We saw many beautiful creatures in Yukon, both on the preserve and off. They are not always so easy to get photos of, I have to say. I missed the Cross Fox, the American Eagle, and the wild Lynx and more birds than you can imagine! I would like to blame it on my equipment but sadly, it was all down to operator error! Below are the ones that I was able to get good images of.
Oh my goodness! This little guy was hilarious! He was picked up from the side of a highway somewhere in the Yukon. The person who rescued him thought he was a dog and took him home. He started life being habituated with a Chihuahua so you might imagine the surprise of the family who rescued him felt when they realized he was not the dog they thought him to be. They called the Preserve and turned him over. Well, he was at this point he was too used to people and being a household pet that going back into the wild was out of the question. He was brought up by the good people at the preserve and although he has his own habitat he seems to genuinely love the caretaker we were with. He does not have a name… he is still wild, in a sense, and they are careful not to treat him like a domesticated animal.
The only moose we encountered but we had our eyes wide open all the time trying to find them!
Yukon Gopher, they are EVERYWHERE!
These Muskox are HUGE creatures. We had long lenses and did not get close but I understand they have a very strong and unpleasant odor about them. Their hooves were so big and heavy. Amazing animals to see.
Last but certainly not least, we found this guy preparing for winter outside of Carcross, on our way home at the end of our day. He was so busy eating he didn’t even seem to notice all the vehicles stopping for a look. We took as many photos as we could through the windows of the van. I’m going to caution everyone who reads this and my other posts about wildlife… Do take every possible caution when you are around them and use your brain. These are WILD ANIMALS! They will eat you or attack you if you provoke them or they feel threatened in any way.