A group of wildlife experts were on a mission to find a group of Caribou in order to help preserve them. What they ended up finding instead was beyond anything that they could comprehend…
Mysterious World Wonder
In the spring of 2018, a team of Canadian wildlife experts found something that would change how they looked at the landscape. It was something that was hiding in plain sight…
Endangered Species
It all starts with the endangered species of Canada. Wildlife experts were called out to the Canadian forest in order to begin the preservation of some animals. What they thought was a routine trek turned into something history-changing!
Wells Gray Park
Wells Gray Park is one of the biggest parks in Canada. Experts estimate that there are over 56 different types of mammals who inhabit the park. Needless to say, it’s a huge park, and as it turns out, some of it wasn’t explored well enough…
Narrowing Down
In this particular mission, the wildlife group was to zero in on a group of Caribou in the park. That way, they will be able to contain them and preserve them.
Into The Air
In order to get a better idea of where most of the Caribou is located, the experts had to go up into the air. When they took off, they assumed they were just on the lookout for Caribou, but it turned into something way more.
Exploring Deep Into the Woods
They knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but they had no idea how hard it really was! The brush was extremely thick, and opening they got to the ground had no Caribou. They were getting a bit annoyed and stressed…
Was It Worse?
Some of the team members were worried that the diminishing population of Caribou were even worse than they initially thought. They knew they were looking in the correct general area, so why haven’t they seen any yet?
They See Something…
After a while of searching the woods, one team member noticed something that was not on any of their maps. He directed the pilot to head over to this anomaly…
A Huge Hole?
This was bizarre. They ended up stumbling upon a huge hole in the ground. There was no way to see what was inside without exploring it. They all agreed that this wasn’t something they knew about before this trek.
Time To Adventure!
They found a safe space to land the helicopter in order to adventure. There was no way that they were going to pass up this opportunity. After all, this was a total mystery!
Once Inside…
They were able to get inside, and what they saw was incredible! The cave was extremely deep and full of snow. Once they trekked just a little bit, they knew this was totally out of their range.
Calling In Help
They notified the park authorities to tell them what they found. The park authorities weren’t really buying it. How could there be a gigantic hole in the middle of their park without them even knowing?
Sarlacc’s Pit
The person in charge quickly named the hole Sarlacc’s Pit, after the infamous Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi scene where a desert monster eats victims. Hopefully, there wasn’t any man-eating monster to be found!
Time To Really Go In…
A team controlled by Catherine Hickson and John Pollock prepared themselves to head into the pit. Even though they were there to do a job, they felt like they were going on a crazy adventure!
Dream Come True?
“It was absolutely amazing, I immediately recognized that this was very significant,†said Catherine Hickson. Heading into the cave is something that Hickson would never forget…
It Was Huge
It was time to measure, and they couldn’t be more excited. Something this massive somehow ended up on their radar out of the blue, and it would be an incredible journey to find out just how they missed it and how it appeared. So, they started taking measurements and sampling the soil around the hole.
Scaling The Hole
In order to even get down there, they had to take a lot of precautionary measures. One team member had to secure himself to the sides of the rocks so he didn’t fall in while exploring…
Deep Down
On the first dive in, he went about 250 feet in. There, he was able to sample what kind of rock was inside and take note of any other physical characteristics.
An Honor
“It was a privilege to make the first known descent, my focus was purely on rigging, rockfall hazards and avoiding the powerful whitewater that could have dragged me into the abyss. This is by far the largest and most impressive entrance pit I’ve ever encountered,†said Hollis.
The Results Are In
They were able to get an accurate measurement of the hole. It seemed that the cave was a whopping 330 feet long and about 200 feet wide. Under the ground, they think that it’s even larger…
Even Bigger Than They Could Imagine!
The park experts estimate that the cave is between 440 feet and 590 feet deep at its biggest. It’s crazy!
Like A Soccer Field
“It’s about the size of a soccer field, so if you think of a soccer field and you put that soccer field on its end so you have this pit going down. Think about this giant circular or oval hole that just goes down and down and down. It is truly amazing,” Hickson told CBC in December 2018
Largest Cave Ever?
They have reason to believe that the biggest cave in Canada has just been discovered! They are still exploring it, as there are many factors that can stop them from investigating…
It Can Flood At Any Time
Like most things in nature, this cave is especially hard to navigate. A lot of the time, the cave will randomly flood, which makes it hard for them to explore. It can even be deadly…
Truly Mesmerizing
These experts have been through it all, and this cave continues to surprise them. “I’ve been in some of the biggest caves in the world, and this thing has an entrance that is truly immense, and not just by Canadian standards,” expressed John Pollock to Canadian Geographic.
Well Hidden
The experts believe that because this cave was in a remote part of the park and well hidden, there’s no way that anyone could have found it. Plus, if someone did find it, it would be too hard to get into on their own.
They Are The First!
“This cave is truly in the middle of nowhere, it’s out there in mountainous terrain, surrounded by glaciers and at the bottom of a 45-degree avalanche slope that rises 2,000 to 2,500 feet above it, meaning you can’t go to it in winter. This is a wild place,” Pollock said to Canadian Geographic.
Big Plans
Now that they have more information, they’re ready to really get started. The team is planning on expanding the investigation by 2020 to get a better look at Canada’s biggest cave.
What’s In A Name?
What was first a funny gag name turned into the real one! The investigation team decided to officially call the hole Sarlacc’s Pit. Why not? There could still be a monster lurking in the depths of the hole!
There’s So Much More To Discover
“We think everything is known and everything has been discovered, but here’s a major discovery that is made in today’s world and likely has never been seen before and certainly not explored before. It’s just a message that there is still stuff out there yet to do and yet to be discovered,” Hickson told CBC.