Always wanted to see the infamous mountain goat and snow white arctic fox in person? Discover these mystical winter wildlife of Whitehorse Yukon. Given the extreme cold conditions and constantly changing climate in the northern territory, occasionally you can also catch a brand new breed of wildlife that starts moving into the Yukon border.
I did a lovely tour conducted by Arctic Range Adventure around the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, which is the home to 13 different types of wildlife. The guide, Yuuri was a lovely friendly guide with informative stories about the animals in the preserve. He could speak in almost 5-6 different languages fluently, which was quite impressive and useful for all kinds of tourists.
So introducing to you the following:
8 Stunning Winter Wildlife of Whitehorse Yukon
#1 Wood Bison
The wood bison are majestic creature of winter. We couldn’t get a closer look at them but their curved hunch back, dark brown coat of hair as they munch their food, it was quite a majstic sight.
#2 The Elegant Elk
I really love all the beautiful pretty elks we met in this visit. Their daiinty deer like movements, inquisitive nature and little horns on their heads. A fun fact is that both the male and female elks have antlers, though the male have bigger ones, naturally to intimidate other males or impress the ladies.
#3 Mully Moose
Watching this peculiar donkey ear like moose chilling out on the snow is such a delight. It has a curved camel like mouth and was just resting on its own away from all the other male moose. Apparently she was the only female so they kept her away from all the other male moose.
Speaking of male moose, not long after we encountered one, with only 1 antler! Even with only one, he looks very majestic and intimidating, as he strolled on and pass us on his big hooves.
Standing just ahead of us, he is much taller than me, and I definitely do not want to be attacked by a winter moose like this brown creature here.
#4 Snow White Arctic Fox
The pretty little balls of fur, the snow white fluffy arctic fox truly blends into its surroudings. They are hard to spot but extremely adorable looking with their big black alert eyes.
#5 Cute Adorable Mule Deer
One of the highlights of our visit to this wildlife sanctuary is the mule deer!!
Look at how adorable all of them are, peering inquisitively at us through the fence and have completely lost interest in their food. I especially love the tiny one on the far right, with his big big ears.
#6 Not-so-thin Thinhorn Sheep
Here we have the curvy thinhorn sheep. Not sure where the thin part comes from, but those horns are incredible and beautiful! It’s like massive hoop earrings that weigh a ton on these strong powerful creatures.
#7 Mountain Goat ( My Favourite)
If you have followed me till this part, the mountain goat will have to be my ultimate favoutite with his huge coat of fur, funny looking face and strange hunch when he wallks.
It really looks like it is a fake goat with a coat swung over its body in disguise. Do you know these goats are one of the best mountain climbers in the world, and can balance on narrow rock features and cliffs?
Unbelievable isn’t it?
#8 Woodland Caribou, also commonly known as ‘Santa’s Reindeer’
In summary, these are the main Winter Wildlife of Whitehorse I caught on camera, but you can also spot 4 other types of animals there, like the red fox, snowshoe hare, Canada lynx, squirrels and muskoxen as well. Read more details about all the animals in the preserve here.
Yukon Wildlife Preserve is a really lovely place to visit if you travel with young ones or are a winter wildlife animal lover. Furthermore, the bonus of this tour is that it ends off with a lovely visit to the Takhini Hotsprings just after sunset, so that you can soak your frozen tired bodies and enjoy the natural goodness of the Canadian hot springs. For more details on the Wildlife tour, please visit Arctic Range website to check out the rates and more visitor information.
To read more about the attractions in Yukon, discover dog sledding or do some aurora borealis sighting.
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