The Prince Edward Island National Park unveiled a new species at risk exhibit Thursday, showcasing a leatherback sea turtle, an Atlantic wolffish, a winter skate, and of course the fearsome great white shark.
“Our park has a really strong tie to the marine ecosystem, and people come here to enjoy that, so it’s a really great opportunity to engage visitors,” said Kim Gamble, Resource Conservation Manager for P.E.I. National Park.
Standing under the great white shark in the lobby of the Greenwich Interpretation Centre you get a sinking feeling. The attention to detail makes the model look nearly real.
These models were created by Doug Morse. Each took between six months to a year to create. Morse said he worked hard to capture the essence of each animal.
“It’s so graceful, so that’s what I want people to look at, is to see that they’re not just still, board-like features,” said Doug Morse, Sculptor. “They all have motion.”
The turtle is made from a cast of an actual sea turtle.
Morse said one of the things he learned while he was making the models is that the underside of each sea turtle is unique. It’s like a fingerprint, so this is an actual recreation of the specific animal he based the model on.
The sculptor spends time researching each animal to get all the fine details just right. The winter skate is hand carved.
“There’s 350-400 spines to go on, and they all have to be individually shaped, and sized, and attached, and then painted,” said Morse.
The sea turtle and wolffish are from the Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre in Moncton. It is undergoing construction and the two sculptures would have gone into storage, so DFO offered them up.
“We know this is going to draw people in, because how often do you get to see the real size of a great white shark,” Lori Cuddy, Area Director for Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Charlottetown, said.
The exhibit is expected to stay put for at least a few years, teaching people coming through the door a little bit more about the species at risk.
