Preserve Post - 2016 WINTER

Quarterly Publication of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve Operating Society
Volume 11, Issue 3
Winter 2016
In this Issue...
2 Season’s
Greetings
3 CAZA Conference
in Photo’s
4 Facilities that
Connect
Winter
Edition
6 Winter is for the
Dogs
7 The Ripple Effect
8 Holiday Cheer

Season’s Grettings from the
Wildlife Preserve
Since our last newsletter, the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
successfully hosted the 40 th annual national conference
for Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA).
Approximately one hundred delegates from as far
away as New Brunswick descended upon Whitehorse
and the Preserve. I am very pleased to say that, once
again, the Yukon and its residents provided
a most positive and memorable
experience for all! Clean air,
great facilities, a beautiful
city, fine dining and
“incredibly friendly
people” topped the list of
superlatives expressed.
They also agreed that
the Yukon Wildlife
Preserve is a worldclass
facility and many
were very envious of
what us Yukoners had
right in our back yard!
One of the major
highlights of the conference
was the hands-on live animal
conservation outreach program. This
program was presented to hundreds of Whitehorse
elementary school children through live animal
presentations in ten elementary schools and to the
general public at an all-day presentation at the Canada
Games Centre. This program provided a unique
experiential educational opportunity to learn about
conservation practices and the value of educating
oneself about the pros and cons of considering an
exotic pet.
2
The Saturday show at the Canada
Games Centre was a HUGE
hit with over 2,000 people
experiencing the live animal
presentations. Entry was by
donation to our rehabilitation
centre and we were very
pleasantly surprised to have
raised almost $6,000 at this
one event! You will be pleased to
know that these funds are already at
work and that a new Vital Sign Monitor
has been ordered. This equipment will greatly
assist our Veterinarian, Dr. Maria Hallock,
when undertaking surgeries to assist our
injured wildlife patients.
There are literally hundreds of people,
companies, agencies and volunteers that
deserve a huge thank you for helping
your Preserve deliver this conference. To
all those that provided assistance, the YWP
Board and staff are forever grateful for your
ongoing and enthusiastic support.
Wishing everyone a very safe and festive holiday!
Photos: A selection from the CAZA conference. For more
photos, check out the Gallery on the conference site: caza2016.ca
Cover photos, clockwise from top left: Adult female lynx
captures the winter morning sun; caribou cow in the first
snowfall of the 2016 winter season; two mountain goats enjoy
the morning sun high up on the top of their cliffy environment;
YWP’s three legged silver fox settles into his new home; a single
mule deer buck takes a moment to pause for the camera.
Volume 11, Issue 3

Winter 2016
3

Facilities that Connect
It was a cold, clear February day. It was one of those
days where you wear a scarf over your face to prevent
the cold from seeping into your lungs. My partner and
I were in Whitehorse for the Sourdough Rendezvous
Festival and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity
to see The Yukon Wildlife Preserve dressed up in
shimmering snow.
As an animal lover and environmental educator,
I relish the opportunity to learn from animals, to
learn more about animals in my region and to make
connections with wildlife. For me, it’s these face-toface
connections that have led me into a professional
and personal career working for the rights of animals.
It is my passion to engage, inspire and empower folks
from different age groups and cultural backgrounds
to want to participate in wildlife conservation. Both
my personal experience and scientific research* has
shown that one effective way to do this is by fostering
personal connections with wildlife.
As we walked up to the moose enclosure, we were
instantly in awe of the chocolate brown creature,
with spindly legs and a soft gaze. As you may know,
moose are notoriously elusive and a chance to watch
behaviors and learn from her was extraordinary. As
we stood watching, a group of three children walked
up. Intrigued by the youngsters, the moose walked
closer to the gate to investigate the curious faces.
As the moose did this, the children’s faces began to
light up and toothy
smiles emerged.
The children knelt
down and began
softly chatting
with the moose. In
return, the moose
lowered her head
and engaged back
with the children.
They stood there
interacting with
each other for about
five minutes before
the family decided
it was time to move
on. As the children
left the moose
followed. Giggles
and expressions of
joy filled the air.
For me, this was one
of those “Ah-Hah!”
moments that make my job fulfilling. There is no doubt
in my mind that the connection these children made
with the moose will have a lasting impression. This
exact experience is how love, passion, learning and
Above: Three young visitors interact with the Preserve’s moose cow, JB.
4
Volume 11, Issue 3

wonder are fostered. It is through
these experiences that together, the
American Bald Eagle Foundation
and the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
are helping to instill conservation
values and help the global
community care about the animals
of Northern North America.
Thank you for your support of
the Yukon Wildlife Preserve and
other zoological institutions like
my own. It is through your support
that we are able to continue to
spread the conservation education
message and empower the global
community to connect with, and
protect our diminishing wildlife.
Leia Minch is the Raptor Curator for
the American Bald Eagle Foundation in
Haines, Alaska. She manages the health
and welfare of the 12 avian ambassadors
that live and work at the facility. She feels
one of the most important aspects of her
job is connecting humans to the natural
environments that we live and thrive from.
* Skibins, Jeffrey C., and Robert B. Powell. “Conservation
Caring: Measuring the Influence of Zoo Visitors’
Connection to Wildlife on Pro-conservation
Behaviors.” Zoo Biology 32.5 (2013): 528-40. Web.
11 Nov. 2016.
Winter 2016
Top: A fawn feeds from it’s mother under winter skies at the Preserve. Bottom:
American Bald Eagle Foundation’s Abby Flander with Euransian Eagle Owl Hans
visited Whitehorse in June to present to the community about raptors and how
to protect raptors in the Whitehorse area.
5

Winter is for
the Dogs
Well, the bears are probably all
nestled snug in their dens now and
you may be starting to relax your
vigilance about keeping wildlife
attractants secure on your property.
Let’s think again!
Chances are if you set up camp in
a shadowy corner of your yard one
winter eve you will catch sight of a
fox slinking through, hunting for
rodents or pillaging your neighbor’s
chicken coop. You may hear a pack
of coyotes or wolves howling. These
fantastic animals (canids) are all
people where food resources are
easier to find. Like bears, canids
will eat almost anything. If you are
lucky you will catch a fox swandiving
into the snow in pursuit of
rodents, who create
an inspiring network
of tunnels and caves
when the snow
gets deep enough.
If you have fruitbearing
bushes and
trees, long grasses
and patches of
undisturbed snow
you probably have
rodents. Expect
the canids to come
looking for supper.
You may thank
them for keeping the
rodent population
down around your
home and gardens.
Photo by: Robbie McKay
Photo by: Robbie McKay
with them in the territory, but there
are a lot of nuisance reports. Foxes
dig dens, mark their territory, raid
chicken coops and occasionally
make a mess. They are bold,
intelligent and good at getting
what they need. WildWise Yukon
encourages property owners to
keep up the good work securing
wildlife attractants year-round so
that we can all coexist with wildlife
these beautiful and important
species.
Heather Ashthorn is the Executive
Director of Wildwise Yukon. For tips
on how to clean up your backyard,
please visit www.wildwise.ca or give
us a call at 335-5212. We will be
happy to hear from you!
closely related to domestic dogs and
are awake year-round, living and
travelling through your community.
Winter brings them closer to
Yukoners report more encounters
with foxes in particular through
the winter months. There are no
reports of dangerous encounters
6
Top: A wild red fox perches on a Whitehorse residents porch; Bottom: Robbie
McKay spots a wild coyotoe searching for food in the winter landscape.
Volume 11, Issue 3

The Ripple Effect in Rehabilitation
There are many ways to
preserve and protect wildlife
and their habitats. One way
we choose to preserve and
protect is through wildlife
rehabilitation. Ultimately, the
Wildlife Rehabilitation and
Research Centre, opened in
2012, is here to provide wild
animals the help they need to
go back to the wild.
But when does one animal
matter? What could possibly
change by saving a single
injured bird or one orphaned
baby squirrel? Interestingly, we
do see the effects go beyond us
and that animal. We see this
ignite a significant change in
the lives of the people who have
participated in the rescue of
an animal. This is a powerful
side-effect of rehabilitation
and what could be referred to
as one of the ripple effects of
rehabilitation.
Saving one individual won’t
change the world, but for the
one individual, the world has
forever changed and perhaps
the world of the person who
helped it too. The experience
of finding an animal in
distress and ensuring it gets
the appropriate aid creates a
personal connection to wildlife.
It creates a vested interest in
the creature’s survival. It can
in turn, bring about a desire to
learn more about the species,
their habitat and to become
conservationist and stewards
of our own backyards. It fosters
our appetite for knowledge
and subsequently nurtures
a respect and appreciation
for the animal. We share our
experience, the connection
created, the compassion
with friends and family and
it encourages conversation,
and discussions. We put bird
silhouettes in our windows,
contain our attractants, recycle,
put up bird houses, and we start
asking questions to be better
informed.
The knowledge gives way to
knowing we are all empowered
to demonstrate compassion and
that we have choices available
in our actions. We can all bring
about change: one action, one
conservation, one animal at a
time.
Lindsay Caskenette is the
Manager of Visitor Services at
the Yukon Wildlife Preserve and
has a particular fondness for
owls.
Full-time Staff
Yukon
Wildlife
Preserve
Greg Meredith, Executive Director
Sheila Downey, Executive Assistant
Randy Hallock, Operations Director
Dr. Maria Hallock, Wildlife Curator
Jake Paleczny, Director of
Programming & Education
Lindsay Caskenette, Manager of
Visitor Services
Daniel Jolkowski, Animal Care &
Operations Assistant
Beth Paul, Senior Education
Programmer
Board of Directors
Alexandra Tait President
Lacia Kinnear, 1 st Vice-President
Michael Kokiw, 2 nd Vice-President,
Kristine Hildebrand, Treasurer
Jessie Dawson
Chris Evans
Katelyn Friendship
Kirk Cameron
Brooke Rudolph
Shireley Adamson
Shawna Warshawski
Ed van Randen Non-voting Member
- Environment Yukon
Darrell March, Non-voting Member -
Environment Yukon
Winter 2016
Click the picture above to check out stories behind
the releases, or visit our youtube page at http://www.
youtube.com/c/YukonWildlifePreserveWhitehorse
7

Christmas is a time for laughter so enjoy a few of our
favourite and (arguably) funny holidays jokes!
Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday!
What’s the different between a
caribou and a reindeer?
Reindeer can fly!
How do sheep greet each other
at Christmas?
Merry Christmas to ewe!
What do bison hang on their
Christmas Trees?
Horn-aments
What do you call a blind reindeer?
No eye deer....
What is a moose’s favourite
Christmas story?
A Christ-moose Carol
When to Visit
Winter Hours
10:30am to 6:00pm: Friday - Sunday
Guided Bus Tours at 12pm, 2pm.
Extended Holiday Hours
Open Daily December 26 th to January 2 nd .
Closed Decemeber 25 th .
Walk, run, fat-bike anytime while open. We
also highly encourage skipping! Enjoy the
multi-use winter trails for skiing.
Curious about the latest news? Visit
facebook.com/yukonwildlife or call 456-7300.
We’re on Instagram now!
Share your adventures with us through Social
Media and we`ll re-share our favs!
Writing: Lindsay Caskenette, Greg Meredith,
Heather Ashthorn, Leia Minch.
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Photos and illustrations: Lindsay Caskenette, Jake Paleczny,
Robbie Mckay, Leia Minch, Steve Hossack.
Printed on 100% Recycled Paper
Volume 11, Issue 3