April 24, 2022
Eatonville, WA
Today’s walk was in Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. This park features northwest animals in their natural habitats.
We were fortunate to have a gorgeous day for our walk. The park itself is both dramatic, with massive Douglas firs, and accessible, with interpretive signs wandering staff members to answer questions or provide depth to the park experience.
Mt. Rainier also made a magnificent appearance.
But the stars of the day were definitely the animals. Most of the animals here are “rescues.” Some of the large birds (eagles, owls) are disabled and cannot fly. Some of the bears were orphaned and brought here as babies. Other bears were brought here from “bad zoos.”
As we walked through shady woods, from one animal area to the next, we had an opportunity to read signs about conservation and the uses of native plants. It was delightful.
Here are some of the new friends we made today.
 |
| Snowy owl |
 |
| Bobcat |
 |
| Cougar |
 |
| Lynx |
The wolf ignored us, but the fox seemed curious about us.
One of the black bears decided to take a bath today. He spent quite a bit of time splashing and playing in the water.
Good rules to keep in mind:
While the grizzly bears, also called brown bears, were segregated in another area, a zookeeper wandered through the habitat and hid bits of food here and there. This is intended to engage the bears in foraging behavior.
More forest friends:
Raccoon 
River otter 
Badger
 |
| And the elusive wolverine |
While wandering in a separate area called the Nature Trail, we saw (and heard) a red-headed woodpecker and . . .
. . .the remains of an Ewok village?
It is always so restorative to spend time in the woods, especially when you are able to enjoy an excellent facility such as Northwest Trek .
Total distance covered: 6 km
No comments:
Post a Comment