YUKON WILDLIFE PRESERVE – animals in the snow

Monday – is cloudy but relatively mild.  It is only minus 8!  Makes you want to jump into the spa – well, maybe that is a rather large exaggeration.  It is a lazy start to the day as we head to breakfast.  I really do like these starts to the day.

Today is Kylie’s birthday! Hopefully it will be a memorable one and hopefully she will soon rid herself of the dreaded flu.  It’s certainly is not good when you get crook on your holidays.

Breakfast is our usually high standard and it is good to sit around and chat while we talk about what is on the agenda today.  We have booked ourselves into a private tour of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.  This is a sanctuary for animals that cannot be returned to the wild and also for animal research and rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife that will eventually be set free back into the wilderness – but more about that later.

Whitehorse has lots of interesting little shops that occupy us for quite some time.  I manage to buy some souvenirs and postcards and discover a new friend.

Of course the necessary photos are taken.  This is Morris the Mountie – he does look rather handsome eh?  Seems to me that some cities always have larger than life animals with which you can have your photo taken.  And yep, I am always a sucker for it and thankfully Kylie is always around to record the moment.

There is a wonderful glass and stoneware shop that sells locally made items.  Little pieces of glass with sleds and huskies painted on them, local stone coasters with trees etched, the list could go on and on.  I purchase a few items and then wonder how I will get them home without any breakages.  I will just have to put them inside my double thickness socks and hope for the best.

Time for lunch – we decide on Tim Hortons and I make a bee line for the fire.  Ha sucked in!  It is a make believe fire but we sit in front of it and even though there i no heat the fake flames do give off a feeling of comfort.  This must be one of the popular lunch spots and it soon becomes crowded.

Leaving the comfort of Tims we head for the Animal Preserve.  We are nice and snug in our heated car – it looks oh so cold outside and what a surprise – it is!  The roads are well groomed for traffic and we are in no hurry but then we come to a road that is not groomed to the level we have been using.  Hmmmmm – so much snow – so slow and steady ahead.

When we arrive at the Refuge the gates are closed.  This is because at this time of year it is not open to the public except if you book a private tour which we have.  There is a car in front of us that most probably thinks that they will open soon and then another one pulls up behind us.  Before not too long however the guide arrives and tells them the situation – we just drive right in.  Looks of utter disgust are most probably covering the faces of those who were refused entry but we do not look back.

We park our car and then ever so carefully (read small penguin steps) we have a little look around and spying some elk Tyler and I immediately head in that direction.  Admittedly they are behind fences but the enclosure is huge so that is not too bad.    I have my 400mm lens on and of course all the four footed friends start to come up close.  I have to be quick and get one that is not so close.

At this stage our guide tells us that we must come away and begin the tour.  Hmmm – hope this is not going to be one of those quick glimpses of wildlife situations.

We enter the building and have to remove our snuggly warm boots to put on rubber crocs.  Oh how elegant we look with the snow socks!  Reminiscent of some overseas tourists on Bondi Beach – but we have no shorts so that is not too bad.

Our guide explains the workings of the Refuge and we are shown where the medical rooms are for when they get new admissions or if one of the existing animals becomes unwell or injured.  I think I would like to work here, that is until I had to put down one of the animals.

Back outside and as we head down the icy way to the jeep, our guide takes a slide and lands fair on her rump.  She is OK and says it happens all the time.  I continue with my penguin steps.  First stop is bison.

These are not the same breed that we saw at Yellowstone – these are wood bison.  Still for me a bison is a bison is a bison.  I remember seeing my first bison or what we lovingly call ‘Tatonka’ back in 2007 and what an unforgettable thrill that was.  Unfortunately today they do not come close but I have on my big Canon.

Even with the zoom this is the closest I can get so you can see how far away they were.  Back in the jeep and next stop is Thin Horn Sheep.  Just a reminder that you can read all about these animals on the link to the Refuge, or if you are too lazy to scroll back up you can click here.

The sheep are pleased to see us – or maybe it is because they have lots of food waiting for them.  Local produce of carrots, apples and other goodies are all donated to the Refuge and are appreciated by our four footed friends.

Next stop are the Mountain Goats.

They are not really goats but more like a mountain antelope.  They feel safest in the most extreme mountain habitats, favouring cliffs and inaccessible rock faces that would leave most humans clinging dizzily to any available handhold.

To a mountain goat, however, steep mountainsides well above treeline are a safe, predator-free home. The way they cavort all over the cliffs make me feel ill just to look at them.

I don’t know how they do it and as one makes his or her way along the side of the mountain I can’t resist thinking of the NatGeo photo of a mountain goat with a yellow border around it.  Not to be outdone I have my very own LozGeo moment and do a bit of photoshop to my own photo.

NatGeo have great photos, I wish I was that good but still my little effort makes me happy.  I would have liked to have been a NatGeo wildlife photographer – but I digress.

Of course I have not been so bold as to use their gold border as I would presume that it would go against copyright so I use my favourite colour – blue.  How the hell is that thing staying on the side and where is he going to go now?

On the other side of the road there is an enclosure with two elusive little buggers – Arctic Fox and Lynx.  They must be just as inquisitive as us and they come out to get a look.  The fox even sits on the top of a rock for some Kodak moments –

and it is hard to get good Kodak moments as there are loads of trees around – thankfully they are only narrow trunked trees but it is still hard to get a good photo.  Nevermind – it will give you an idea and you can read all about them on the links above.

This is a part of the roadway that we can walk and it is good to be able to stretch the legs before getting back into the jeep.  We are near the Caribou enclosure but they are all in hiding so it’s on the see Bullwinkle the Moose and his relations.

We get to see one – he is laying down in the snow near the fence – but of course we cannot get close to the fence so the fence will just have to stay in the photo.

North American Moose have larger antlers than their European relatives. World record antlers consistently come from Alaska, where antler spreads of six feet have been recorded, unfortunately between November and March they lose their antlers but on this fellow you can see where they have been.  Maybe one day I will see a six foot hat rack!

Our last stop is Musk Oxen.  They are incredible and have the most wonderful winter coats.  There are three of them just standing around when all of a sudden they start to head butt but I think it is only playtime.

They stay right over the other side of the field but I can still get some photos – time to head back to the main building to say our goodbyes.

It has been a great time visiting with our Winter friends.  The drive back to Whitehorse does not instill in us any hope for lights tonight.  It is still very cloudy but we will see what Wolfgang has to say tonight at Dinner.

The cloud cover is still there when it is time to go to dinner so things are not looking good.

Tonight is a special birthday dinner for Kylie.  Good sense and a sense of fear does not allow me to tell you how old she is – let’s just say she is over 21!

Tonight’s menu is as follows –

Appetizer – Tomato-Basil Bruschetta on toasted Baguette; Main of Arctic Charr Filet, Butter Basmati Rice with Green Asparagus and Sauce Hollandaise and Dessert is labelled as a Sweet Surprise.  Unbeknownst to Kylie, I have organized a birthday cake so hopefully it will be a sweet surprise.

We all enjoy another wonderful meal and Kylie is chuffed with her cake.  Overall it is a good birthday, so I am glad she was well enough to enjoy it.

Tonight’s quote comes from Albert Einstein – ‘Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new’.  Aurora activity is mainly cloudy with a low of minus 20 with active Aurora possible.  Doesn’t sound too promising but we are hopeful.  Unfortunately after dinner the clouds have not moved and even closer to midnight they are still there so it looks like more time to catch up on some rest.  Tomorrow is our last day and night – come on girls, please get your act together.