On behalf of the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation – yay! Spring is here! Many of the residents of the Saskatoon Zoo feel the same way we do, for those of us who are warm weather lovers. I feel like a hibernating bear groggily rising from a long sleep and needing a coffee NOW, and ready to bask in the sunshine. Okay, maybe bears don’t drink coffee, but you get the picture. Many people are feeling more perky, and many of the Saskatoon Zoo residents feel the same way.
I checked out the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo recently, for the first time in a long time. I was excited to check out the lemurs and meerkats, both of which are in the Small Mammal House, which opened in 2023. The animals that live there are popular with visitors so if you know a business, organization or family that would like to sponsor it, contact the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation.
The song from the animated movie Madagascar popped in my head while watching the lemurs. It was the lemur character King Julien, who sang, “I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it”. So catchy! (And now you have an ear worm that will be difficult to get rid of.)
Opposite the lemurs in their habitat are the meerkats. I have been in love with them since seeing a documentary about them and watching these characters bask in the sun as a group in the morning. So zen! A factoid for you: meerkats live in a matriarchal society. You go, meerkats!
Before telling you about my all-time favourite animal at the Zoo, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the bird species that choose to live there – the geese. They know a good habitat when they see one. The picture below shows my favourite activity to watch when it comes to geese, or ducks or other water foragers. I love when they dive under the water, with their butts in the air bobbing along upside down!
I ended off my adventure at the prairie dog habitat. I don’t know what it is about them that I find so appealing. Maybe it’s because they are Saskatchewan wildlife. Maybe it’s their little warning chirps or those cute little feetsies. I love the picture below, because it shows some prairie dogs dining on hay while in their bowl of hay they are feeding from! Can you imagine dining on salad will sitting in your salad bowl? Me neither, but it works for them.
I hope you will consider a trip to the Saskatoon Zoo and Forestry Farm Park in the future, and if you are so inclined, donations are welcome through the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation. The goal is to build a nature sanctuary for the Zoo residents, improving their habitats and expanding them.
Your Zoo Foundation blogger,
Carol Thomson
