'It's pretty unique to see them': Salamander migration in full swing in Manitoba

Salamanders migrating in Riding Mountain Parks Canada is asking drivers to slow down in Manitoba as hundreds of salamanders migrate. CTV's Joseph Bernacki reports.

Riding Mountain National Park — Herds of salamanders are crossing the road in western Manitoba by the dozens.

“They're quite interesting creatures that you don't get to see too often,” said Tim Town, Ecologist Team Lead for Parks Canada at Riding Mountain National Park.

The Western Tiger Salamander is one of four species of salamanders found within Manitoba and many of these amphibians reside in the Westman and Parklands regions of the province.

“In Riding Mountain, we have over 1,900 ponds and wetlands that they can inhabit,” Town said.

“It's pretty unique to see them. They're just very, interesting to look at. They're kind of an amphibian that's kind of an elongated frog, essentially. They're just a really unique animal in the park.”

Right now, migration for these creatures is in full swing on cooler days and early mornings.

Western Tiger Salamanders depend on Manitoba wetlands to survive. Making it through to the next season requires them to reach other bodies of water and cross roads like Provincial Highways 10 and 45.

Based on their permeable skin, rain and cooler temperatures allow them to move between wetlands. Highway conditions and traffic volumes, however, put their survival at risk.

“When you incorporate traffic into that, you get mortalities along the roadway,” Town said.

Parks Canada helps along the way. Employees who work in the park put up seasonal signs warning drivers to slow down and man-made boots have been created to assist these crawling creatures.

“We've actually, taken out portions of the curb in certain areas, where we've seen more dense migrations,” Town said.

“They'll actually find these little mini corridors that we've cut into the curb, and they can actually get up over the boulevard and cross the road.”

Town and his colleagues have been monitoring these migrations yearly since 2021 after Parks Canada conducted a survey in the park.

'It's part of what we do here. Protect and present for all of Canada'

Perry Au, Internet content and new media officer for Parks Canada, spots these salamanders all the time with his dog living nearby in Onanole.

Working in the park gives him an appreciation for protecting nature at all cost.

“How we're set up here during the rainy days and stuff, when we do come out to do the monitoring, it's fun to watch,” Au said.

“It's part of what we do here. Protect and present for all of Canada.”

The signage is an opportunity to remind the public to slow down and be aware that the Western Tiger Salamanders have been designated as a special concern within the province.

“The Western Tiger Salamander is actually a species at risk,” Town said.

“There's quite a few of them, but, with, habitat degradation and, and, roadway mortalities, their populations overall are declining. If you see a slithery critter, just, try not to hit it while maintaining your own safety.”

It’s not just people in the park who are cheerleaders for the at-risk species. Niroshan Mirando, a Winnipeg shutterbug, makes the drive to Riding Mountain National Park every year to capture the migration.

He said if drivers heed the signs, more of the curious critters can be saved.

'If you see a lot of salamanders, frogs, that's a sign of a healthy ecosystem'

When you think about salamanders, you'd always think about Costa Rica with those flashy colour salamanders, those poisonous ones,” Mirando said.

“When I realized I could get them in southern Manitoba, I was so excited. This is something we tend to miss when we focus on big game, big animals, but not the tiny creatures, tiny insects and salamanders. If you see a lot of salamanders, frogs, that's a sign of a healthy ecosystem.”

Mirando has been working on his macro photography skills since he moved to Winnipeg from Sri Lanka in 2014. He first came across the salamanders on one of his first trips to the park in 2016.

“I like looking at the little creatures through my lens and photographing them and getting the details,” Mirando said.

“Throughout the last decade, I had special moments that I know I will never get (again). I've been to every corner in Manitoba. Manitoba is a playground for wildlife photographers.”

Town said that this late summer migration which starts in late August until mid-September allows the salamanders to move from their aquatic habitat to burrows from smaller animals to survive hibernation in winter.

“In higher elevations, they can kind of find looser sediment to burrow into for the winter so they can spend the winters underground,” Town said.

“The wildlife viewing opportunities are bar none around here.”