This is another compulsory place to visit if you’re in Whitehorse.
It’s amazing how much difference a good guide can make. We had a lovely, gruff but warm character, who really loved his job. He drove us around the 700 acres of wilderness, stopping whenever he saw them, patiently pointing them out and waiting until we’d taken our photographs. Not to mention the really cool thick gray hoodie with Yukon Wildlife Preserve – I ended up buying one and bringing it back to Australia, although I’m not sure who has “borrowed” it now :(. Maybe I’ll email them and see if we can get some more.
Each time we stopped, we hopped out and immediately sank into a metre of snow. I’ve never been more glad of my knee-high boots. Just a tip.
These fellas are thinhorn sheep. They only live in North Canada and Alaska, above the tree-line. The males have the thick curving horns – great for head-butting.
The mountain goats are impossibly hairy. These guys are actually related to antelopes. Despite the cosy environment they have here, they love extreme rock climbing, and obviously don’t mind the cold.
Woodland caribou are the equal rights campaigners of the deer family – both male and female have antlers that can apparently grow to a metre in length in a number of months.
These big guys are wood bison. After years of decreasing numbers, they were reintroduced into the Yukon about twenty years ago, and are apparently thriving. Gentle creatures, we were able to pat them through the fence at a different part of the preserve.
The Yukon Wildlife Preserve was a pleasure to visit. There’s no comparison between a crowded city zoo, and a sprawling natural habitat like this. It’s a must-see.
