(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)
December 23, 2023 - 3:30 PM
The zookeepers and animals at the BC Wildlife Park got creative this year and produced a number of paintings made by the animals themselves.
The paintings were auctioned off this month, bringing in roughly $2,000 to go toward animal care and enrichments for the park’s almost 200 permanent animal residents.
“It was a silent auction and each painting sold for about fifty to a hundred dollars,” said animal care manager at the park, Tracy Reynolds. “We don’t do it every year, but this was the second year in a row. It’s fun and enrichment for the animals.”
Different techniques were used to create each work of art with mammals, reptiles and birds.
“Depending on the animals there are different ways to do this,” Reynolds said. “Zookeepers use food as an incentive, or you can just put the painting in the pen and the animals will interact with it. The wolves really get into it, we had to explain to guests why they (wolves) were covered in colours for awhile after.”
(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)
READ MORE: iN VIDEO: BC Wildlife Park reveals sad news about endangered burrowing owl
A porcupine called Ms. Prickles was given sweet potato while a zookeeper stamped her foot onto a canvas. Clover the bear stomped onto the canvas with a painted foot before denning down for the winter, while a big bison was lured into it by snacks.
Go here to view all the works of animal art.
(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)
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