CALGARY – Those unable to spot some wildlife while touring the breathtaking Rocky Mountains aren’t out of luck; there’s one place where you’re guaranteed to find some sparkling specimens.
“People ask me what I do and I say I vacuum grizzly bears … they’re thinking, live grizzly bears?”
Scott Griffiths is helping with a sort of spa week at the Banff Park Museum. The animals are getting their annual grooming as part of an effort to preserve the historic collection in one of Western Canada’s oldest natural history museums.
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“It’s a connection to our past. All national historic sites, when you put them together, they show us as Canadians where we are coming from and where we are heading,” says Amar Athwal, Parks Canada.
The museum dates back to 1903 and holds 5000 specimens, the oldest of which is a Red Breasted Merganser, which was preserved in 1860.
A team of four trained professionals has spent 40 hours carefully cleaning the exposed taxidermy.
By closing the doors for one week each year, Parks Canada hopes generations will continue to hear and learn from their exhibit for years to come.
The museum reopens on Saturday. Tours are held every Saturday and Sunday.
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