A Visit to Assiniboine Park Zoo Winnipeg

Yes, Winnipeg sure is a green city. It’s sometimes hard to believe that it has a population of over 750,000. And after all our trips downtown, I enjoyed wandering around the numerous parks in suburbia. Where, of course, I kept coming across geese. Geese gathering with gulls…

Geese going for goal…

Geese queuing up for the school bus…

With all this greenery and water, no wonder the geese love it here!

It was great to get to visit an even larger greenspace with even bigger lakes in the shape of Fort Whyte Alive, not far outside the city centre. Now this is a novel way to experience a former clay mine and cement factory. Yes, after the factory closed, the old clay pits were flooded and over time, the whole area was turned into a wildlife conservation area of over 600 acres with forests, nature trails, lakes and board walks. Nice!

Wouldn’t you know it? His Lordship took the first chance he got to cosy up to a local.

This bison was stuffed though. I hope he told Himself to get stuffed too!  Her Ladyship had more success with the bird spotting here than she had had in Istria. And squirrel spotting.

I couldn’t get over the herds on the Bison Prairie. Unlike the Father Ted’s cows, those enormous beasts still looked huge to me, even though they were far away.

At well over 1,000 acres, Assiniboine Park, which is named after the indigenous First Nations Assiniboine People, is even bigger than Fort Whyte Alive. And what a park it is! Its impressive amenities include sports grounds, an open-air theatre, an English garden, a sculpture park and even a miniature railway. It reminds me very much of Phoenix Park in Dublin – large, very centrally located and, yes, like Phoenix Park, it is also home to the local zoo!

At Winnipeg Zoo, I spotted all kinds of exotic creatures – even more exotic than yours truly, that is. Kangaroos, bats, monkeys, tropical birds, meerkats, tropical fish… yummy… I could have spent all day there and still not got around to eating, I mean, seeing everything.

The highlight, however, was the ‘Journey to Churchill’ area. Now, this is something you’re not likely to see in your average zoo. Churchill is known as the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’, so it was no surprise that these massive white beasts feature prominently. But there are also other animals local to the region on display – arctic foxes, snowy owls, muskoxen, reindeer and harbour seals. On top of all that, the exhibit gives an insight into what life up north is like. The buildings are in the local style and some of the equipment you might need there is on display. You know – useful gadgets such as snowmobiles and bear traps. Gulp!

I tried to persuade His Lordship to try this one out, but he sensed a trap…

The main attraction, the polar bears, caught me a little by surprise. We had wandered into the Tundra Grill restaurant for a snack, found seats and… I instantly lost my appetite. The entire restaurant wall is glass and overlooks the bear enclosure. Believe me – it’s hard to concentrate on your muffin when half a ton of fur, muscle, teeth and claws saunters past your table! Even Her Ladyship kept her focus more on the bears than on her plate. Now there’s another first!

Once I’d got over the initial shock – and had been reassured that the glass is extra, extra thick and that the food smells from the restaurant are piped away from the bears – it was quite fascinating to watch these terrifying but magnificent creatures at close quarters.

Her Ladyship made a show of herself in the ‘Gateway to the Arctic’, but thankfully, my gaze was diverted by the wonderful sight of real seals swimming in the enormous tank with its underwater viewing tunnel nearby. The polar bears didn’t appear interested in swimming while we were there, though. But I soon discovered why…

We were back outside watching the bears again, when a passing zookeeper remarked that a raccoon had fallen into the enclosure earlier. Storm, a male bear, had apparently made short work of the unfortunate creature, whilst the others vied for scraps. No wonder the bears had been too busy to go swimming!

Gosh, that poor raccoon. R.I.P. Ripped In Pieces.