Journey to Churchill Canadian Signature Experience
This article is Journey to Churchill Canadian Signature Experience. It is a review of a tour of the Assinboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg.
The zoo tour is part of my Winnipeg Spring Experience Trip Report.
Journey to Churchill Canadian Signature Experience
The Journey to Churchill Canadian Signature Experience is a public tour that focuses on a section of the Assinboine Park Zoo.
The award-winning exhibit is home to polar bears, muskoxen, Artic fox, wolves and other northern species.
The tour is a comprehensive northern species show. Visitors experience a variety of naturalist landscapes and animal viewing areas.
The tour includes education experiences with interpretive signage and interactive displays which invite visitors to learn about biodiversity, climate change and conservation.
The Assinboine Park Conservancy hosted me for this tour as part of my Winnipeg Media Trip. The tour was setup by Travel Manitoba and Tourism Winnipeg. The views expressed in this article are my own.
Canadian Signature Experience
The Canadian Signature Experience is a public tour that offers a behind the scenes look at the Journey to Churchill Exhibit at the zoo.
Anyone can buy the tour for $54.50 CAD and it is offered daily with a special tour guide.
There are several other Canadian Signature Experiences throughout the country which incredible tour options.
Gardens
Prior to the tour starting, we spent some time walking through the gardens outside the zoo.
The gardens were manicured neatly and they had a variety of plants and flowers.
In addition, scattered throughout the garden, there were sculptures that set a great tone.
I snapped a few pictures as we walked through the garden.
Tour
The tour began when we met a friendly tour guide who provided basic information on the zoo and the surrounding areas.
The tour guide explained how the tour was offered to the public and we would be experiencing it as any other guest who selected the Canadian Signature Experience.
Muskox
The tour guide led us to the Muskox display where we went behind the scenes and got close to the muskox.
The guide explained how the muskox were cared for at the zoo and how they were fed.
The muskox was originally in a barn; however, the guide called out to them and they came out to see the guests.
The muskox was shedding their heavy winter fur at that time and they were amazing creatures.
We watched them roam around a bit.
Pronghorn
In addition, we got to see a Pronghorn up close by one of the private exhibit areas.
The Pronghorn was people friendly and he approached the fence, so we could see him.
Arctic Fox
In addition, an Arctic Fox was close to us when we were by the muskox.
The Arctic Fox has a large area to roam that is setup like its natural environment.
The guide explained that the arctic fox loved to be by the muskox and it would walk along the fens to be by them.
The fox was playful and was fun to watch.
The tour guide provided background information on the animals as well as the environment.
Caribou
After seeing the arctic fox, we made our way to a Caribou exhibit.
There were two Caribou that were located in the show space.
The tour guide provided information on them and we watched as they played and ate in their exhibit area.
Conservation Video
We visited a visitor center where we watched a 10-minute 360-degree video which talked about the land as well as the history of the animals in the area
The video was informative, and it walked through the story of a grandmother telling her granddaughter about the environment and animals.
The video stressed that the temperatures have changed, which cause issues for the animals including the polar bears which find that it takes longer before ice forms which is when they hunt. In addition, the ice melts quicker than it used to, so the animals have a shorter hunting and feeding period.
Polar Bear Cubs
After the video concluded we visited the polar bear cub’s area.
Three polar bear cubs were located within the zoo.
One of them was relaxing in the sun and the other two were playing in the water.
The polar bear cubs are often rescued from being orphans and cared for by the zoo staff.
We also went through a marine underwater area.
Research Center
The tour continued with a behind the scenes look at the zoo research center.
The guide pointed out the staff in the research center.
One of the staff members gave an introduction to the different projects that they are working on.
The research center does DNA research and studies on the animals at the zoo.
The DNA tests are done to find male and female species when they are young as well as to study hormones and stress on the animals.
The research area was conducting a project to help re-populate in the wild butterfly species that are close to extinct.
The lab creates an environment where that is possible with the intent of releasing the butterflies into the wild.
Polar Bears
We visited the polar bear exhibit and saw two polar bears.
Both of the bears were resting so we were not able to get pictures, however, you could see the bears at a distance.
The polar bears are large and were amazing creatures.
Tour Conclusion
The tour concluded, and the guide thanked all of us for participating and she wished us a good day.
Overall
I enjoyed the tour at the zoo. It was awesome seeing the baby polar bears playing in the water as well as learning about their natural environment and habitat. The behind the scenes experiences were awesome. I really enjoyed seeing some of the animals up close.