Thousands visit Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter despite the rain

While numbers were still down compared to before the pandemic, the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter Open House was a success.

The annual Open House ran Canada Day and attracted crowds into the thousands despite the rainy weather.

Every year, black bear cubs and baby moose can be seen after an uphill hike to their enclosures.

This year, there were a couple of special guests at the shelter for visitors to see.

“One of the big draws this year was definitely the little mountain goat. It’s not something we have very often,” said Manager and Co-Founder Angelika Langen.

The goat, Elsa, was accompanied by a couple sheep.

“[Goats] are a herd animal. They’re not meant to be by themself, and you have to address mental health as much as you do physical health,” she said.

Also at the shelter was an albino porcupine named Coco which was kept so visitors could experience him.

“Coco will be released this week into the wild. He’s ready for it but it was a nice opportunity to share with everybody,” added Langen.

She said the open house was started so the public could see what goes on at the shelter.

“We can’t get people in on a regular basis, so we were trying to find a day in the year where people could come and see what their money is doing.”

The event is the shelter’s third largest fundraiser and raised about $30 thousand this year.

That number was raised by a little less than 2,000 people visiting the shelter.

“Before the pandemic, we had about 3,000 people during the day. Last year we had just over 2,000,” said Langen.

Assistant Manager Tanja Landry said the Open House couldn’t have happened if not for the staff and volunteers.

“It was a lot of work to get everything set and going and have everybody in the right place at the right time, but we had an amazing group that helped pull it off.”

This year was also a learning experience as she works towards one day taking her mother’s place.

“They’re huge shoes to fill so I think there’s still a long way to go before I’m ready to take on what she’s already doing,” Landry said.