I was pretty disappointed about how much wildlife I had seen since I entered Canada. I was determined to see a bear before I left. To guarantee this, I went to the zoo. Luckily, the zoo was having a special event for donors, which Bill is, where you get closer encounters with the animals. Somehow we timed every animal exhibit at the best time. We got to the wolf exhibit as they all started howling.
Then we went to see the bear cubs as they were pressed up agains the fence and boxing with each other.
When we went to see the adult grizzlies, one of them literally put his head between his legs and sat on his head.
The exhibit I was most excited for was the polar bears. When I came with my family 15 years ago, they had recently put down their only polar bear because it had mauled a woman. We got within 5 feet of the polar bears and got to see them fight over food.
Another day we went and visited the reindeer farm in Palmer. I never realized how docile reindeer could be. We went into the pen with food and they swarmed us, but they really can’t hurt you. Their antlers are sensitive so they won’t try to hit you. The tendons in their legs are too tight to let them buck kick you from behind. Also, they don’t have any front teeth on top so they can’t bite your fingers off.
We also got a close up look at a Bison and got to pet her face. We just couldn’t touch her fro. She doesn’t like that.
It was great getting to see all these animals, but I wanted to see them in a more natural setting so I visisted the conservation center in Portage. They are still in fenced in areas, but it’s a more natural surrounding. When I got there there was a huge moose bull laying right next to the fence.
Before heading over to see the bears I stopped by to see the elk as they were grazing.
I was able to get to the bear exhibits right before feeding time. As I got there, there were two grizzlies wrestling each other.
Up until this point, the black bears had just been standing around.
Then the rangers showed up to feed the black bears and got them moving around. Since the exhibits are right next to each other, one of the black bears gets intimidated by the grizzlies if they are too close to the fence. Out of nowhere, one black bears did a fake charge to try and intimidate the grizzly. Then, as he was waiting for his food he stood up on his hind legs in anticipation.
I got a great exposure to see all these animals, but I still wanted to see them in the wild. That would have to wait for a trip to Denali National Park.
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