Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo
One Saturday in June, we ignored the big puffy, grey-bottomed clouds and dashed out to the Calgary Zoo. After a week of wet, lousy weather, we needed an outdoor escape. When the sun peeked out, off we went.
Wildlife Conservation
For nearly 100 years the Calgary Zoo has been recognized for its world-class animal care. In the last 30 years, they have been a leader in wildlife conservation. Recently, the zoo introduced the city to the Wilder Institute which will oversee the Calgary Zoo’s charitable conservation activities worldwide. Read more about the Wilder Institute.
Where to Begin
What we love about the zoo is that you can explore this 125-acre property in a couple of hours. The park is separated into habitats and destinations. Depending on your availability, you can see all of it, or just pick one area.
- Destination Africa
- Land of Lemurs
- Conservatory Gardens & Butterflies
- Gateway to Asia (formerly Panda Passage)
- Exploration Asia
- Canadian Wilds
- Penguin Plunge
- Prehistoric Park
Click here to see the zoo map to plan your next adventure.
Fun Fact: This is our epic family sing-along song from Sharon Lois and Bram
For us, zoo visits always involve photography. In fact, the zoo hosts special events for photographers giving them access to the zoo before the general public. If this is something of interest to you, watch the website or subscribe to the zoo’s newsletter for details.
Clearly, we have taken advantage of this. Please enjoy some of our favourite photos.
Destination Africa
This destination encompasses a lot of ground and animals. For example, you can visit the primates, the lions, the hippos, zebras and more! You might spend one visit just in this area.
There is something new at the zoo! In fact, she is a baby western lowland gorilla. Her name is Eyare, meaning ‘treasure, gift, pride’. Maybe you will be lucky enough to see her. We weren’t…this time.
Trip Tip: A mask is still required to view the gorilla troop inside. If you haven’t brought your own, an employee at the entrance of the building will provide you with one.
Land of the Lemurs
Before COVID, you could walk inside the Land of the Lemurs enclosure. However, in an effort to keep them safe, you are not currently able to do this. On the other hand, you can still view them in their indoor and outdoor habitats.
Conservatory/Dorothy Harvie Gardens & Butterflies
On our recent visit, we decided to go around to the back side of the Conservatory and enjoy the Dorothy Harvie Gardens. What an oasis!
Fun Fact: Plants in the Dorothy Harvie Gardens are tagged so you can find them for your own garden.
If you enjoy the tropics, be sure to visit the Conservatory. Inside are lush gardens and the butterfly enclosure. Benches are strategically placed to take a moment to sit quietly to enjoy the nature around you. In addition, in the butterfly enclosure, sit and relish the heat and humidity while watching butterflies all around you.
Fun Fact: Flamingo’s are pink because of the carotenoids found in the algae and brine shrimp they eat.
Gateway to Asia (formerly Panda Passage)
Gateway to Asia is now home to a Malayan tapir named Tanuck and hilarious white-handed gibbons Majimel and Maximus. We were entertained by these gibbons walking with arms high overhead. Though we delighted in the hijinks of these siblings, we neglected to get any good pictures. But don’t let that be a reason to miss this exhibit. They were so much fun to watch.
Also in Gateway to Asia are the Komodo dragons Thorn and Shruikan.
Just outside Gateway to Asia live the camels.
Exploration Asia
Canadian Wilds
At this time, The Canadian Wilds are currently under construction. Consequently, they have shifted pathways.
At the southern entrance, Bugtopia (a very elaborate playground), is open during construction and is the furthest point you can go before turning back on this part of the pathway.
We were super excited to see all of the bears moving around. In this case, we could smell this grizzly before we saw him.
Fun Fact: The Spirit Bear is the official mammal of British Columbia.
The northern entrance of The Canadian Wilds (found just past the Penguin Plunge) is home to Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goats and Aviary Lane. Aviary Lane passes through a caged aviary where you can spot a variety of raptors including the Great Grey Owl.
Penguin Plunge
The Penguin Plunge is home to the Gentoo, Humboldt, King and Rockhopper Penguins. However, there is usually a line-up to get inside their building. In spite of this, it’s worth the wait to see them swim, dive and vocalize inches away from you.
Prehistoric Park
Journey back in time to the land of dinosaurs. As you walk along, imagine what a world might have looked like thousands of years ago.
In Closing
As you can see, there is something for everyone at the zoo. In addition, the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is constantly upgrading and improving. It’s this constant commitment to first-class animal care and conservation that makes this a world-renowned zoo. While it does cost about $35 for an adult ticket, we think it’s worth it. Plus, it feels good to contribute to animal conservation. You could spend two or three hours or the whole day here. It’s up to you.
Trip Tips: Here is the link to hours and admission.
And there’s more…
Besides seeing animals, there are many other things to do at the zoo. They have restaurants, shops, seasonal concessions, playgrounds, picnic areas and monthly events that you can sign up for. In the winter, check out Zoo Lights. Additionally, for those looking for private bookings the zoo has meeting rooms, conference facilities, wedding facilities, and more.
We ❤️ the zoo.
Obviously, we highly recommend visiting the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. It really is one of our favourite places to go in Calgary. If you have children or grandchildren (or none at all), buying an annual pass might be an economical choice. If you did, you might be inspired to go as often as you like!
Fun fact: Two types of annual passes (Inspire & Engage) include parking.
Above all, if you are new to the city, this is a must-see destination. Experiencing wildlife and learning about animal conservation is fun for the whole family. We’ll bet you won’t go just once!
Finally, on this particular visit, our sunny escape lasted three hours. Shortly after leaving, the storm clouds opened up and drenched the city again. We were thrilled to have snuck in another (albeit short) outdoor adventure.
We’ve been to the Zoo, zoo, zoo. How about You, you, you…