When Grade 3 teacher Riva Karklin began her day at the Whistler Waldorf School on Thursday (Dec. 13), the last thing she expected to see was a moose.
“I was talking with another teacher at about 8:05 a.m. this morning and we walked out of the field house … looked right and there was a huge female moose hanging out there,” Karklin said. “This is definitely the first time I have ever seen a moose in Whistler.”
The moose, not a common sighting in Whistler, was then observed trotting off toward the trails, Mons Area and Scandinave Spa.
Normally a wildlife sighting would end there, but Karklin decided to get her Grade 3 class involved. She said they had an animal tracks book in the classroom already and they looked up moose prints together — then they went looking for signs of the moose in the woods.
“We actually tracked the moose for about an hour through the trails,” Karklin said, adding the outing was an enjoyable nature walk for the kids. “The kids were enthralled with the idea that they could possibly spot a moose and it was just amazing.”
The class didn’t actually manage to find the animal, but the exercise proved inspiring for the 16 students and fit in well with the philosophy of Waldorf teaching.
“Our whole curriculum is really heavily based on the outdoors, nature and experiencing things in a hands on way,” Karklin said. “To be able to take a lesson and have the freedom to track this moose and find out what was going on … it was a really cool thing to do.”
Tim Schumacher with the Conservation Officer Service said they have received reports of a moose being sighted in the area near Riverside Café.
“Moose have occasionally been sighted in and around Whistler, including the day lot area,” he wrote in an email. “Moose are sighted in Whistler every few years, usually disappearing after one or two sightings.”
Schumacher encouraged anybody that sees wildlife in the area is to call the Report All Polluters and Poachers toll free line at 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP).
