Calgary Zoo

Calgary Zoo is one of Canada’s top tourist destinations and is home to over 1000 different animals from all over the world!

HEY STRANGERS!

During our January weekend trip to Calgary and Banff we were told we couldn’t miss out on Calgary Zoo. We love ourselves a good zoo but was this one going to live up to the new expectations set to us by our friend’s? Let’s find out!

Welcome to Calgary Zoo!

Getting to the Zoo was super easy thanks to the CTrain which we used to get to from Downtown Calgary to Calgary Zoo. The Zoo very conveniently has its own CTrain station, leading directly to the ticket windows and entrance of the Zoo! The CTrain stations are very easy to navigate and have ticket kiosk screens dotted around the platform so that you can pay (contactless is accepted) and get your tickets before boarding the train. One way, from downtown Calgary to the Zoo, cost less than $10 for the two of us!

The journey took around 10 minutes and when we got to the Zoo the station was practically empty but I’m sure this fills up substantially in the summer months! We had already purchased tickets online so we headed straight into the Zoo.

First Impressions…

When we realised the CTrain station was actually the entrance, which is pretty cool, we headed into the zoo. Within seconds it was apparent that it was going to be a quiet day. With it being a Monday in January and having just received a snow storm, there weren’t many tourists around. We turned the first corner and immediately both of us said oh my gosh! Initially it’s because we saw a statue of a penguin before realising there were real penguins stood right in front of us! We headed straight to them and knew this was the start of a very good day!

The Habitats

Canadian Wilds
The Canadian Wilds Habitat is home to Canada’s favourite and iconic wildlife! Here you can see moose, bears, cougars, wolves and more! When we visited this area was under construction to expand and enhance the habitat for the animals, we believe this includes welcoming polar bears to the zoo! There are two pathways, north and south, but with the construction is coming pathway updates. Be sure to check the Calgary Zoo Website to see the latest construction updates on this habitat!
Conservatory Gardens & Butterflies
Immerse yourself in the beautiful pathways of Calgary Zoo’s botanical gardens. Wander through the Nutrient Garden of Life and explore the “living library of trees”. This is the only place you’ll find Kiwi fruit growing in Alberta! Follow the pathways along to the ENMAX Conservatory where you’ll find a butterfly garden to stand in awe at! The steamy garden is complete with banana trees and pineapple plants… in Calgary! Unfortunately, since we visited in winter we didn’t see any butterflies, they had all been moved to the warm safety of incubation to protect their delicate chrysalis. But, it sure was nice to escape the cold in the stunning gardens!

Destination Africa
Take a stroll down the lush pathways, surrounded by live plants and singing birds, making sure to keep your eyes peeled for lions, giraffes and meerkats…. Oh my? We seriously loved our time spent in Destination Africa, we spent a good chunk of time just staring at the hippos sleeping and tiny little meerkats perching on their mounds. We weren’t lucky enough to see any lions or gorillas on this trip, I guess January in Alberta is a far reach from the heat of Africa, but we were pleasantly surprised to see a zebra enjoying the snow!
Exploration Asia
When exploring Asia we were very fortunate to see all of the animals that live here! The Amur Tiger was enjoying a leisurely stroll in their snow covered garden, the new snow leopard was just discovering their new home by jumping between branches and platforms, and the adorable red panda wandered the snowy mounds looking, well, adorable. The red panda family had also just welcomed a new member to their pack, which we can’t wait to go back and actually see one day!
Gateway to Asia
The former home of the zoo’s Panadas, this newly renovated habitat has welcomed a Malayan tapir named Tanuck and two white-handed gibbon siblings, Majimel and Maximus! Along side them, visitors can also meet the fan-favourite Komodo dragon brothers Shruikan and Thorn! After all the sibling meet and greets, head outside to visit the bactrian camels!

Land of Lemurs
When we visited the Land of Lemurs, the animals were all in their indoor habitat. They were sprawled across ropes, swings, hammocks and other structures, busy grooming themselves, their friends and just relaxing. The outdoor exhibit was closed due to the time of year and the fact that everything was covered in deep snow! According to the Calgary Zoo website, Land of Lemurs is Canada’s first immersive lemur experience in a barrier-free environment. “The 1.3 acre feature allows visitors to enter the lemurs’ world and leave with simple actions that can help protect one of the world’s most endangered primates.”
Penguin Plunge
Our favourite exhibit was the first one you arrive at when entering via the CTrain station entrance, Penguin Plunge. This mixed indoor/outdoor habitat had tall glass surrounding most of the exterior areas, meaning you could be sat inches away from a real penguin. The habitat outside featured a plunge pool, rock work and a few small mounds for the flightless birds to explore. The Humboldt, gentoo, rockhopper and king penguins also had an indoor home. An immersive blend of rock work and glass with a pathway between two halves of the penguin’s home. You enter the building via an airlock system to ensure the cold air isn’t lost. Once you enter you get a great view of the behind the scenes area with water pumps and filtration which shows just how much care and money goes into creating the perfect environment for these waddling wonders. Within the building you walk between two halves of the exhibit with water tunnels running beneath the pathway, allowing the animals to swim from one area to the other, surrounding you in a 360 experience. Here you will also find full height under water viewing windows so even the adults can come eye to eye with the penguins. This room was incredible, the honks and squeaks from the animals echoes around the room, you get so up close and personal with them (including one that wanted to eat my bobble hat). You’ll also find some extremely friendly penguin experts who know each animal by name and can answer any questions you may have about their lifestyle, care, diets and more.

Conservation

One of the reasons we loved Calgary Zoo so much was the good it does in conservation. Calgary Zoo has two key conservation focuses, community conservation and conservation translocation.

Community Conservation empowers communities to protect and benefit from wildlife. This helps protect nature whilst also improving the life of the local community by enhancing understanding, increasing ecological awareness and creating jobs for the locals!

Conservation translocations relocate endangered or at-risk animals back into the wild to prevent their extinction. Translocation requires a lot of research, sound science, long-term investment and continuous monitoring of the animals and their habitat. That’s why zoos like Calgary Zoo are so important to the conservation and protection of animals.

You can find out more about Calgary Zoo’s conservation efforts here.