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Let's go wild
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From concrete cages to bat caves, the Mirror offers its first-ever guide to zoos in the Montreal vicinity
by CHRIS BARRY
Long ago the thing to do on a first date was to take your baby on a day trip to the zoo. Why? I do not know. To my mind, the sight of a bored animal locked in a cage holds way too much portent with respect to most relationships to be an image one would want to introduce so early in the dating game.
And I suppose this could have something to do with the diminishing popularity of the 19th-century style menagerie zoos and the subsequent rise of the new breed of eco-conscious Biodôme-type facilities, but I doubt it. Any way you want to slice it, if you're heading out for a day at the zoo, you're heading out to see animals in cages, regardless of how glorious said cages may appear to the untrained eye.
Certainly not every facility that showcases animals for money is an animal Auschwitz whose caretakers are given to torturing squirrels on their days off. Nevertheless, rest assured there ain't a single ape at Parc Safari Africain who doesn't wish he were still back with his friends in the jungle, humping Jane Goodall and chasing ornery Pygmies up coconut trees instead of begging for leftover egg sandwiches at the bottom of a monkey pit in Hemmingford.
Even the most ardent animal advocates, however, will acknowledge that some zoos are better than others. With this in mind, the Mirror presents its first-ever guide to some of the major zoos within striking distance of our beloved city and faithfully weighs the pros and cons of each.
Granby Zoo
525 St-Hubert Granby, QC (450) 372-9113
Around since time immemorial, the antiquated Granby Zoo continues to serve as a classic example of old-style zoos. Universally scorned by animal rights advocates, in recent years the Granby gang have been actively promoting their facility as one dedicated to the preservation of species and to educating kids of all ages about the wonderful world of nature and the magnificent creatures who used to live in it--before they were carted off to Granby, that is.
Highlights: Tigers, lions, gorillas, elephants and reptiles! Over 1,000 happy animals representing 270 species! The Amazoo water park featuring the largest wave pool in Quebec!
Pros: They've sure got a lot of neat exotic species.
Cons: Most of them wish they were dead. If you hope to gain any understanding about how animals do their thing in the wild, it's not going to be by watching them restlessly pace back and forth in a concrete enclosure at the Granby Zoo.
Ecomuseum
21125 Ste-Marie Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC
457-9449
Located in the lush surroundings of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, the Ecomuseum is home to over 100 animal species indigenous to the St. Lawrence River Valley. Most of the creatures on display here have either been orphaned in the wild or imprinted by people and, consequently, wouldn't last a day if they were returned to the bush. Others, like the museum's prized Arctic fox, were purchased/rescued from fur farms. Like most zoos these days, they claim their mandate is research, education and conservation -- except, in the case of the Ecomuseum, what they claim is probably true.
Highlights: A walk through one of their trails will hopefully afford you a glimpse into the lives of captive bald eagles, black bears, otters, snakes etc., all frolicking merrily in their "natural" habitat.
Pros: The ecomuseum hopes that after people have visited their facility they will have a greater understanding and appreciation of the ecosystem and develop a commitment to protecting our natural resources.
Cons: The proprietors won't let you poke the animals with sticks.
Parc Safari Africain
Hemmingford, QC 1-800-465-8724
Boasting over 900 animals representing over 80 species, Parc Safari Africain is one of the few local zoos where you can still flick your cigarette butts at most of the animals to see if they will try to eat them. They are very proud of their "hilarious troop of snow monkeys" who never fail to provide "non-stop action, fun and education for everyone."
Highlights: Thrill to the sight of a solitary elephant chained to a fake tree on a shadeless island and try to dismiss the fact that elephants in the wild live in groups and are constantly on the move. Learn that captive giraffes will come up to your car and let you pet them in exchange for a bite of your May West. Just like in the wild! Marvel at all the cute newborn animals they have on display and don't ask about what happens to the older ones or about the tiny stalls in the dilapidated warehouse where they all live at night and during the off-season (about nine months of the year).
Pros: They've got a pretty good amusement park.
Cons: They still exist and people actually go there.
Parc Omega
Route 323 N. Montebello, QC (819) 423-5487
Similarly themed to Parc Safari Africain, except all of their animals are indigenous to North America and only a handful of them are fenced in. Open all year round, the park is an enormous facility spanning over 1,500 acres.
Highlights: Moose, bison, wolves, bears, and a first class Bird of Prey show where you can witness live eagles swooping down on rodents and leftover chicken from the local St-Hubert Rôtisserie.
Pros: Outside of actually trekking into the wild, Parc Omega is probably as close as you are going to get to observing some of our local wildlife in their natural habitat. The animals spend their lives outdoors and are not rounded up every night to sleep in warehouses.
Cons: You're not allowed to hunt them or feed them tobacco products.
Bearbrook Farm
8411 Russell, Navan, Ontario 1-800-668-4474
My personal favourite, Bearbrook Farm near Ottawa is a petting zoo with a nature trail thrown in for good measure where you can admire elk, buffalo, wild boar, emus, ostriches, llamas, donkeys, Scottish highland cattle and miniature "zebu" cattle from Sri Lanka. What separates Bearbrook Farm from your average petting zoo is, of course, that if you see an animal who really strikes you as mouth-watering, there's a good chance you'll get the opportunity to chow down on it in the farm's world-renowned dining room. No kidding.
Exoterium Reptile Acclimatizing
and Breeding Farm
846 FresnièreSt-Eustache, QC (450) 472-1827
The Exoterium offers up over 300 reptiles that you can touch and cuddle with.
Highlights: Crocodiles, giant pythons, lizards, spitting cobras and, ahem, frogs.
Pros: They really know their reptiles.
Cons: Fondling reptiles can be hazardous to your health. Every year thousands of people around the world get salmonella poisoning from contact with reptiles. Not recommended for little kids, old-timers, knocked up babes, or people with weakened immune systems.
Petting Zoos
(the shopping mall circuit; la ferme écologique at Cap-St-Jacques;
the Little Farm at Parc Angrignon etc.)
Most animal advocates will admit that life for an animal in a petting zoo is pretty good and the petting zoo people will tell you they offer children essential insight into the life of farm animals, something which helps kids to acquire a greater understanding of the animal kingdom.
Of course, the fact that the sort of farm these places idealize hasn't really existed in Canada in over 50 years doesn't figure in this picture. As Pierre Barnotti of the SPCA says, "If they really wanted to show kids what life was like for a farm animal they would bring a row of factory-farmed chickens in the tiny cages they spend their entire lives in." But that might not be as big a crowd pleaser.
Biodôme
4777 Pierre-de-Coubertin, 868-3000
One snazzy and expensive zoo, the Biodôme strives through education, conservation and research to enlighten people to the radical concept that we are all part of nature and it's probably a pretty good idea to try to protect it. Focusing more on the ecosystem than on magnificent beasts, the Biodôme is nevertheless home to about a gazillion animals, many bought, sold and discarded through the notoriously dodgy exotic animal trade network.
Highlights: Walk though four distinct ecosystems all under one roof!
Pros: It's kind of a neat place and you may even learn a thing or two.
Cons: Some of what you learn will be bullshit. A prime example being their much-ballyhooed bat cave, where you have the opportunity to observe these wacky creatures do what they do in a faithful "re-creation of their natural environment." Except that bats spend as much or more time in the forest as they do in caves. The Biodôme bats, however, are a much splashier spectacle inside their bat cave, so that's the only place you'll see them here. Not the end of the world in itself, but kind of lame from a facility which sells itself from an educational angle.
Zoo test
Here's a very simple list of things you can look for or ask about when visiting a zoo to get a sense of what kind of a facility you're dealing with.
1. Are the cages large enough for the animals to move about in a natural way, or are they confined so that they can only move a short distance before hitting a cage boundary?
2. Are animals kept on inappropriate hard substrates like concrete, or are they kept on more appropriate natural substrates like earth?
3. Are animals provided with shelter from the sun, rain and wind? Are all animals in the cage able to obtain shelter at the same time if necessary?
4. Can animals remove themselves from the view of the public when they choose or are they forced to be on display?
5. Are cages relatively barren, containing few if any furnishings, or are they filled with materials that the animals can interact with?
6. Are animals that climb provided with climbing structures throughout their cage? Are animals that burrow given areas to dig in? Are birds provided with an opportunity to fly?
7. Do any animals appear injured or ill? Do they appear to be moving normally? Are they pacing in a repetitive way, or displaying any other unusual behaviours? : --CB
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