FortWhyte Alive embraces a historic amount of snow on the ground

Piles of snow in and around Winnipeg are becoming useful once again as temperatures slowly start to warm up.

“We’ve had wet snow, heavy snow, too much snow. It is unbelievable,” said Bretta Sutherland.

1:39 Snow creates problems for wildlife

Thanks to freezing cold temperatures subsiding, Sutherland can finally watch her grandchildren enjoy the incredible amount of snow on the ground.

“I’m so glad Nora has the day off today. She couldn’t have picked a better day to be out!”

While the heavy snow causes frustration among those longing for spring weather, the white stuff is proving to be quite a challenge for animals at FortWhyte Alive.

“Animals like deer, for example, with long, skinny legs, they do experience challenges in deep snow winters in getting to where they need to go,” said Katrina Froese, FortWhyte Alive’s

“They’ll use a lot of energy. But they also can have challenges accessing food.”

Froese has noticed a sharp increase in foot traffic on trails beginning over the weekend and has an important reminder for folks.

“If we are in a space where there’s deer, maybe being a little bit more quiet, walking more slowly, trying not to disturb them so that they jump up and run away.”

Surrounded by snow and wildlife southwest of the city, families plan on continuing to soak up the relieving weather.

1:41 Snow piles keep growing