For those of you who have been following my blog, you will know that we recently moved to Orillia, Canada, about seventeen months ago. It was our mission to move further north to fresher air and to enjoy the outdoors. We have done many hikes as a family, from the Hana trail in Maui, to the trails of Cinque Terre, Italy, and now, central Ontario. However, we had no idea just how many wilderness centres there are. We had the pleasure of visiting the Muskoka Wildlife Centre last weekend. It was great! Most of the larger animals are kept outside in fenced off areas, meaning they had lots of room to move, from the black bear named Kootenay, to Eve, a gray wolf, two female moose, and two porcupines and many more! Now Kootenay was rather playful and lives in the same area as Kokanee, a mountain lion. Every time Kokanee walked past Kootenay, he would swipe at his ‘brother’ to invite him to play. Kokanee ignored him, so Kootenay would lie on his back and scratch his white spotted belly. It was priceless! I’m afraid the moose were quite a distance away and uninterested in humans as they had their backs to us. Eve, a gray wolf, actually trotted over when I whistled to her and she came quite close to the fence. She is beautiful with thick, white hair. I’m sure one of her trainers must whistle to her. And then, we saw Quillber, an american porcupine, who did the ‘dance’. It’s a mating dance Quillber should be doing to his female mate who was hiding in a cave. It was the funniest thing we have ever seen – he pulled himself up along the fence and perched on his hind legs, and swayed back and forth – for several minutes, I might add. I will never forget the sight of Quillber – he needs to be on TV. Oh, did I mention some of these animals have been? The female moose, named Chocolate, starred in a movie with Gene Hackman and Ray Romano, called Welcome to Mooseport, c2004. If you are in the area, this wildlife centre is a must see! I am off now for two weeks investigating alligators and crocs. I hope I don’t get a bite! My book Wake Me Up Inside is at FriesenPress and starting it’s journey into print. Stay tuned!
Speak Your Mind