Wild Things

As part of my job as a reporter at CHON FM, I am assigned to the environment beat. This past week I had the opportunity to take a tour of The Yukon Wildlife Preserve and I am glad I did. It was the most fun and educational three hours of my time in Whitehorse so far.

The first animals we came across were Wood Bison. They were thought to be extinct due to hunting and cross-breeding with the closely-related Plains Bison but an untouched herd was found in Northern Alberta. Now, the population in the Yukon is so strong that there is an open hunt on the animal. However, nationally they are still considered an endangered species. Bizarre.

Dall Sheep

Next up were the preserve’s three species of sheep. Dall, Stone and Big Horn. The names are a little confusing because the Dall is actually the one with the largest horns. It’s really quite spectacular the way they curl. Back to the topic of hunting, each year in the Yukon there is an auction and the winner (usually someone from outside the territory) is allowed to go in to Kluane National Park and shoot one of these majestic animals. My stomach turned a little when my guide told me about this trophy hunt.

Look at the playoff beard on that Mountain Goat!

I saw some elk, deer, caribou and muskox before we came across another animal that really caught my eye. Looking through binoculars, I saw a herd of mountain goats frolicking up and down the side of what appeared to be a sheer cliff. It was unbelievable. And then we saw one that was much closer to the fence line than the others. I’m not sure why he had wandered down from the cliff but I’m glad he did so I could snap a picture of him up close.

Hello Kitty!

Not much farther along the road were the Lynx. The Preserve us home to two males and a female and they have to be kept seperate because otherwise they would breed to much. A thin chainlink fence divides the two enclosures and the female sat up on a pedastal while one of the males paced back and forth along the fence lone. Eventually, he tired of the game and went to lay down in the snow. It was neat to see how this wild cat had some similar mannerisms to a house cat.

Nala the Arctic Fox

The next animal I saw was my favourite of the whole day. As our vehicle pulled up to the enclosure, the mischevious Arctic Fox began running up and down alongside the fence. I don’t know if she thought we had food or what but she was putting on quite a show. Just like with the Lynx, I was struck by how similar this wild animal was to a household pet. Eventually, Nala (yes, the arctic fox now has a name) tired out and lay down for a rest so I could take some photos of her.

Look at the sleepy puppy 🙂

The Yukon Wildlife Preserve is an amazing place and the work they do there is critical to ensuring that wild animals in the territory sustain healthy populations and habitats. For those of you living in the Yukon, they are always seeking donations and volunteers. I plan on returning often. And I will also take every opportunity I can to see Yukon animals in their natural habitat. And when I do, I will write about it and post photos right here on Aurora Bennialis.