THE MAN BEHIND THE WOLVES
Gilles Granal comes from Marseille, France, and in his past life was a physical education teacher. He moved to the Saguenay area of Quebec after a visit to the region.
Granal, who raises and loves sled dogs, was drawn to the wolves. “I think all people who have sled dogs love wolves. It’s a mysterious animal,” he said. He obtained the original wolves in his pack from zoos in Quebec and Ontario. The grey pack started with Lobo, the dominant male wolf, which he got in 2001, and Loba, the female wolf he got in 2003.
By 2007, they had their first litter of three cubs. By the spring of 2008, a new litter of six pups was born.
His pack of Arctic wolves arrived in 2006, included three (Wolfing, Waya and Sérigala) who were raised by bottle. Two more arrived in 2007.
In 2009, Granal created Parc Mahikan and Adventuraid. The park invites visitors to view Arctic and grey wolves in their natural environment.
Attempting to demystify the species, he hopes people will see them differently.
“I love seeing the eyes of people when the wolves come to play with them,” Granal said.
“You can feel their emotions when they are in contact with the wolves. We know when people spend time here, it has an influence on them.”
Granal also has experience teaching canoeing, kayaking and rowing and is a master instructor with Leave No Trace, a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships. Jennifer Smith Nelson