At the zoo in autumn | The Press

Fall is a wonderful time to visit Quebec zoos. The colors are superb and since it is cooler, many animals are more active during the day. However, some zoos close on weekdays but continue to welcome visitors on weekends.

Mary Tison
The Press

Ecomuseum Zoo: the survivors

The Ecomuseum Zoo is not a zoo like the others. On the one hand, it only houses animals from Quebec. And on the other hand, it plays the role of a refuge: its residents have been injured, or abandoned, or were born in captivity. Everyone has their little story. None could survive in the wild.

The priority is animal welfare. The habitats are therefore designed to give them places to take refuge: there are trees, bushes, rocks. It is therefore necessary to sharpen your sense of observation, but with patience, you manage most of the time to find the resident of the place. You have to look everywhere.

Zoé Lalonde, zoologist at the Ecomuseum, says that visitors mostly look at the tops of the trees to find Bert the snowy owl… whereas he prefers to stay on the ground.

Conversely, the porcupine likes to take a nap at the top of a tree… while visitors look for it lower down.

The zoologist suggests coming back later if her favorite animal remains invisible. She gives the example of Pika, the river otter, who takes 15-minute naps. She will end up waking up to go do lengths in her pond. This pool is also equipped with windows that allow you to see Pika splashing around under the water.

The Ecomuseum Zoo has other stars, such as Polaris, the arctic fox with odd eyes. In winter, it will don its thick white coat, but this fall, it still features brown and tan fur. Her look remains magnificent, whatever the season.

Lynxes and wolves blend well into their environment, you have to be attentive to see them. On the other hand, it is impossible to miss Genie the bear when she is in the corner, with her very black fur which stands out against the green of the vegetation. However, we can see that she has rubbed herself in the bushes: burdock heads have clung to her coat and give her a neglected look.

The raccoons remain desperately cute while the fisher arouses fascination. It is extremely rare to see this cousin of the otter and ferret in the wild. It is therefore the perfect opportunity to see him the hoe.

You can leave the shaded paths of the zoo to continue the visit inside the main building, in a vivarium where frogs, salamanders, grass snakes and turtles reside, including the charismatic painted turtle Auguste, whose shell was broken during a serious road accident and which has been swimming slightly to the side since.

The zoo offers an array of activities for wildlife enthusiasts. In particular, it is possible to have lunch with certain animals, such as bears, wolves, otters and lynx. Participants can help prepare the animal’s lunch and approach it to feed it. No danger, it is not the participants themselves who will serve as meals.

The Ecomuseum Zoo, the only zoo on the island of Montreal, is located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. It is open every day.

Granby Zoo: the classic

In an ideal world, we would observe animals at home, in freedom. We would go on safari in Africa to admire lions, elephants and giraffes. We would hunt down the disturbing black bear of the Himalayas and the cute little panda in the forests of Asia. We would meet the giant kangaroo and the small wallaby in the Australian desert.

Unfortunately, for most people, this is impossible. On the other hand, a short visit to the zoo is more accessible (and it reduces your carbon footprint by eliminating the need to take the plane to go here and there).

The Zoo de Granby, a classic if there ever was one, allows visitors to explore four continents: Africa, South America, Asia and Oceania. The sitemap is not necessarily easy to understand; you have to be attentive to find your way and not miss anything.

The visit was almost derailed from the start, in the Asia sector, in front of the habitat of the little panda. Kelly, a male with shiny, full fur, was so adorable that it was tempting to spend the whole day watching him go ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ tenderly.

The possibility of observing the rare snow leopard, the Himalayan black bear and the impressive Amur tiger made it possible to break the spell and continue the visit.

Nearby, a geodesic dome built in 1962 to house polar bears (and which was far too narrow for these big beasts) is now home to a flock of gereza colobus. This monkey, with its thick white and black fur, is inevitably reminiscent of a giant skunk.

The South American sector does not give its place in terms of ferocity: alligators, very motionless, with a carnivorous smile, seem to be patiently waiting for an imprudent prey. The jaguar is on the lookout at the top of a wooden structure, the Andean condor observes the surroundings with a piercing gaze.

However, you have to go to the African sector to find everyone’s favorites. Impossible to resist a huge elephant that approaches with a majestic step or giraffes that compete in elegance or zebras that proudly wear pajamas as if they were evening wear. But it is the rhinos that impress, with an absolutely astonishing size. Even the wildebeest next to it look very small. There are also the hippopotamuses, which are fascinating to watch underwater thanks to the large bay windows. Above the water, we only see small ears which are agitated. Below, there is a real monster.

The morning is well advanced, the animals are less active. The lions are resting while looking absentmindedly at the onlookers, the lowland gorillas are taking a nap.

There is still the sector of Oceania to explore: who can resist a kangaroo? And its miniature cousin, the wallaby?

This fall, it will be possible to experience the Zoo de Granby in a different way: Zoo la nuit will allow you to spend a night in the heart of the zoological garden in small houses. A way to experience a trip to another continent without flying. However, you will have to hurry to book, places are limited.

The Zoo de Granby opens its doors every weekend in September and October, before a long winter break.