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Much more than a zoo, the attraction is also a Conservation Centre of Boreal Biodiversity, and can be visited on a fun-filled day or overnight visit. It’s sure to appeal to some of Dad’s interests, whether it’s camping for the outdoorsy Dad, moose-tracking for the detective Dad, or entertaining films for the fun-loving Dad.
Before going through the zoo itself, where you’ll want to see the seven-month-old twin polar bear cubs, the grizzly bear and Amur tiger habitats that were added last year, and the two wildlife films, including the highly engaging Borealie. Few nature films offer more entertainment value and excitement then this 15-minute multi-sensory experience (think lightening, snow and wind), which literally engages the audience in the life of a northern forest through the four seasons. (I could warn you about the snake scene but it won’t help).
Next, hop aboard an open-air train for a leisurely one-hour ride through a forested reserve, where more than a hundred animals wander in semi-freedom.
During our morning ride, we see lots of white-tailed deer and prairie dogs as well as moose, bison, musk ox and a black bear with two cubs that casually wander in front of our vehicle!
“They don’t see very well,” the on-board guide explains.
Along the way are recreated fur trading posts as well as birch bark teepees similar to those that would have been built by the Montagnais who have occupied the Saint-Felicien region for centuries. When we arrive at the site of some 19th-century homesteads, representing the life of early settlers, the 15 visitors who have signed up for the day-and-a-half-long “Land of the Caribou Adventure,” disembark.
Inside one of these simple, wooden pioneer homes, young women in period costume serve us a hearty lunch of broad bean soup, followed by pork chops, potatoes, carrots and blueberry pie for dessert. Outside, the farmstead — with pigs, hens, cows, horses and sheep, as well as a smoke house for preserving meat and a clay oven for baking bread — is a recreation of life in the 1800s.
Back on the train, we travel to the edge of the Nature Park Trail, then begin a pleasant hike through a mixed forest that will eventually lead to our campsite. Though technically we’re in an enclosure, it doesn’t feel confining because the area is so large and we rarely see a fence. But somewhere within this 100-hectare space are 10 caribou and three moose.
The dozen or so prospector’s tents at the camp are each named after a Quebec plant (mine is called Sarasine) and constructed with an ingenious door made of tree bark. Inside, the air is filled with the scent of fresh evergreens emanating from the balsam fir branches scattered beneath the foam mattress.
While salmon steaks are being prepared and a campfire started, our group is divided in two for a late afternoon canoe ride on picturesque Lake Montagnais, a calm body of water where a variety of waterfowl congregate.
If you appreciate traditional boat construction, try to get on the birch bark canoe — there is only one. After an hour, the first group returns with tales of paddling next to a moose who went in the lake for a dip, while my group boasts of seeing three red foxes.
But where are all the caribou? This is after all billed as a Caribou Adventure. We had seen a doe during the hike, but that was it. It isn’t until the next day that I am reminded of the key to successful wildlife viewing — wake up early.
Though I didn’t intend to be the first one up the next morning, there was one advantage of rising with the sun: I was the only one in the camp to get a glimpse of an adult caribou and its young sniffing around our screened-in kitchen. They didn’t hang around long — either because there wasn’t any food, or the sight of a human frightened them.
Guide Stacy Gagnon meanwhile, has another animal encounter on her mind. After breakfast, we set out on a moose-tracking excursion. Using a large antennae-shaped contraption, she attempts to locate an animal, which is equipped with a special radio collar.
But there’s little chance for suspense to develop. Within seconds of setting out, the machine is already registering a response.
“I think she’s right there,” Gagnon says, indicating a heavily wooded area just metres away. We stand silent and motionless, waiting. Then, a female moose and, not one, but two young moose emerge in front of us!
“This is the first time I’ve found her so quickly,” Gagnon says. “We’re lucky.”
We’re told twins are rare among moose and this pair is about a year-and-a-half-old. The adult moose, keenly aware of our presence, barely moves for several minutes, apparently trying to determine if we are a threat. When we position ourselves to give her an easy out, she moves on.
From moose twins to bear twins. Our trip concludes with a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo including the area below ground where the polar bears spend the night, as well as the feeding house where we learn what and how much the zoo’s animals eat, and a stop at the veterinary clinic where a bobcat recently had a broken leg mended.
They do a good job of looking after animals — and people — in the Land of the Caribou.
If you go to Quebec
Zoo Sauvage de Saint-Felicien is in Quebec’s Lac-Saint-Jean region, 225 km from Quebec City. On a day trip, you can see the zoo, two films and take the train ride for $37 per adult, $31 seniors/students 15 and up, $24.50 children 6-14, $15 ages 3-5.
The day-and-a-half-long Land of the Caribou Adventure runs May to mid October and must be reserved at least three days in advance. Cost: $265 per person and $230 per child, which includes lunch, dinner, breakfast, zoo admission and behind the scenes tour, train ride, films, camping, guided walk and canoe ride. For details, check zoosauvage.com or call 1-800-667-5687.
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