Wildlife Canada: The Big 5

When I was preparing my trip to Canada, I was listing all the animals I could possibly encounter when suddenly I read about the Big 5 of Canada. Here’s an overview of the wildlife I have seen in Canada, the Big 5 of Canada included.

1) Wapiti

So the first animal is the wapiti. The wapiti is one of the largest deer species but is still smaller than the moose. You can distinguish a wapiti by its antlers: it’s covered in velvet. We saw one in Banff National Park and saw many more in Jasper National Park. Bambi’s included.

2) Moose

The Moose is the largest deer species and can be distinguished by its broad antlers. We saw 1 moose near Maligne Lake. It was a young bull, his antlers were still growing.

3) Killer Whale

The killer whale is another big 5 animal. We went on a whale tour in Campbell River but were unfortunate to see one. We did spot 3 killer whales when we were on the ferry!

4) Whale

So in Campbell River, we did a whale tour where we saw a total of 6 humpback whales! They all showed their tails and dorsal fin. You can spot the whales the best during June-October at Vancouver Island. When we took the ferry back to Vancouver, we saw another humpback whale! Just wonderful!

Fact: Most photos show whales jumping out of the water but this is very rare!

5) Bear

Chances are that if you see a bear in Canada, it will be a black bear. Chances to see a grizzly bear are lower but still possible! We saw 2 bears in Banff, 4 bears in Jasper, 3 bears in Whistler, and another bear in Ucluelet.

All of the bears we saw, we saw them crossing the road or sitting next to the road. We never encountered them on trails. Some people are scared of this. Well if your doing trails that are super popular among tourists, you won’t see bears. But trails that are more abandoned have a higher chance of bear encounters!

Warning: When you encounter bears, be careful! Especially when they have cubs! Always keep your distance. I saw some tourists stepping out of their car to take a selfie with a bear which is just ridiculous.

Not the Big 5 but also worth it!

So yes we saw the Big 5 of Canada! But wait, there is more wildlife to be spotted in Canada!

6) Mountain Goat

We spotted these mountain goats near Maligne Lake and saw another herd just next to the Miette Hot Springs.

7) Deer

So you have the moose and wapiti but you also have regular deers in Canada. We saw a bunch of them in Jasper and Whistler.

8) Wolf

Okay so this was just lucky I guess, but we did see a wolf! Caro saw it crossing the street. We stopped our car and there he was. Just minding his own business and after 3 minutes he disappeared into the bushes.

9) Bald Eagle

We saw a bald eagle’s nest at Medicine Lake (Mom + young). These eagles were once almost extinct but have now recovered. When we did the Whale Tour in Campbell River, we were surrounded by bald eagles!

10) Sea Lion

During our Whale Tour, we saw some sea lions. We even heard them call out to each other!

11) Dolphin

Last but not least, you can also spot dolphins in Canada. At the end of our Whale Tour, we joined a dolphin stampede. Hundreds of dolphins surrounded the Zodiac. They kept jumping and playing with the waves our boat made.

So this is all the wildlife I’ve seen in Canada! We didn’t see a Grizzly but the 10 black bears were a good alternative!

Life of a Passion