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| Our first stop was the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana. They take in bears and wolves that have become too friendly with humans, but aren't dangerous enough to be killed. | Here, a bear was let loose in the enclosure, where the rangers hid food. | This apparently keeps them from getting bored, since they can wander around, finding random food bits to eat, instead of getting acclimated to a bland schedule. Added bonus for giving the tourists something entertaining to watch. | There were monster crows scavenging for what the bears left behind. Freaking crows... stupid things sit outside my window, squaking at inappropriate hours when I'm trying to sleep. Thank heavens the ones on campus aren't this big, or I'd fear for my safety. | They had a whole pack of wolves, but most of 'em were sacked out behind tree limbs and in the foliage. This guy was the only one who would pose for a photo. | Awww, sleepy. | We watched a presentation on birds of prey inside the center. The bird here is a rough-legged hawk, which is common to most of North America. He came to the center after he was hit by a car. Aww. | And here's a barn owl. He apparently fell out of his nest as a baby, was rescued by people, and became so acclimated to them that he thinks he's a person, too. Silly owl. During the presentation, he horked up an owl pellet for the lucky audience. You could tell who the science nerds in the audience were by who went, "AWW, COOL," instead of, "EEWW, GROSS." (Yes, I was one of the nerds.) | Check out that grin, heheh. My parents posing with a taxidermy polar bear. I'm sure it's not intentional, but they look a little nervous. Then again, considering the size of that thing, I'd be pretty nervous if it was that close to my head. And, y'know, not stuffed. | Here's my parents again. They keep complaining that I don't take enough photos of people when we go on vacation. I'm trying to prove them wrong, but it's not working very well, the last two photos nonwithstanding. | Bear: GLEEE. Fish: OH S**T. Bronze statue near the exit of the center. |