The flatter land areas surrounding the park have almost entirely been converted to cereal grain farmland, making the park (and the contiguous Manitoba Duck Mountain Provincial Forest) an environmental refuge for such large animals as elk, moose, black bear, lynx, bobcat, and timber wolf. Other animals, such as white-tailed deer and coyote, are also found in abundance in the forest, but roam more freely into the surrounding agricultural lands and are thus less reliant on the park.
Almost all of the flat areas around the park have been converted to cereal grain farmland, turning it (and the adjacent Manitoba Duck Mountain Provincial Forest) into a habitat for large animals such as elk, moose, black bear, lynx, bobcat, and timber wolf. Other species like white-tailed deer and coyote are also plentiful in the forest but often venture onto nearby agricultural lands, reducing their dependence on the park.