Let your imagination run wild . . . step inside our tiny studio in the midst of the countryside and let the aroma of wet clay and cedar embrace you.
In rural Nova Scotia there is a one-of-a-kind place that specializes in the creation of individual clay impressions of real wild animal tracks. Simply called Wild Animal Tracks, this unique enterprise is a cottage industry based near the small hamlet of Falmouth.
In these days of mass production and bombardment of factory produced products, our Wild Animal Tracks stand out as distinctive samples of real craftsmanship. Each track is handmade in our little shop entirely with natural products.
Our main raw material is fine potters clay. In attempting to do our part for the environment, we use decorating and packaging material sourced mainly from our local area.
In this ever-changing world, our animal tracks have a timeless appeal and represent individual animals long since gone. By preserving the memory of these animals in clay, we believe that in a small way, we are working towards a better understanding of the need for humanity to be aware of the challenges to these species.
We are extremely proud of both our facility and products, and are excited about contributing towards keeping the spirit of these animals alive and helping to remind both the young and the old of the importance of protecting their fragile habitat. Preserved in clay forever, our footprints are a vignette from nature that we hope will be an exciting and educational gift that will continue to give for generations.
We hope you enjoy perusing our collection and learning a little bit about us, and most importantly, about the animals that are at the heart of what we do.
The story behind the tracks
In the early 1970s, Joan Winter began collecting the tracks of wild animals near her log home on the shores of a small lake in B.C.s interior. Surrounded by untouched forest, marsh and hill country home to an abundant population of indigenous wildlife she found, collected and preserved the imprints of these animals in their natural habitat.
After a few years, with a collection of bear, fox, deer, moose, beaver, cougar and others already found within a short distance of her home, she began to travel further afield, to northern B.C. and into the Rocky Mountains for additional footprints. Eventually, she collected the tracks of more than 35 animals, including elk, timber wolf, mountain goat, lynx, caribou and, although not actually a footprint, the delicate impression of a dragonfly. What began as an interesting pastime, soon evolved into a thriving cottage industry, eventually passed down to her daughter Katrine who lived just moments away from where the animal track adventure first began.
In late 2009 Wild Animal Tracks made its way across Canada to settle in Nova Scotia.
The appearance of the product has changed a little over time, but the tracks themselves are just as they were when first spotted along a sandy riverbank or the moist edge of a reedy marsh three decades ago.
