By Michael Kerr
It truly was my most Canadian moment.
I was watching the park paparazzi (AKA park
visitors) surround an enormous bull elk in
downtown Banff. Cameras were flashing, kids were
laughing and pointing, and the elk was becoming
increasingly (and understandably) nervous. Just
when it appeared as though the elk might charge an
overly nosy photographer, a park warden arrived
on the scene to diffuse this dangerous situation. This
is where my most Canadian moment begins. The
warden, wearing a maple leaf emblazoned toque,
chased the elk from the crowd using the warden's
motivational weapon of choice. . . a hockey stick.
Now I ask you, does it get more Canadian than that?
I mean, here was someone wearing a toque . . .
chasing a wild animal . . . with a hockey stick!
The mountain parks provide countless
opportunities to create memorable Canadian
moments, including up close and personal
encounters with some of Canada's most famous
celebrities such as moose, beavers, and bears. The
Rockies also offer the chance to spy a myriad of
lesser known stars--from numerous species of birds
in low elevation wetland areas, to mountain goats
scrambling atop the highest peaks.
Of course, unlike a visit to Hollywood, there are no
maps to the stars' homes. Nor is visiting a national
park an outing to the zoo. There are no signs
pointing the way to the moose, no paved trails to
the otters, and certainly no caged grizzlies--which
is what makes wildlife watching in the Canadian
Rockies so exciting; so rewarding; and so very,
very unpredictable.
There are some simple things you can do to improve your odds. Venturing out and about at dawn and dusk, when many of the animals tend to be more active, certainly helps. And knowing something of the animals' preferred habitat is obviously going to improve your odds. But, ultimately, it comes down to patience, curiosity, and heaps of luck. |
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And knowing how much celebrities enjoy their privacy, please make sure you don't turn into a stalker, because these megastars really will charge you if you play the role of the park paparazzi. The elk wandering the streets of Jasper may look tame, the bighorn sheep that loiter around the Lake Minnewanka parking lot in Banff may appear harmless, but we need to respect that they are wild animals, and remember that we are the ones paying them a visit--in their homes.
So as you create your own Canadian moments in some of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet, make like a true blue Canadian and be polite. Be respectful. And leave the hockey stick at home (we don't want you to be that Canadian).
Michael Kerr is former park naturalist and the author of five books, including The Canadian Rockies Guide to Wildlife Watching, What's So Funny About Alberta? and When Do You Let the Animals Out? A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Humour. Surf him up at www.mikekerr.com. |
