Boop the baby yak has joined the gang at Discovery Wildlife Park just in time for the May 1 season opening of the Innisfail zoo.
Boop arrived last week at the zoo a day after she was born on an Alberta farm where her mother could not produce milk for her.
Zoo owner Doug Bos said raising a baby animal by hand takes a lot of TLC and Discovery has loads of experience and training to raise orphaned babies.
“We take in a lot of orphans. It’s not just a matter of giving them a bottle. There are other things you have to do that the mother does that you need to know,” Bos said.
Boop will be a companion for Discovery’s lone yak Felicia.
“They will definitely be on display. We’ll do talks when we do bottle feeds. It gives us an opportunity to interact with the public.”
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He said there could be more animals arriving this season at Discovery for people to visit. It’s difficult to know for sure.
“We’re not like a regular zoo. Most of these animals come to us. We don’t plan on getting them. They just end up on our doorstep.”
He also doesn’t know what to expect from the 2022 summer tourism season now that COVID-19 is starting to ease.
“People have been penned up for two years basically. Now there’s so many things they can do, they’ll have a tough time choosing. We’re going to have a lot more competition out there. There’s going to be the local fairs going on, parades, rodeos, summer festivals, and all those activities we never had last year.
“With the price of fuel, that will theoretically restrict people’s travels as well, so I just don’t know.”
He said some people appreciated the way they could easily social distance outdoors at Discovery where there is a lot of space to spread out so the park will continue to appeal to those visitors. Weather also plays a role in attendance, but the park will be open as usual starting next month.
“We open May 1 every year come rain, or shine, or snow, or whatever mother nature happens to give us.”
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Bos said Discovery added more cabins for rent near the site’s stocked rainbow trout pond, on the north side of the property, so people can still get out and enjoy nature if they don’t have an RV or camping equipment.
“They can listen to the wolves howl at night and the lions roar. It’s a real different experience.”
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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