Visiting Canada’s Yukon Wildlife Preserve

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Canada has some unique and wonderful wildlife, and whether you’re a visitor or you live here there are sure to be animals you’d just love to see. So if you’re visiting Whitehorse, a trip to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve is a must-do. Guaranteed animal sightings make it an excellent place for all animal lovers.

Where is the Yukon Wildlife Preserve?

Located just 25km outside of the city of Whitehorse, you can drive here in less than half an hour from the city. It’s easy to find, and there’s ample on-site parking. If you don’t have a car, or are concerned about navigating the snow-covered roads if visiting in winter, there are shuttle options available.

The preserve is set over 700 acres giving the animals ample space to move around in their habitats. Covering such a large area means it’s a great place to get some fresh air outdoors and take in some of the beautiful local landscape as you traverse the preserve in search of your favorite animal.

Planning a visit to the wildlife preserve

The Yukon Wildlife Preserve is open year round. You can buy tickets directly from their website or from tour operators who also offer transportation.

Tickets are around $16 per person (less than $10 for children) – or for an extra $8 per person there’s the option of a bus tour. The bus tour takes around an hour and a half – to walk is around the same time. Although plan to spend up to 3 hours there as you get constantly drawn in by the adorably awesome animals along the way.

To walk around the preserve yourself is about a 5km distance, that’s the way I experienced it. However, the bus tour is not only great to save some walking, but you get some really first hand information from staff about each of the animals you see.

If you want a super fun way to get around the preserve, you can rent a kicksled for around $17 per person (about 2.5 hours). Get there early if you want one as they are limited and cannot be booked in advance.

How is this different from a zoo?

I get what you’re thinking – if zoos keeping animals in cages is bad, how is this better? Well a wildlife preserve uses the animals natural habitat to house their animals, whereas zoos typically have more artificial habitats. The wildlife preserve here is also built around animals native to Canada and the Yukon region – not animals shipped in from around the world.

The Yukon Wildlife Preserve rescues orphaned and injured animals that would not have survived on their own. Some are rehabilitated but those that cannot be are kept at the preserve. Ticket and tour sales help with animal upkeep and to the continued conservation of local wildlife. They are a non-profit, and an officially registered charity.

A zoo on the other hand displays animals more for entertainment purposes. Yes, it’s true some zoos have better ethics than others and do some good things for conservation. But they still often house either purposely captured animals or animals bred from captivity.

What animals can I see at the preserve?

Some of the most the elusive Canadian mammals can be found at this remote sanctuary. While there are no bears, many of Canada’s most well-known animals are here. Each breed of animal has its own separate habitat area to provide the animals the most comfort. Here’s a snapshot of just some of the wildlife you can see here.

Wood bison

Seeing bison in the wild has become something of a rare experience in Canada. Loss of habitats, threat from humans and more mean the population has dwindled. Wood bison have been reintroduced into a few areas of Canada though and this is making a difference.

So being able to see them at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve is a rewarding experience. Almost two dozen wood bison call this place home, and it’s a great place to see how truly huge these beasts are. Looking a bit like a top-heavy overly-fluffy cow they have adapted to even the colder Yukon weather.

Elk

These large deer have such soft-looking adorable faces that you can’t help but love them. Elk grow their antlers every year starting around Spring, so when I visited the preserve in February most of the elk weren’t showing any antlers.

There are about 15 elk on site and they’re the first animals you see as you start the route around the preserve. Their fur is a mixture of tan and dark brown but they have a noticeable white rump.

Mountain Goats

These guys can climb! Even the most “I’d fall from there” looking path seems no challenge for the mountain goats. As well as grazing on grasses and other vegetation, these goats get a lot of nutrients from natural salt deposits. They’ll go to extreme lengths to find rocks with natural salt to lick.

In the winter, spotting them with their white fur on a background of pure white snow is the Where’s Waldo challenge of the animal preserve. That said you’ll find them opposite the equally elusive lynx enclosure.

Arctic Fox

The arctic fox may be the most lively of animals once you actually spot her. And to see her in her most recognizable form, winter is the best time. Her coat is pure white and spotting her against the snow will be made only easier than spotting goats due to how much she moves around.

Darting from one side of her enclosure to the other, the arctic fox here at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve makes you work for your photos. If you’re lucky enough to time your visit with her daily feeding then you have a way better chance of getting closer. Another benefit of taking the bus tour since the tour guide is often responsible for some of the feeding.

Lynx

Most of the animals in the Yukon Wildlife Preserve can be easily spotted in their enclosure. The lynx, however, likes to hide, and isn’t as big as some of the other animals which makes the challenge even more great. The lynx was definitely one of the highlights of the sanctuary for me.

When you do see the lynx, the biggest shock is not how much it looks like your friendly neighborhood kitty, or the interesting pointed elf-like ears, but the huge paws. Given that the cat has to walk on snow a lot of the time, it makes sense that its feet would be so big to distribute its weight more easily.

Moose

After living in Canada for over a decade I still can’t believe I’d never seen a moose. I mean, they’re big enough, right?! All that changed at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve as they have a few moose living there. Females as well as males, and a younger moose.

Since there are apparently 2 moose for every one person in the Yukon, it’s no surprise a couple made their way here. For most its because their parents were hit by cars and being orphaned this was the only place they would have survived. The moose was the animal I was most excited to see, and it was amazing to see them up close.

If you go on the tour ask the staff about how good one of the moose was at escaping! You’ll also find old discarded antlers of the moose so you can truly see how heavy they are for the animals to carry around.

A day at Yukon Wildlife Preserve

Since seeing local wildlife is likely on you Canada bucket list this is the perfect place to visit. You’ll be guaranteed to see some interesting Canadian animals and learn a thing or two in the process.

The preserve is set out over a large area so you can see how much space all the animals have to roam. And this makes it an activity that doesn’t have to be just a short stop – you can really get some exercise in too.

Many things in Whitehorse and the Yukon require a vehicle to reach. So this is a unique experience that is easily accessible to anyone even without their own car – book a tour or a transfer ahead of time. The Yukon Wildlife Preserve is not only any incredible day out, but a really great cause and a way to support local wildlife.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you been to this or a similar wildlife preserve? Which Canadian animal tops your list of must-sees?