Animal Adventures - Tonquin Valley Caribou

This piece was designed in early 2023 and was part of the 2nd Edition release.

Being one of my early pieces that I had designed, I knew I was doing this a caribou for the Tonquin Valley. In July 2016 I ran a group photo tour and brought a photography group into the backcountry via horse back. It was my 3rd time ever on a horse and my 1st time I was on a horse I was thrown off. I told the guiding company about my previous horse experience and they gave me a calm older horse.

This old guy was 34 years old and I spend the next 6 hours on the back of this horse internally freaking out that this horse was going to die on the trail and we would fall off a cliff together.

• Our Caribou piece standing in front of The Ramparts mountain range that is a prominent peak in the Tonquin Valley and in our caribou design.

The entire ride was stressful but the destination was breathtaking! The untouched beauty and the amount of mosquitoes were unbelievable.

While we were in the Tonquin Valley we had some bear encounters which made us worry we wouldn't get a glimpse of the elusive Woodland Caribou that roam the area. Then one afternoon we saw them. They were so far in the distance that my lens could barely see them, but I managed to get a couple shots of them.

I knew this was a special experience to finally see them and knowing that they are endangered in Alberta.

In Jasper National Park, there is a Caribou Breeding Program starting that is hoping to strengthen the presence of the Woodland Caribou in the park. You can read more about it here: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/nature/conservation/retablissement-caribou-recovery/elevage-caribou-breeding

You can purchase your own Tonquin Valley Caribou here: https://www.tenpeaksdesigns.com/product-page/tonquin-valley-caribou

**Animal on location photos taken by the great Jenna Dixon