Being Caribou in Edmonton

Apr 21, 2008

I arrived in Edmonton on April 12. First stop - the Strathcona Farmers' Market. Here, the curious caribou was mistaken for a deer, antelope and moose! More often than not, children guessed my identity correctly the first time but parents often were mistaken. I really enjoyed the fresh bunches of flowers and the balloon animals at the market. I bumbled along through the throngs of people and very nearly knocked over a hanging sign when my antlers became entangled as I went to taste some baba ganoush! Evidently it is safer to stick to lichens...

I had some help from CPAWS Northern Alberta staff and volunteers to gather signatures to support protection of my Boreal forest habitat.  While they were doing the hard work, I boogied to the lively strains of a nearby accordion player.

We moved on from the market to our next destination: the Alberta Legislature. Upon arrival, we met a troupe of Cub Scouts, who eagerly gathered for a photo. When we arrived at the Legislature, we were shocked to see news crews. Was the media there to see little ol’ me? Alas not. Another rally was making its way to Alberta's government.  We took some photos and proceeded indoors where I managed to trap myself in a bathroom stall!  I was later accosted by a huge grizzly bear and a grey wolf  - it was scary!

Our final destination, Mountain Equipment Co-op, was teeming with people, mostly surprised and bemused to see such a large ungulate indoors!  We continued gathering signatures, and after a close encounter with a light bulb, I realized the city was making me very tired and longing for my forest home. And so I decided to slip away into the sunset, on the road to my next stop on my quest to raise awareness of the plight of Woodland caribou.  

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