LARS

LARS stand for:

I've been to LARS a few times in the past. Sometimes the animals are easy to see, sometimes they're not. I've never been on a tour before, but this time we accidentally showed up at tour time and decided to give it a go. It was great. Our guide was very knowledgeable and also personable. The topics she chose to cover (out of so many possibilities) were interesting. I learned a lot about musk ox, caribou, reindeer, and about LARS.

Vincent and David checking out the musk ox.

This is Scarlet, an old lady musk ox. As we approached her enclosure, she ambled down to meet us and hung out during the presentation. The leafy treats offered by our guide probably helped, but Scarlet seemed to like our company. Her companions, a couple of other female musk oxen, were more stand-offish.

Zoe lounged all over the musk ox pelt. Ew.

Reindeer and caribou. The guide shook a bag full of lichen to draw these ungulates to the fence. Once the lichen treats were gone, the animals moved away. There were two calves, one of each subspecies. So much interesting research on these guys. The project that sticks in my mind is one evaluating their walking efficiency. The researcher trained caribou to walk on a treadmill.