Shubenacadie Wildlife Park

The Shubenacadie (pronounced "Shoo-ben-ack-a-dee") Wildlife Park has been run by the government for about 60 years. It comprises 40 hectares of waterways and enclosures containing some of North America's iconic animal species. In this post you will see some of these animals inexpertly photographed by us and you might be tempted to feel sorry for these beautiful creatures behind chain mail fences. But after reading the policies of the park we were reassured that the animals’ best interests were being taken into account. The park's website says:
"Most of the animals at the park come to us from other zoological facilities in North America where they are born in captivity. They feel at ease around people and related activities so they are usually visible to the visiting public. A few have been received from members of the public who kept wildlife as "pets". Once they reach maturity these animals are usually no longer wanted. They cannot be released to the wild, so they are sent to our park for rehabilitation and care. It is the Park's policy to provide the best possible care to orphaned and sick animals in need, with the ultimate goal being release back to the wild. Some of the animals come to us from the wild as very small orphans with severe injuries. Even though they receive medical attention and the best possible care, some injuries could not be repaired so the animals have to remain at the Park, or be put down. Some of the very young orphans require such intensive care that they become imprinted on humans. To release these animals to the wild would not be in their best interest as they will often fall victim to human activities."
We were really chuffed to see such majestic animals as the black bear and the cougar up close. Some of the birds were simply awe-inspiring. We only get 10 pictures per post so see what you think ...Read more