Barry, Chuck and Parker, the Beavers of Banff
Parker, Alan and Chuck
Many of you who familiar with Discover Banff Tours will have met Chuck the Beaver. Since joining the team Chuck has been met many visitors on our Banff Evening Wildlife Safari, Discover Banff Tour and even visited the Icefields Center on the Glacier Trail! Here he is with Parker the Parks Canada mascot and myself celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Parks Canada!
Chuck has most recently been involved with our summer Banff Voyageur Tour – a guided 12 pax canoe tour that operates on the Bow River, just 5 mins walk from Banff Ave.
For me, Chuck is a really important part of the Fur Trade story in Canada and helps people to understand what its all about.
The tour is held in a 29′ Montreal Canoe that can take up to 12 guests. We make our way up the majestical Bow Valley on the Bow River. On the journey we discuss the beaver as an icon in Canada and think of different places we might find images of the beaver, can you think of any?
It was the desire for beaver felted hats in Europe that drove the almighty fur trade further into the Northwest and resulted in the settlement of many of todays modern cities. Having Chuck along on the tour really helps out, plus he is soft and cuddly making him very popular.
Of course one of the questions you can expect to hear on every tour (other than how deep is the river?!) is Will we see any beaver today? (apart from Chuck). The great news is that yes, you might well see a beaver today! The team at Banff Blue Canoe are always getting feedback from guests as to what they see on the water, we can tell you that there has been plentiful beaver sightings, especially in the evenings for the Twilight Paddle. So much so that a couple of our local Season Pass holders named him Barry (Closely followed in popularity by Justin.. Justin Beaver! get it?).
I present to you Barry the Beaver;
Barry the beaver bites buffaloberry in Banff
Barry the beaver in Banff
Here he is making short work of some Canadian Buffalo Berry. Below he is dragging more shrubbery back to his new lodge.
Come down to the docks some time and we’ll give you the latest local wildlife sightings! Maybe you to will get to meet Barry or Eddie (the Bald Eagle) or another one of the local characters.
Bye for now..
Alan
