April 24, 1989, at a U.S.D.A.-licensed facility in Rochester, Minnesota. They served as educational ambassadors for the 1989, 1990, and 1991 summer seasons. The Center chose two males, Jedadiah and Ballazar, and two females, Raissa and Bausha. From May 30 to October 1, they were exhibited at a seasonal exhibit, while during the winter, they spent their time in a large wooded enclosure at the home of the Wolf Curator, Lori Schmidt.
By four months of age, Bausha and Raissa’s rank-order dominance began to increase. With ambassador wolves, it’s up to the wolf care team to manage pack compatibility. By the fall of 1989, both females appeared to have dominant tendencies, and neither seemed to submit, creating intense interactions. In the wild, a situation of competing rank order may be a stimulus for one of the wolves to disperse. The wolf management team decided that placing one of the females at another facility would be best. Consequently, Raissa became a dominant female at Brown County Reforestation Camp in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Labor Day weekend in 1989.
It was apparent that the wolves’ isolation during the winters at the Wolf Curator’s property created some behavioral changes related to large public displays. With each consecutive summer and their return to the visitor center in Ely, the wolves became shyer towards viewing. The management team decided that finding alternative options for the remaining 1989 littermates was best. In 1991, Ballazar became a member of the Sawtooth Pack in Stanley, Idaho, filmed by Jim Dutcher for an A.B.C. production titled “The Wolf: Return of a Legend.”
In the fall of 1992, possession of Jedadiah and Bausha were transferred to the Wolf Curator, Lori Schmidt. Even though the Center was only seasonal when this litter was on display, thousands of people viewed these wolves. The educational programs related to this litter were critical when the Center was establishing itself as a science-based educational Center in Ely, Minnesota.
Ballazar
Bausha
Jedadiah
Raissa
Learn More About Our Ambassador Wolves
