Bison Attack! and I pet a Moose.

After seeing the world's largest building made of logs (terrible, don't bother), I decided to quickly visit Parc Omega.  The guidebook has a small listing for it describing a park with a driving loop and lots of friendly deer and elk.   I figured since I wasn't getting out of the car, I might as well swing through.  It was amazing!  If you are ever Montebello, QC I highly recommend a visit, especially if you are with children.  Enormous deer, elk, bison, wolves and bears are everywhere. People are allowed to feed the animals carrots from their cars, so the animals now associate cars with food.  I was thoroughly unprepared for this and I had no food (I wasn't giving up my granola bars).  Nevertheless, the animals were all over me -- in fact, the Mini is now the girlfriend of one very persistent bison.  (I can just see my future 'for sale' sign: 2009 Mini Cooper Conv.  Slight bison damage.)  I nicknamed him Fred.  Fred liked to lick, a lot.   I'm pretty sure he weighed more than the Mini.   Visitors are not allowed to feed the bison because, "bison like to do everything as a herd and they have been known to overwhelm a car all at once."  I can believe this.  There were times when I was worried about Fred's ultimate intentions.  The park is open year round, but generally is a summer attraction.  On a slightly rainy day in October, I was the only person there.  I couldn't resist taking advantage of this with a couple of unauthorized trips out the sunroof for better pictures. 

Another advantage to being the only person in the park was that I got to pet a moose!  I was disappointed not to see any during my drive, so before leaving I thought to ask at the visitor center, "are there any moose in the park?" The very helpful woman nodded and showed me into the ladies room. Huh? I thought we had encountered a language barrier.  Then she pointed out the window and said, "Baby, in the pen. Only one. With the goat." The baby moose has a goat for company.  She showed me how to go around the side where, with a slight hop over a rope, I could go right up to the fence and say hello.  He was so soft and friendly!  I think he also wanted a carrot. 

PS - What's the difference between a bison and a buffalo?