Alaska Trip - All Creatures Great And Small

As we made our return trip from Seward to Anchorage, we took a private shuttle which included a tour of a few places along the way.  One of those places was the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  Here they try to preserve Alaska's wildlife through education.  They also take in injured or orphaned animals and try to release them back into the wild if they can.  Some now have permanent homes at the center.  Our driver took us on a tour of the center and we got to see some wildlife that we may not have gotten a chance to see upclose.

These are Musk Ox

These are Elk

The safest way to see a Grizzly in Alaska

Hugo was pretty big

He only came out because his trainer was offering him some hotdogs otherwise he was content to lay below a ridge where he was out of sight.

Are they Reindeer or Caribou?  Guess since we were in Alaska and not the North Pole, they must have been Caribou!

One of their adult Moose

The babies - soooo cute!

Baby Bear cubs - don't look as dangerous at this size, huh?

Still wouldn't want to be without a fence between us!

These are Wood bison.  They were extinct for over 100 years in Alaska and are finally making a comeback thanks to the efforts of the AWCC.

It was fun for the kids to get a chance to safely see bear and moose up close.  Yes, we can see some of these animals here in Utah in the wild, but I wouldn't want to.  Last summer we saw two moose cross our trail at Alta while hiking, but we kept a safe distance.  Bear sightings aren't too common, but they do happen.

Sadly, this is the last post of our trip to Alaska.  We had a great time and are very thankful we had the chance to visit with all of my family together.  Don't know when we'll make another trip to the "Last Frontier" but I'm glad we got to do it while we live in Utah to cut down on the travel time!

Thanks to my brother and his family for letting us invade their home and family life, for allowing us to borrow a vehicle to get around town and for all the wonderful meals at their place.  Many thanks to my parents who did everything from babysitting, taking us out to eat, helping make dinners, being our tour guides, planning a good portion of the trip, etc.  We are very thankful for the opportunity to take this trip and spend some quality time as a family.