Mountain View Wildlife Conservation Centre

2010 - News and Info

July 10th, 2010

The Visitor Centre is now open for Daily Guided Tours & Presentations-10.00am & 1.00pm.

Call to reserve seats on one of our Daily Tours, Family & Group Tours, or a Birthday party for this Summer 2010. This year, we are focusing on "Biodiversity" in BC, Canada and around the world, especially focusing on our Canadian "Red-listed" wildlife species that are facing extinction, including our BC Northern Spotted Owls, Oregon Spotted Frogs, and the Vancouver Island Marmots.

Mountain View has been successfully operating these critical breeding and recovery programs for many years, and has received Conservation awards for our Owl and Marmot programs. Our educational tours include up to date information about conservation of the environment, habitat conservation, and healthy ecosystems, here in BC and Canada.

Our Guided Tours are approximately 2-hours long, consisting of an audio/visual presentation in our Visitor Centre, followed by a visit to our 300+Acre Conservation Program areas by foot and by tram. You are welcome to bring your cameras.

We also have an interesting Wildlife Art & Gifts Shop for you to visit and purchase souvenirs for your family and friends.

Call 604-882-9313 today to reserve your guided tour today.

Sunday May 30th 2010, 12-Noon to 4.00pm
MEMBERS & FRIENDS ATTENDED OUR OPEN HOUSE AT MOUNTAIN VIEW CONSERVATION

Langley Field Naturalists presented their "Biodiversity Inventory" of the Flora and Fauna in our Crown Land area. They inventoried over 500 species of animals and plants and trees, and we are now preparing a colourful presentation display of photos and trail maps of the area.
Their "Biodiversity" guide will be available for purchase in the gift store later this summer.

November 20, 2009
Mountain View Volunteer Wins CAZA National Volunteer Award

Mountain View is thrilled that one of our volunteers, Thomas Newman, has been given a national volunteer award by CAZA, for all of the work he has undertaken on our behalf.
Click here to see what Tom has contributed.
October 2, 2008
Mountain View Conservation Society Receives Honors
At the Annual CAZA (Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums) in Granby Quebec on October 2, 2008, we received 2 prestigious awards.

The first was the Conservation Award which recognized our exceptional work with the Northern Spotted Owl. The second, was Caza’s Outstanding Achievement award for our on-going work with the Oregon Spotted Frog. CLICK HERE FOR the latest stories
GIFT CERTIFICATES and our GIFTSHOP
SEARCHING for a unique gift for SOMEONE special? Whatever the event, birthday or graduation, our animals are hoping you include them. We make it easy to "adopt" one of our critically endangered Canadian "Red-Listed" species recovery programs or one of our animals at Mountain View. We also have a variety of gifts and souvenirs for you to purchase in our Gift Store.

CLICK HERE to link to our adoption gift certificate page.

Blue-Necked or Somali Ostrich
Struthio camelus molybdophanes

WILD STATUS
Least Concern.

DISTRIBUTION
Somalia, Ethiopia and Northern Kenya.

SIZE
Height up to 2.4m (8’) tall.
Weight: 110-135kg (250-300 lbs).

HABITAT
The Blue-Necked Ostrich prefers brushland as habitat, where other ostriches are happiest in savannah and desert environments.

REPRODUCTION
Ostriches lay their eggs in very rudimentary scrapes on the ground. A nest may contain as many as 25 or more eggs, in cases where there are harems of females. All of the females will lay their eggs in the same nest, but only the dominant female and the male will incubate them.

DIET
The Blue-Necked Ostrich is omnivorous -- eating fruits, most vegetable matter, grasses, seed clusters and small vertebrates (toads and lizards).

INTERESTING TIDBITS

Their eggs weigh 3-4 lbs. and are the equivalent of 2 dozen hens eggs.
They can run faster than any other 2 legged creature. Reaching speeds of up to 50 kph (30 mph) for up to half an hour, they can outrun a horse.
Ostrich feathers are loose and fluffy and don’t lock together as do flying bird feathers. They are designed for air to flow through.
Ostriches often travel with groups of antelope, oryx and zebra. This is a co-operative arrangement; the tall ostrich keeps an eye out for trouble, while the grazing animals stir up insects, small rodents and small reptiles for the ostrich to eat.
Ostriches eyes are nearly as big as tennis balls, allowing them to see predators from far away. Their brain is smaller than their eyes.
Ostriches will eat almost anything shiny. They have been known to eat watches, bottle caps, locks, bicycle valves, even alarm clocks.
Ostriches have been hunted to extinction in some areas, for their feathers, skin (fine leather), meat and eggs. Currently, they are raised on farms in and out of Africa and the wild population seems secure.

HABITAT RANGE

ANIMAL FACT SHEET
To download the information from this page and receive a full page photo of the Blue-Necked Ostrich click here for a PDF.