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Half a days drive to the
east of Winnipeg lies Riding Mountain National Park, home to
many of the mammals most closely associated with Canada. These
include the Black Bear, Grey Wolf, Bison, Moose, Elk, and
Beaver. The park is so vast that only a small section of it is
accessible by road, but that section is sufficiently large to
provide enough wildlife encounters to fill a week. The nature
of the park is such that good wildlife viewing opportunities
can be had at the roadside given a little patience, awareness
of your surroundings, and luck. Alternatively the services of
an excellent local guide and wildlife biologist can be
enlisted to take you to various wildlife hotspots in the park
and the surrounding area.
The park is perhaps best known for its wild population of
Bison which graze a vast tract of fescue grassland in the
heart of the park.
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Threatened with extinction at the end of the 19th Century, the
Bison is once again thriving with as many as 40,000 in Canada
alone, but Riding Mountain NP is one of the few places you can see
a sizeable wild population in its natural habitat. Moose are also
a common sight in the park, particularly during the Fall mating
season when the males with their magnificent antlers are a sight
to behold. Elk and other smaller deer species are also frequently
encountered, and another familiar sight is the industrious Beaver
whose habits have had a fundamental impact on the landscape of the
park.
Of course where there are large grazing animals there are
predators, and the park is home to the Grey Wolf, Coyote, Cougar
and Lynx, though they are rarely sighted due to their shy nature.
Also present is the voracious Fisher, a cat sized member of the
weasel family, noted for its boldness and ferocity.
Although not strictly speaking a predator given its omnivorous
nature, the Black Bear is the largest meat eater in the park.
While they are rarely sighted within the park itself, there is a
wonderful guest ranch just outside the park boundary which has a
permanent hide from which they can be observed in the late
afternoon and early evening. Many of the bears observed at the
hide are seen year after year and are well known to the guides.
Sporting coats as varied as blonde, cinnamon, and chocolate brown,
they are living proof of how inaptly named the Black Bear is.
There have also been sightings of Lynx and Fisher from the same
hide, and the ranch also has wonderful bird watching on a private
lake.
The ranch is owned and operated by a wildlife biologist and his
wife, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Their warm and gracious
hospitality is a major feature of any stay at the ranch, an
experience similar to a farm stay, which is fitting as it used to
be a working cattle ranch. A daily program of guided wildlife
activities includes morning vehicle safaris in the park itself,
and afternoon viewing sessions in the hide back at the ranch.
Between scheduled wildlife activities guests can relax or go
kayaking or canoeing on the lake.
With easy access from Winnipeg a visit to Riding Mountain National
Park is a must for any wildlife enthusiast looking to see a broad
cross section of North American fauna, and certainly combines well
with a visit to Churchill for a more varied wildlife experience.
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