On 4 December, Wildlife Conservation Day seeks to spread awareness about preserving and protecting the natural world and its inhabitants on land and sea. To celebrate, discover some of the world’s best destinations to spot wildlife – from brown bears in the forests of Slovenia to elk in the mountains of Colorado.
Turtles – Kyushu, Japan
In 1993, the rainforest island of Yakushima, off Kyushu’s southern coast, gained UNESCO World Heritage status for keeping its loggerhead turtles’ nesting ground safe from extinction. The island is home to the largest spawning grounds for loggerhead turtles in the North Pacific. Loggerheads born on Yakushima grow up to one metre in length and migrate around the Pacific Ocean before returning to the island to lay their eggs. Nesting season takes place May-August andover 500 turtles take over the shores of Inakahama beach. There is a viewing tower where travellers can watch the newly hatched infants scramble their way to the ocean. www.visit-kyushu.com/en
Elk – Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
One of the most popular national parks in the USA, part of the allure of Rocky Mountain National Park is its opportunities for wildlife watching. Around 600 – 800 elk live in the Park and can be sighted in the meadows all year round. One of the best times to visit is autumn during the mating season; at dawn and dusk, bull elk can be heard bugling. www.colorado.com
Black bears – Whistler, Canada
Whistler and the Blackcomb Mountains are home to more than 60 black bears and offer visitors the chance to observe the animals in their natural habitat. Travel in a comfortable 4×4 through snow-covered terrain while traversing the largest concentration of bear ranges in the region. Take an even closer look with a short walk to feeding sites and wander through forests where bears have hibernated through the winter. Bear Viewing tours typically run from April/May to September/October.
Dolphins – The Islands of Tahiti
Lots of different types of dolphin can be found year round in French Polynesia including bottlenose, spinner and rough-toothed dolphins. The most famous area for spotting wild dolphins in The Islands of Tahiti is on the island of Rangiroa, located a short hour and a half flight from Tahiti in the Tuamotu Islands. Situated about 10 minutes from the beautiful Kia Ora hotel is the Tiputa Pass, a natural channel about 200 meters wide where these playful creatures can be found. Every day, visitors can watch dolphins dancing on the waves created by the currents.
Cranes – Hokkaido, Japan
A symbol of longevity and fortune, the Japanese red-crowned crane is one of the world’s rarest birds. After 10 birds were discovered in the wetlands of Kushiro on Hokkaido – Japan’s most northern island – the area was appointed as a national park. The Kushiro marshland is now home to more than 1,000 cranes, a dozen of which live in Kushiro Japanese Crane Reserve and are designated as special natural monuments in order to maintain the continuation of the species.
Grey whales – San Diego, California
One of the best places in the world to spot grey whales is from the San Diego coast. During the migration period, from mid-December to April, more than 20,000 whales make the round-trip from Alaska to Baja California where the females give birth to their calves. San Diego boasts 70 miles of coastline so there’s plenty of opportunity to spot the gentle creatures. www.sandiego.org
Brown bears – Kočevsko, Slovenia
Home to around 560 bears, Slovenia has one of the largest brown bear populations in the world. The majority live in the Kočevsko forests in southern Slovenia, and visitors can join a day trip where they spend the evening seeing the bears in their natural habitat from the safety of the forest observatory. A knowledgeable guide will teach guests everything there is to know about the bears.
Monarch Butterfly – Yosemite Mariposa, California
Mariposa – Spanish for butterfly – got its name from the migrating insect which visits the region each spring. These colourful creatures migrate across the North American continent in huge concentrated clusters to the warmer coast of California for breeding. The best time to view the monarch butterfly in California is from mid-October through to February. Later, in May, Yosemite Mariposa has a Monarch butterfly festival to celebrate these orange-winged beauties.
Fireflies – Hachinohe, Japan
Firefly viewing has been a Japanese tradition for centuries. Every May, Oirase River in Aomori prefecture in northern Japan attracts thousands of fireflies during their mating season. The Genji and Heike species fill the air at twilight around the river, which flows through Hachinohe city.
Olympic marmots – Olympic National Park, Washington
With several different ecosystems, including snow-capped mountains, rugged coastline and a temperate rainforest, Olympic National Park, a short drive from Seattle, is varied and vast. Lots of different wildlife species call the Park home but one which is native is the Olympic marmot. Part of the squirrel family, Olympic marmots can be spotted at higher elevations in the Park like the Hurricane Ride mountain.
Bird watching – Sacramento, California
Sacramento welcomes millions of migratory birds every autumn and winter. A major player on the Pacific Flyway, winged visitors make their way to flooded rice fields, nature preserves, parks and refuges. Breathtaking fly-ins of ducks, sandhill cranes, Canada geese, snow geese and tundra swans are the showstoppers.
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