An owl who yawns; an otter who is more social
Name: Jweep Species: Great-horned Owl Age: 26 Jweep was born in captivity and came to the zoo in 1992.
Favourite foods: Mice, rats, quails and baby chicks.
Personality: He’s a real pro with people and is one of the zoo’s ambassadors for its education department.
Jweep is so calm and composed with crowds that when he made a guest appearance for the launch of the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part Two, he arrived in front of the audience, counting in the hundreds, and yawned.
Interesting fact: GreatHorned Owls who have mated settle down for good, but single owls travel about looking for company.
Natural habitat: GreatHorned Owls are very adaptable when it comes to habitat and can nest in all sorts of different types of trees, ideally close to good hunting. They prefer rural settings, but have been known to nest in urban areas.
Where do you find the Great-horned Owl? The Canadian Great-horned Owl breeds in northern Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador. During the winter, it flies south to Ontario and the Eastern United States. Name: Happy Species: Northern River Otter Age: 14 Happy was born in captivity and came to the zoo in 1998, when she was eight months old.
Favourite foods: Fresh, raw meat and certain fish.
Personality: Loves to wrestle and is very curious, especially when visitors drop by.
Interesting facts: Northern River Otters can hold their breath for up to seven minutes underwater.
Natural habitat: Northern River Otters thrive near both freshwater and marine coastal water, but are sensitive to water pollution and will move if the water is tainted.
Where do you find the Northern River Otter? In every province and territory in Canada, except Prince Edward Island. Name: Casper Species: Snowy Owl Age: 17 (an estimate) Casper was injured in the wild and has only one wing. He was rehabilitated at the Union Québécoise de Réhabilitation des Oiseaux de Proie and arrived at the zoo in 1995.
Favourite foods: Mice, quails and baby chicks.
Personality: Casper has settled down with Snowy Owl girlfriend Yam-yam.
Interesting facts: The Snowy Owl is the official bird of Quebec. Harry Potter of book and film fame had a Snowy Owl he called Hedwig.
Natural habitat: Snowy Owls build nests on the ground, atop a mound or rock.
Where do you find Snowy Owls? They nest in the Arctic tundra and fly to warmer destinations south of the tundra for the winter.