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snowleopard

435-Acre Enclosure

August 2009. There is a 55-minute tram tour through this massive enclosure, which is a gigantic 435 acres of meadows, thick forests and two small lakes. All of the animals have free rein of the entire area, and they can only be seen from the tour. There are 7 species of hoofstock in the enclosure: woodland caribou, roosevelt elk, blacktail deer, rocky mountain goat, bighorn sheep, bison and moose.

435-Acre Enclosure
snowleopard, 10 Aug 2009
    • snowleopard
      August 2009. There is a 55-minute tram tour through this massive enclosure, which is a gigantic 435 acres of meadows, thick forests and two small lakes. All of the animals have free rein of the entire area, and they can only be seen from the tour. There are 7 species of hoofstock in the enclosure: woodland caribou, roosevelt elk, blacktail deer, rocky mountain goat, bighorn sheep, bison and moose.
    • Ituri
      Did they mention anything about the two barren-ground caribou they have mixed in with the woodland herd?
    • snowleopard
      No, I didn't hear anything about barren-ground caribou. The sheer size of the enclosure would make it easy for them to slip in unnoticed.:)
    • zooman
      Do they bring the animals in each night?
    • snowleopard
      I think that it would be close to impossible to bring in the animals each night, as 435 acres is a significant amount of land to cover. I know that in the past the caribou have been placed off-exhibit, but I'm not sure how easy it is to round them up. Sometimes there are small piles of food placed along the edge of the road to entice the hoofstock to appear for the tram tour.
    • Arizona Docent
      When I went, you could stand at the edge of the lake and look across to the meadow area. The bison seemed to hang out there, so you could at least see the bison without boarding the tram (although the tram gets you closer).
    • snowleopard
      @ADocent: you are right about being able to stand at the edge of the lake, and I suppose that a few animals might be visible from that vantage point. I saw a single bison while in that area, and the rest of the hoofstock were all seen on the actual tour.
    • Ebirah766
      Shenton Thomas, that's huge! :eek:

      Old discussion here, but what do you think of this exhibit, @snowleopard?
    • snowleopard
      @Ebirah766 While I would always choose to walk around a zoo without the aid of any rides or means of transportation, having a single fenced area of more than 400 acres obviously makes that impossible. This 'exhibit' is terrific and Northwest Trek is a must-see option for anyone visiting the other notable zoos of the Pacific Northwest.
    • Ebirah766
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  • Category:
    Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
    Uploaded By:
    snowleopard
    Date:
    10 Aug 2009
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    Comment Count:
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