Scout Patrol Emblems

Nineteen Canadian animals and their symbolic meanings

By Scouter Liam Morland, February 2002

Scout troops are made up of groups of six to eight Scouts called a patrol. Every patrol chooses an animal to be its emblem. A patrol animal is not just a handy way of identifying a patrol. The Scouts should take pride in their animal and strive to imitate its positive characteristics.

Baden-Powell (nd:40) wrote that patrols should choose local animals. Below are nineteen suggested patrol animals, their crest (available from Canadian Scout Shops), and what the animals represent. These animals are all native to Canada. After the Scouts decide on a patrol emblem, they may wish to make a patrol flag. See "Scout Patrol Flags" for more information.

For each animal, there is a link to Canadian Wildlife Service's Hinterland Who's Who, a great source of information about Canadian wildlife.

	Bat Patrol Bat Adaptability & knowing the unseen.
	Bear Patrol Black Bear or Grizzly Strength & intuition.
	Beaver Patrol Beaver Engineering & resourcefulness.
	Bison Patrol North American Bison Intelligence & teamwork.
	Blue Jay Patrol Blue Jay Confidence & efficiency.
	Cougar Patrol Cougar Leadership & teaching.
	Coyote Patrol Coyote Cleverness & bursts of energy.
	Deer Patrol White-tailed Deer Co-operation & independence.
	Eagle Patrol Bald Eagle Alertness & ingeniousness.
	Falcon Patrol Peregrine Falcon Observant & good timing.
	Fox Patrol Red Fox or Arctic Fox Diplomacy & cunning.
	Hawk Patrol Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, or Northern Goshawk Messenger & being aware of the big picture.
	Lynx Patrol Canada Lynx Co-operation & climber.
	Moose Patrol Moose Courageous & observant.
	Owl Patrol Great Horned Owl or Snowy Owl Wisdom & clairvoyance.
	Polar Bear Patrol Polar Bear Adaptability & survival.
	Raccoon Patrol Raccoon Curiosity & dexterity.
	Wolf Patrol Wolf Perseverance & teaching.
	Wolverine Patrol Wolverine Endurance & strength.

Reference

Baden-Powell, Lord Robert.

nd. Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship Through Woodcraft. Scout Brotherhood Edition. Scouts Canada.