The Maine Wildlife Park

On our way home from Bar Harbor, Robbie and I decided to stop at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. My mom used to take us there all the time when we were kids, except then it was called the Gray Animal Farm. Not too much has changed besides the name; it's a nice place to walk around and see plants and animals native to Maine (for the most part) up close. It's trips like these I am sure that fostered my love for animals. Robbie had never been before, and he thought it was a really cool place for a reasonable price. Here are some photos from our afternoon.

Walking down a little nature trail/garden

We saw a robin nest!

Meo looking at the baby robins

Checking out the owls

Looking at a buck

He loves going upside down!

Goofy baby

A bull moose; probably my favorite animal to see there

Robbie and Meo looking at the puma

Puma

Checking out the puma

This was Robbie's favorite animal there; an albino peacock

Beautiful male peacock

Now, the conservation biologist in me feels obligated to tell you a little more about the park. In 1998 the state-owned self-sufficiently financed facility changed it's name to the Maine Wildlife Park to better reflect its function and role within the state. Then they began to place a greater emphasis on education about wildlife and natural habitats and recently have sought out ways to incorporate wildlife management and conservation learning opportunities into exhibits, displays and activities. This was clearly evident to Robbie and I as we walked through the park. We enjoyed reading all the signs aloud to Mattimeo that discussed the ecology (behavior, habitat, what they eat, where the live, conservation status) of each animal we observed as well as gave information about how Maine is protecting each animal and why they are important to our state. It was interesting to read about all the work that goes into counting deer populations and how they decide how many deer are allowed to be hunted each year and why that is good for the natural habitat. It was also really interesting to read about how wolves once thrived in Maine but were shot to local extinction to be replaced with coyotes they moved in from the south and began to breed with northern wolves to create the larger eastern coyotes that are now common throughout the state. There was all sorts of cool and interesting information like that.

There were lots of cool trails, like one that led through a garden composed of native Maine plants, a tree trail where you can learn all about the different types of trees and a game trail where you follow clues and try to guess the type of animal that lives in each habitat. They have little kiosks with brochures so that you can find the answers. Unfortunately those were empty when we passed through, but I was able to find the answers all online here: http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/wildlifepark/game_trail.htm. Robbie and I made a game out of who knew the most answers, which added another level of enjoyment for us.

Finally, both Robbie and I were concerned about why the animals were there. I thought that they were all there because they were injured and were there to recover and raise awareness. But when we saw animals like peacocks and a puma (not not native to Maine), we were concerned that some of the animals were just there for public enjoyment and entertainment. This was especially worrisome when we saw animals like the puma and the fisher expressing behaviors indicative of depression like pacing and retracing the same route over and over and over through their exhibit. So I did a little research and found this:

Many of the animals at the Maine Wildlife Park were brought here because they were injured or orphaned, or because they were human dependent - raised, sometimes illegally, in captivity. The Park serves as a permanent home for wildlife that cannot survive in the Wild. All kinds of animals are here for their protection and healing. And they're here for you to enjoy and learn more about.

This made me feel better about going to see the animals there, and supporting their facility. So in conclusion, the Maine Wildlife Park is a great place to visit for people of all ages; there is a little something for everyone. Robbie and I had a lovely visit and hope to go many more times in the future with our little Mattimeo. You can read all about the Maine Wildlife Park here:  http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/wildlifepark/index.htm