A photo of 11 wolves making the rounds on social media has given people a glimpse of one of Manitoba’s best wildlife-viewing locations, Riding Mountain National Park staff say.
A trail camera set up by Parks Canada staff caught the image of a pack of wolves in January. The photo sparked a lot of interest on the park’s Facebook page and staff is using it as an opportunity to educate people about wolves.
“It’s not an unusually large pack,” Paul Tarleton, Riding Mountain’s resource conservation manager, said about the image captured by the trail camera. “I’ve seen more from the air.”
What is unusual is that anybody – outside a conservation manager in an aircraft – had the opportunity to see the wolves.
While the most recent count by Parks staff pegged the number of wolves in Riding Mountain at 113, they’re rarely seen.
“For the most part, you’ve got to be really lucky to see a wolf,” Tarleton said.
The image of a pack of 11 wolves may be awe-inspiring, but visitors to Riding Mountain should not fear encountering wolves, which avoid humans, he said.
In fact, ungulates can be a nuisance in townsites in parks such as Banff, because they learn they’re safe from wolves when they enter populated areas, Tarleton said.
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Riding Mountain open for winter Parks Canada has discontinued winter programming in Riding Mountain National Park, but the park is still open, external relations manager Roger Schroeder said. Roads are plowed and volunteers have done some grooming on cross-country skiing trails, he said. Friends of Riding Mountain National Park’s visitor facility is open year-round at Wasagaming in the park, offering information about activities such as skiing and snowshoeing. One of the Friends’ bigger winter events, the Hockey Day in Canada and Winter Adventure Weekend, runs Friday through Sunday in and around the southern edge of the park. Elkhorn Resort on the edge of the park is open year-round and there are also bed and breakfasts open, said George Hartlen, CAO of the Friends of Riding Mountain National Park. More information is available on the Friends of Riding Mountain National Park website at http://www.friendsofridingmountain.ca or by calling (204) 848-4037. |
Riding Mountain visitors who want to see – or hear – a wolf will have the most luck at dawn or dusk, he said.
“You have to be persistent; you have to be a little bit lucky,” Tarleton said.
The image of the pack of 11 wolves was captured after Parks staff set up a camera near an elk carcass.
While visitors may not be lucky enough to see wolves, there are many other wildlife-viewing opportunities in the park.
Roger Schroeder, external relations manager for Riding Mountain, calls the park “one of the premier wildlife viewing spots in Manitoba.”
There’s no hunting allowed in the park and the animals seem to be aware that it’s a safe area for them, he said.
Cougar sightings are extremely rare, but lynx are common, and while shy, they are curious, so they might stop in a ditch to watch a passing car after crossing a road.
Moose are seen along the roads frequently, and bears, elk and white-tailed deer also populate the park.
“Moose is the one you’ll see most often,” Schroeder said. “We are blessed with a fairly healthy moose population.”
Tarleton also said anyone interested in wildlife viewing should visit Riding Mountain.
“If you’re going to see wildlife anywhere, you’re going to see them here,” he said.
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