The Wildlife Festival is back in Medicine Hat for a fourth year. Kevin Kyle/CHAT News

By Jesse Gill

IN THE COMMUNITY

Medicine Hat Wildlife Festival back in the city for fourth year

Jan 31, 2025 | 4:51 PM

The Medicine Hat Wildlife Festival is underway at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede’s Cypress Centre Pavillion, with a wide variety of animals to see.

It’s an educational and interactive event, primarily having exotic animals that is making it’s stop at the venue for the fourth year.

Tour manager, Jeremy Oviatt said they have reptiles, mammals, and all kinds of fun stuff for people to come out and experience all in support of Cobb’s Exotic Rescue and Education Foundation.

“Cobb’s Exotic Rescue was founded in 2019, basically just in response to the sheer number of unwanted exotic animals that are on the pet market,” Oviatt said.

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“Just a way to inform people about, proper care of these animals, what makes a good pet, what doesn’t,” he added.

“Then we started doing these kind of events as a way to do outreach programs and educate people.”

Oviatt was able to show one of the snakes named, Damballa, a type of boa constrictor.

“He is entirely black, even his belly. He’s got a little bit of like an oil slick pattern on his scales as well,” Oviatt said.

“He is very docile, very friendly. He’s giving us a little sniff and seeing what we’re all about.”

There are some other new animals this year as well.

A pair of capybaras roaming in a cage at the Medicine Hat Wildlife Festival. Kevin Kyle/CHAT News

“Our two little young capybaras. So capybaras are the largest rodent in the world,” Oviatt said.

“The ones we have are just probably about the size of a house cat, but they will grow very quickly. Probably in the next seven, eight months we won’t even be able to travel with them anymore.”

“The other one we’ve brought with us is our southern Tamandua anteater, and his name is Cyrano. We also have a hairy dwarf porcupine.”

A hairy dwarf porcupine is one of new animals at the Medicine Hat Wildlife Festival. Kevin Kyle/CHAT News

The event runs Friday from 1 p.m. to 6 pm. for general admission, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for adults only.

Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. is quiet hours for families or individuals with different abilities or sensitivities to crowds and noises. General admission is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday it runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Tickets are available at the door.