Free-Roaming Area

Alces alces Americanus

WHAT: The North American moose is the largest member of the deer family, with long legs, a short neck, broad antlers, a prehensile muzzle and a dewlap on the throat.
WHERE: Alaska, Canada and the northern tier of the U.S. south into the Rocky Mountains. Moose live in forested or mountainous areas near water, and in swamps. 
EATS: Their diet consists of mostly browse and aquatic plants.
BABIES: Breeding from September through October. A female will typically only birth one calf for the first pregnancy, with subsequent births often resulting in twins. At birth, a calf will weigh 20 to 25 pounds.
STATUS: Secure
FUN FACTS:

• Moose are non-migratory ruminants that can consume up to 60 pounds of browse such as leaves, bark, and twigs per day.

Oreamnos americanus

WHAT: With thick bodies, white hair, padded hooves and jet-black horns, eyes and nose, mountain goats live on steep mountain slopes.
WHERE: Rocky and Cascade Mountains, and Olympic Peninsula.
EATS: The summer diet consists of grass, browse and forbs. Mineral and salt deposits are essential. The winter diet consists primarily of browse.
BABIES: Breeding from October through December. Generally, a female will give birth to a single kid, but twins are common. A newborn weighs about 7 or 8 pounds.
STATUS: Least concern. Secure in Washington state.
FUN FACTS:

• Mountain goats seek out cool, shady spots in the heat of a summer day, creating dust wallows to bed down in.

Cervus elaphus roosevelti

WHAT: Bulls have seasonally lighter coat colors and long, non-palmate antlers. Both sexes have an obvious pale yellow rump patch.
WHERE: Coastal areas and Cascade Mountains in Pacific Northwest.
SIZE: Length 8-10 feet; height 5 feet; weight 575-625 pounds (female), 700-1100 pounds (male).
EATS: Leafy browse and grasses.
BABIES: Breeding from September-November. After an 8 1/2-month pregnancy the female gives birth to a single calf weighing 30-35 pounds.
STATUS: Secure.
FUN FACTS:

• Roosevelt elk (named for President Theodore Roosevelt) are social, polygamous members of the deer family that can form very large herds.
• These may migrate from lowland ranges in winter to higher elevations in summer.
• They are very vocal, producing squeals, grunts and whistles. The bugling call of bulls in rut (breeding) season is particularly eerie.
• Visual communication is also complex, from erected rump hairs to signal danger, and neck stretching, laying back ears, lip curling, teeth baring, rearing, striking and antler sparring to signal aggression.

Bison bison

WHAT: North America’s largest land mammal, with a tufted tail and long brown hair that’s thicker in winter. Northwest Trek has plains bison; the other subspecies is wood bison.
WHERE: Plains and open grasslands.
EATS: Grasses.
BABIES: Breeding from July-August. After a 285-day pregnancy, females give birth to a single calf, reddish-brown and weighing 40-50 pounds.
STATUS: Near-threatened.
FUN FACTS:

• Bison are ruminants (they ferment food in a special stomach) who live in herds.
• They roll in dust and mud to control parasites.
• During rut (breeding) season, bulls challenge each other with loud grunting roars, holding their tails aloft to signal threats.
• They also cover themselves with urine-soaked mud.

Rangifer tarandus caribou

WHAT: Caribou are large members of the deer family. Both cows and bulls can grow antlers, though the bulls’ are larger and more regular in shape. In winter their coat is light gray to white; in summer this coat sheds to reveal dark gray or black.
WHERE: Tundra and forests across Canada and northern U.S.
SIZE: Length 6.5-7.5 feet; height 4-5 feet; weight 150-400 pounds (bulls), 175-225 pounds (cows).
EATS: Mosses, lichens, leaves, grasses, stems and shoots.
BABIES: Breeding from September-November. After an 8-month pregnancy, females give birth to one calf (rarely twins) weighing 12-17 pounds.
STATUS: Vulnerable.
FUN FACTS:

• In rut (breeding) season, beginning in September, caribou lose the velvet from their antlers in dramatic red swathes.
• The bulls will fight in brief but violent bouts, eventually losing their antlers in October.
• Cows and calves sometimes make low grunts to keep in touch with each other; all will grunt when startled.
• They flare their white undertail to signal danger.

Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

WHAT: Columbian black-tailed deer have a distinctive dark brown or black brush-like tail that’s white underneath. Bucks are larger than does, with antlers that divide in even Y-shapes.
WHERE: Forest and meadows west of the Cascade Mountains.
SIZE: Length 6-7 feet; height 3-4 feet; weight 100-250 pounds.
EATS: Leaves, buds, twigs and grasses.
BABIES: Breeding from October-December. After an 8.5-month pregnancy, females give birth to one fawn the first year, twins thereafter. Fawns weigh about 7 pounds.
STATUS: Secure.
FUN FACTS:

• Blacktail are crepuscular feeders (they feed at twilight).
  They move up to higher locations in summer, back down in winter.
• While they’re not very social, they do form small bands to defend territory and protect their food.
• Unlike white-tailed deer, blacktail flee from danger with a stiff-legged, bouncing run.

Ovis canadensis

WHAT: Rams are larger than ewes, with larger curling horns. Both sexes have a prominent white rump patch.
WHERE: Isolated mountain meadows up to the tree line.
SIZE: Length 5.5-6 feet; height 3-3.5 feet; weight 100-300 pounds.
EATS: Alpine and meadow grasses in summer; leafy browse in winter.
BABIES: Breeding from October-December. After a 6-6.5-month pregnancy, ewes give birth to one lamb that weighs about 6-7 pounds.
STATUS: Least concern.
FUN FACTS:

• Bighorns are gregarious animals that live in herds of 10-25 sheep. Rams will stay in bachelor herds except during breeding season, while ewes, lambs and juvenile males live in the “ewe band” herd.
• Especially during rut (breeding) season, rams compete in head-butting jousts to determine dominance. Two rivals will face each other, rear on hind legs, drop to all fours, converge and finally slam together with a loud crack.
• Their specially adapted skulls, neck tendons, and vertebrae prevent serious injury.

A Discovery Tram Tour takes you through the heart of the Free-Roaming Area, offering a front-row seat to sweeping landscapes and grazing herds. Be amazed as you cruise through open meadows and forested paths, experiencing the scale, beauty, and quiet wonder of wildlife living across hundreds of acres.

A Wild Drive is a guided, caravan-style journey through the Free-Roaming Area, led by one of our expert naturalists. Settle into your own vehicle and follow a designated route while live narration over your car radio brings the landscape to life, pointing out wildlife and sharing the stories of this land and the wildlife park. Advance reservations are required, and Wild Drives begin promptly at the time selected.

A Keeper Adventure Tour offers an intimate way to explore the Free-Roaming Area alongside one of our animal care experts. Ride in a keeper Jeep for an off-road journey through expansive meadows and forested landscapes, where you can ask questions, hear behind-the-scenes stories, and learn how keepers care for wildlife living across this vast habitat. With up-close views and time to engage along the way, this guided experience brings you closer to the land, the animals, and the people who care for them.