“WHAT! NO MOOSE…?”
Rainforest Tours sees travellers from all over the world and one of the first questions when beginning our hikes tends to be “What kind of wildlife will we see?”
The list is long, so to shake things up I like to start with a small list of what they won’t see. “Vancouver Island is home to many of the same species as found on the mainland, with some interesting exceptions. The island doesn’t have any grizzly bears, porcupines, moose or coyotes, despite the fact that these animals are common on the mainland.” The disappointment I see in people’s faces when I say “no moose” is always humorous. I quickly reassure them of the many land and sea creatures we have on Vancouver Island and things are quickly put at ease.
That’s right travellers, Vancouver Island has no moose. I know Canada is known for a few iconic animals but, who knew, the excitement surrounding moose was so big. It is on our 25 cent coin. This solitary creature is well respected in Canada and not to be trifled with. At 350-400kg and standing many feet above a Clydesdale this is one of Canada’s largest land mammals. Apparently world famous, Rainforest Tours guests want to see one in the wild. Moose and a few other Canadian mammals have had no need to make their way overseas from the mainland to the many surrounding islands.
Keep in mind our island is home to Canada’s only population of Roosevelt elk and also the indigenous Vancouver Island Marmot. It also has one of the densest populations of cougars in North America and a healthy black bear population. You can’t go wrong when visiting any part of Vancouver Island, the wildlife spotting is endless and has a uniqueness not to be missed
…But sorry my friend, no moose. I did, however, pick up a lovely stuffed moose from a local Victoria shop for the car ride to the trails.
Check out for a list of BC mammal found on the mainland and on Vancouver Island at http://www.gov.bc.ca/env/
Happy Hiking!!!
So – is there any truth to the tales of moose that were brought to Vancouver Island and then swam back to the mainland?