By Carson Ellis

For the Stettler Independent

The Wildlife Festival experience has been making stops across Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C., stopping at the Stettler Agriplex from Nov 24-26.

The festival started in 2015 with a partnership between Little Ray’s Nature Centre and The Canadian Raptor Conservancy from Ontario. In 2017, Jason Clevett came on board with Reptile Parties Inc. The show returned in 2019.

In 2022 the festival was brought back with efforts from Reptile Parties Inc. and the YYC Nature Centre in Calgary. The new festival spent 2022 making stops in Saskatchewan and Alberta, drawing visitors from all over Western Canada.

Many of the animals on display at the festival are rescued from across Western Canada. They include a variety of creatures from Africa, the Amazon, and other places. The travelling show displays a variety of reptiles, rodents and mammals of all kinds. Some of the animals include a 21-year-old tortoise, a Wallaroo and a Wallaby, which are both approximately 10 months old.

Guests could also buy tickets for interactive experiences, which included getting some of their photos taken with the various animals at the show.