Latest news with #CanadianWildlifeFederation
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
How Manitobans can take part in Bioblitz
Katherine speaks with James Pagé with the Canadian Wildlife Federation about the upcoming Bioblitz and how Manitobans can participate this year.
Calgary Herald
25-06-2025
- Calgary Herald
Woman shares video of Alberta encounter with Canada's friendliest moose
Article content It was early morning, just before sunrise in Alberta's Jasper National Park, when Kellie Paxian thought she had run out of luck. Article content She was driving with husband Matt Murray along Maligne Lake Road, leading to the eponymous lake, the largest natural one in the Canadian Rockies. They were on the lookout for moose on June 22 — but unlike previous trips to the area where she spotted many of the giant animals, this time was proving to be uneventful. Article content After reaching the lake without a sighting, they decided to turn their car around. Article content 'Then I just see this majestic creature coming towards me, from the fog, from the mist,' Paxian told National Post over the phone on Tuesday. 'I stopped in my tracks, so shocked.' Article content Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kellie Paxian 💃🏼 - Safaris & Adventures (@kelliepaxian) Article content As the moose walked toward the vehicle, Paxian said she pulled over in an effort to keep a safe distance. She also didn't want to startle the moose by continuing to drive. Moose can be 'quite skittish' and sometimes 'they can get aggressive if provoked,' she said. Article content 'My experience is they're quite shy, so I expected it to turn and run into the bushes,' she said. But instead, the moose, a large male with a full set of antlers, kept approaching. She opened her car window to get a better view in the morning fog. Article content The moose didn't stop. He calmly approached the vehicle as Paxian continued to film. She said she and Murray were in shock when it came closer and started licking the side of the car. Article content 'We didn't even think to roll up the window or drive away, because it was now so close,' she said. Article content Article content This was far from the couple's first wildlife encounter. Article content Paxian is a safari specialist who spends most of the year in South Africa, hosting and organizing safaris. She is also the founder of travel website, Adventurelust. She is originally from Abbotsford, B.C., and returns to Canada for three to four months a year. Lessons learned on safari — like being approached by elephants and lions — helped the couple remember to remain calm. Article content Article content Paxian said she let the 'moose control the interaction.' Article content Article content Male moose, called bulls, can come close to weighing 750 kilograms or more than 1,600 pounds, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. Only bulls grow antlers. There are an estimated 500,000 to one million moose in Canada, according to the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Article content 'Do I drive away? I don't want to startle it,' she said. Article content It felt like a lifetime as the moose lingered, although it was only around a minute, said Paxian. Article content As the moose moved its head out of the vehicle, Paxian released the brake and slowly pulled away. At the end of the video, Paxian's husband can be seen staring at the camera in disbelief. Then, they exhale and let out audible gasps. Article content 'It was just absolutely incredible to have an animal like that bless you with their presence. It was something I could never have anticipated,' she said. 'You really felt its energy, and he had such kind eyes. He was just a giant, majestic moose coming to say, 'Hi.' And we did the best we could in this situation.' Article content Paxian clarified that people should not approach wild animals and she advises against feeding or trying to interact with wildlife. However, she said she was grateful for the encounter.
Edmonton Journal
25-06-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Could this be Canada's friendliest moose? Woman recalls encounter near Alberta's Maligne Lake
Article content It was early morning, just before sunrise in Alberta's Jasper National Park, when Kellie Paxian thought she had run out of luck. She was driving with her husband Matt Murray along Maligne Lake Road, leading to the eponymous lake, the largest natural one in the Canadian Rockies. They were on the lookout for moose on June 22 — but unlike previous trips to the area where she spotted many of the giant animals, this time was proving to be uneventful. Article content After reaching the lake without a sighting, they decided to turn their car around. 'Then I just see this majestic creature coming towards me, from the fog, from the mist,' Paxian told National Post over the phone on Tuesday. 'I stopped in my tracks, so shocked.' Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kellie Paxian 💃🏼 - Safaris & Adventures (@kelliepaxian) As the moose walked toward the vehicle, Paxian said she pulled over in an effort to keep a safe distance. She also didn't want to startle the moose by continuing to drive. Moose can be 'quite skittish' and sometimes 'they can get aggressive if provoked,' she said. 'My experience is they're quite shy, so I expected it to turn and run into the bushes,' she said. But instead, the moose, a large male with a full set of antlers, kept approaching. She opened her car window to get a better view in the morning fog. The moose didn't stop. He calmly approached the vehicle as Paxian continued to film. She said her and Murray were in shock when it came closer and started licking the side of the car. 'We didn't even think to roll up the window or drive away, because it was now so close,' she said. This was far from the couple's first wildlife encounter. Paxian is a safari specialist who spends most of the year in South Africa, hosting and organizing safaris. She is also the founder of travel website, Adventurelust. She is originally from Abbotsford, B.C. and returns to Canada for three to four months a year. Lessons learned on safari — like being approached by elephants and lions — helped the couple remember to remain calm. Article content Paxian said she let the 'moose control the interaction.' Male moose, called bulls, can come close to weighing 750 kilograms or more than 1,600 pounds, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. Only bulls grow antlers. There are an estimated 500,000 to one million moose in Canada, per the Canadian Wildlife Federation. As the moose licked the side of the car, Paxian's mind was racing. 'Do I drive away? I don't want to startle it,' she said. It felt like a lifetime as the moose lingered, although it was only around a minute, said Paxian. As the moose moved its head out of the vehicle, Paxian released the brake and slowly pulled away. At the end of the video, Paxian's husband can be seen staring at the camera in disbelief. Then, they exhale and let out audible gasps. 'It was just absolutely incredible to have an animal like that bless you with their presence. It was something I could never have anticipated,' she said. 'You really felt its energy, and he had such kind eyes. He was just a giant, majestic moose coming to say, 'Hi.' And we did the best we could in this situation.' Paxian clarified that people should not approach wild animals and she advises against feeding or trying to interact with wildlife. However, she said she was grateful for the encounter. Latest National Stories
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Could this be Canada's friendliest moose? Woman recalls encounter near Alberta's Maligne Lake
It was early morning, just before sunrise in Alberta's Jasper National Park, when Kellie Paxian thought she had run out of luck. She was driving with her husband Matt Murray along Maligne Lake Road, leading to the eponymous lake, the largest natural one in the Canadian Rockies. They were on the lookout for moose on June 22 — but unlike previous trips to the area where she spotted many of the giant animals, this time was proving to be uneventful. After reaching the lake without a sighting, they decided to turn their car around. 'Then I just see this majestic creature coming towards me, from the fog, from the mist,' Paxian told National Post over the phone on Tuesday. 'I stopped in my tracks, so shocked.' As the moose walked toward the vehicle, Paxian said she pulled over in an effort to keep a safe distance. She also didn't want to startle the moose by continuing to drive. Moose can be 'quite skittish' and sometimes 'they can get aggressive if provoked,' she said. 'My experience is they're quite shy, so I expected it to turn and run into the bushes,' she said. But instead, the moose, a large male with a full set of antlers, kept approaching. She opened her car window to get a better view in the morning fog. The moose didn't stop. He calmly approached the vehicle as Paxian continued to film. She said her and Murray were in shock when it came closer and started licking the side of the car. 'We didn't even think to roll up the window or drive away, because it was now so close,' she said. This was far from the couple's first wildlife encounter. Paxian is a safari specialist who spends most of the year in South Africa, hosting and organizing safaris. She is also the founder of travel website, Adventurelust. She is originally from Abbotsford, B.C. and returns to Canada for three to four months a year. Lessons learned on safari — like being approached by elephants and lions — helped the couple remember to remain calm. Paxian said she let the 'moose control the interaction.' Male moose, called bulls, can come close to weighing 750 kilograms or more than 1,600 pounds, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. Only bulls grow antlers. There are an estimated 500,000 to one million moose in Canada, per the Canadian Wildlife Federation. As the moose licked the side of the car, Paxian's mind was racing. 'Do I drive away? I don't want to startle it,' she said. It felt like a lifetime as the moose lingered, although it was only around a minute, said Paxian. As the moose moved its head out of the vehicle, Paxian released the brake and slowly pulled away. At the end of the video, Paxian's husband can be seen staring at the camera in disbelief. Then, they exhale and let out audible gasps. 'It was just absolutely incredible to have an animal like that bless you with their presence. It was something I could never have anticipated,' she said. 'You really felt its energy, and he had such kind eyes. He was just a giant, majestic moose coming to say, 'Hi.' And we did the best we could in this situation.' Paxian clarified that people should not approach wild animals and she advises against feeding or trying to interact with wildlife. However, she said she was grateful for the encounter. Jasper versus Banff: Why one mountain town soared and the other didn't | Best of 2023 Chris Selley: Is the Liberals' 'Canada Strong Pass' a one-off gimmick, or something more substantial? Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Red-winged blackbirds are attacking Toronto residents again. Here is why
The red-winged blackbird is a familiar and noisy inhabitant of nearly any wet habitat across Canada. (Canadian Wildlife Federation/Keith Sharkey) Torontonians hoping to enjoy a walk or run this summer should prepare to be back on the defensive as dive-bombing attacks from the notoriously small but mighty red-winged blackbirds have reportedly returned. The small bird that bears an uncanny resemblance to the famed bird from the Angry Birds game, shares more similarities than just their bold-coloured appearance. Pedestrians and runners around the city have taken to social media to report sightings of the birds. In past years, the bird's have been particularly prevalent in Toronto's Liberty Village neighbourhood, but experts say they are common near areas with dense vegetation and water. But why do the birds display such high levels of aggression? The songbirds' defence mechanism is triggered when humans or other large animals approach their nesting areas, which can lead to them defending their nests against what they perceive as a threat, Andrés Jiménez Monge, the Executive Director of Ontario Nature told CTV News on Tuesday. 'They're defending because they have a housing crisis,' Monge says. 'Very little ecosystems and habitats are left in certain areas, and some cases, in those poor-quality habitats that are left, one male ends up with having a ton of females (mates) because that's where they found an opportunity to nest.' The birds that carry out these aerial attacks are usually the males of the species, he adds. The breeding season of the red-winged blackbird begins in early May and could continue until August, when they can be witnessed flocking in the marshlands preparing to migrate for the winter, Monge says. Primarily, they nest in areas with dense vegetation, like parts of marshlands or in wetlands, he explains. But due to rapid urban development, much of their natural habitat is now closer to the residential population. The blackbirds usually call out warnings prior to taking any action and attacking, but most people – like runners or pedestrians wearing headphones – don't hear their calls, he adds, which leads to them attacking anyone who comes close to their nests. 'They fiercely defend their territories during the breeding season, spending more than a quarter of daylight hours in territorial defence,' Monge says. He states that being mindful of the animals and birds and their habitats could substantially decrease the likelihood of being attacked by them. 'Pay attention to the birds. Look at them and realize if they are calling and singing,' Monge says. 'And if they (people) just stand a little bit away from dense vegetation where they like to nest, they will easily avoid being confronted by a red-winged blackbird.'
