The BC Wildlife Park is a diverse establishment in Canada. Primarily an educational wildlife park, the centre also runs conservation projects and a rehabilitation unit, as well as putting on a variety of events and entertainment for visitors. Overall, the centre offers a great deal for the animals and people alike, as well as encouraging respect for animals who are still living in the wild.
At the beginning of 1965, John Moelaert, the wildlife park’s founder, suggested to the boardroom that a zoological set-up could be an desirability for the inhabitants and guests equally. At this point, a public meeting was arranged, to discuss the ideal of opening a wildlife park. The notion received positive support and so the board went ahead with making it happen.
According to the BC Wildlife Park Kamloops (2013) website, “over the forty year history of the Society, the BC Wildlife Park has been continually enhanced through the tremendous support of volunteers and business professionals throughout the province.”
The BC Wildlife Park has a strong “Education through conservation” ethos, and aims to join the public with the park’s wildlife with the objective of preserving the planet and wildlife, in a harmonious way of living (BC Wildlife Park Kamloops, 2013).
The park has a variety of wildlife, ranging from big cats and canines, to reptiles and birds. It has been made attractive to visitors in many ways, one of which being the daily activities schedule which includes special encounters with the animals. Also, special events run throughout the year and are listed on the website.
BC runs a wildlife rehabilitation centre, alongside the visitor centre. In this section, sick and injured animals from the wild are taken in and nursed back to health by experts, before, where possible, being reintroduced into the wild. Owls and deer are just two species that are commonly found in the rehabilitation unit (BC Wildlife Park Kamloops, 2013).
In addition to being a bustling visitor’s attraction and wildlife haven, the park also hosts some rare animals. According to Josh Page (2012) of CBC News, “The B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops, B.C., is now home to an extremely rare white bear known as a Kermode.”
In his article, Page reports that Clover the bear, who is a little over a year old, was an orphaned cub that another park had tried, and failed, to rehabilitate. It seems that Clover repeatedly returned to where he was released. He was unafraid of humans, meaning that his release into the wild was unlikely to ever be successful (Page, 2012).
As there are just a couple of hundred Kermode bears remaining in the world, with Clover being the sole one in captivity, BC Wildlife Park has gained some much valued exposure through news articles such as the one run by CBC. The park are said to have built Clover his own, purpose-built enclosure, and the staff are enjoying working with him (Page, 2012).
References
BC Wildlife Park Kamloops. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.bczoo.org/default.htm
Page, J. (2012). Rare Kermode 'spirit bear' moved to Kamloops wildlife park. CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10/30/bc- kermode-kamloops-spirit.html
