ELY—The International Wolf Center is mourning the unexpected loss of Grayson, a 9-year-old Arctic wolf who served as an ambassador for wolf education and captivated visitors with his distinctive white coat and vocal nature.
Grayson died Friday, leaving behind a pack of five wolves and countless admirers who knew him through the center’s in-person programs, webcams, and virtual learning opportunities.
“He was what we affectionately were calling kind of a gentle soul,” said Krista Woerheide, Interpretive Center Director. “He really was a calm and great wolf in that pack.”
Born on May 2, 2016, at a facility in Canada, Grayson arrived at the center just weeks later alongside his brother Axel. The center specifically sought Arctic wolves to educate visitors about the adaptations these animals possess for harsh northern climates.
“They are white. They are generally a little bit shorter. They have a lot of adaptations for that Arctic region,” Woerheide said. “As an educational facility, we really wanted to represent that.”
Over his nine years at the center, Grayson evolved from a quieter pack member into a confident leader. His transformation accelerated after his brother Axel’s death in 2024, when Grayson stepped into the role of dominant male alongside Rieka, the pack’s dominant female.
Leading a pack of six wolves — including two pups under a year old — Grayson earned a reputation as a steady presence who helped establish the rules and maintain order.
“He did a really great job of showing the pups that these are kind of the rules of the pack, and this is what we do,” Woerheide said.
But perhaps Grayson’s most memorable trait was his voice. Staff and visitors alike will miss his frequent howls.
“He was quite talkative,” Woerheide said. “He very often started the chorus howls. He would howl his hellos and he would howl good morning and he would howl if anything was kind of amiss, if there’s a wild wolf or a bear or any kind of activity outside of the enclosure.”
The cause of Grayson’s death remains unknown. The center has sent him to the University of Minnesota for a necropsy and is awaiting results.
Following cremation, Grayson’s ashes will be spread in the Superior National Forest, joining other wolves from the center in a final return to the wild.
“That is kind of how his legacy lives on,” Woerheide said. “We kind of send them back to the universe in the wild with their pack mates.”
The remaining pack — four males including year-old pups Cedar and Rowan, plus Rieka — will now determine their own hierarchy. A new dominant male will emerge naturally over time, though staff don’t yet know who that will be.
The center typically adopts new wolf pups every four years. With Cedar and Rowan having arrived last summer, the pack of five will remain together for the foreseeable future.
For now, the center community remembers Grayson as the observant guardian whose howl marked the rhythm of each day, a gentle soul who grew into his leadership and left an enduring impression on all who knew him.