Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

WILDLIGHTS COMING SOON

BC Wildlife Park hopes for a strong finish to 2021 season

Oct 22, 2021 | 3:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Many tourist attractions throughout the province have struggled throughout the pandemic. Travel restrictions have certainly had an effect on the BC Wildlife Park over the past 19 months — but so did the 2021 wildfire season.

2021 came in like a bull at the BC Wildlife Park.

However, the heatwave and subsequent fire season turned this year into a bear year, with visitor numbers coming in below expectations through the first nine months.

“To the end of September, we were expecting around 78,000-to-79,000 guests. We’re sitting around 73,000 to the end of September,” Executive Director Glenn Grant explains. “Spring started off really great, our numbers were high. We lost in the summer and overall we’re down a little bit, but we’re hopeful.”

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Part of that hope comes from the recent accreditation visit from the park’s governing body Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums. Grant describes the visit as an intensive inspection.

“They look at all parts of the operation, not just financials,” Grant describes. “[They look at] education we provide, the veterinary care, the nutrition. It’s physical facilities, fence-lines, pathways, signage. There are so many components to that process.”

Grant says the accreditation team identified several items that the park could improve upon. He says he’s already working on a plan to address the deficiencies ahead of a meeting with that team in November. For example:

“Some of our warning signs are printed and laminated, rather than an aluminum permanent sign,” Grant explains. “They’re a bunch of minor things, but they’re all important. We’ll address those and we look forward to meeting with the accreditation team [again] in November.”

As for visitors to the park, Grant is hopeful a strong fall and winter season will help drive the numbers up to projected levels. The park cancelled its Halloween event but is planning a bigger and better version of Wildlights with the hope of attracting big crowds at Christmas.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

“We did a customer survey and asked if we improved one thing at Wildlights, what they’d like to see? And a lot of folks said they’d like to see more trees decorated, so we’re going to spend a bit more time and do that.”