Imagine lush layers, distant echoes, and mountain peaks. Imagine a portal to a place where vast landscapes, layered ecosystems, and iconic wildlife come together.
Imagine what’s coming soon to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.
Welcome to Imagine Asia
Welcome to Imagine Asia — a reimagining of the former Exploration Asia zone at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. This is more than a new name. It’s a new way of seeing. A new way of feeling. A new way of discovering the extraordinary landscapes and species of Asia.
The word Imagine invites you to look beyond what’s in front of you. Picture the wind sweeping across jagged summits. Hear echoes bouncing off rocky terrain. See movement hidden within deep forests and lush landscapes.
There are places in the world so vast, so layered, so alive with wonder that they spark something deeper than curiosity. They spark imagination.
Imagine Asia is an invitation to step into that vastness.
The First Chapter: Asian Highlands
This is Asian Highlands, the first chapter of Imagine Asia, coming in Summer 2026. This chapter celebrates discovery, ecological storytelling, and conservation science, offering guests connection to wildlife and wild places.
When you step into Asian Highlands, we hope you’ll feel:
A sense of vast possibility.
A connection to landscapes shaped by elevation.
A spark of curiosity and wonder.
The joy of discovery waiting around every corner.
Because Asian Highlands isn’t just a place — it’s an elevation of experience. And it all begins with imagination.
Go Where Wonder Takes You
Imagine standing in the towering landscapes of the Himalayas, where life unfolds in vertical layers. Begin among the world’s highest peaks and descend through alpine meadows into mist-filled conifer forests. Along the way, meet extraordinary species shaped by this extreme environment and discover the powerful conservation work helping people and wildlife coexist. Along the way, experience breathtaking views of snow leopards exploring rocky cliffs and hidden caves, watch takin splash and frolic in their summer pond, and see red pandas lounging on logs right above your head.
During your journey you can:
- Interact with a digital snow leopard to uncover the amazing adaptations that help it survive at high altitude.
- Try your hand at wildlife science by learning how to monitor wildlife.
- Capture a selfie with a lifelike red panda sculpture.
- Discover inspiring stories of how people and wildlife are successfully coexisting across the Himalayas and even cast your vote for conservation actions you can take in your own daily life.
In Asian Highlands, every step reveals a new layer of life—and a new way to be part of protecting it.
Meet the Animals of Asian Highlands
Three remarkable mountain specialists call Asian Highlands home. Visitors will once again encounter the beloved Red Panda and the elusive Snow Leopard, both perfectly adapted to life in the rugged heights of the Himalayas. Joining them is a new arrival to the zoo—the powerful Sichuan Takin, a shaggy mountain ungulate that roams steep alpine slopes and misty forests.
Together, these species represent different layers of life in the Himalayan mountains, each showcasing the remarkable adaptations animals need to survive in one of the most extreme and breathtaking environments on Earth.
The animals of Asian Highlands are illustrated in bold, playful colour — hand cut and layered, one element atop another — echoing the way mountains stack against the sky and forests spill over rock.
Follow the journey on our social channels, Facebook, Instagram, and X!
Layers of Asia
Asia is not a flat landscape. It rises. It folds. It overlaps. Each layer represents: Habitat, elevation, texture, climate, life.
Our visual identity mirrors this natural architecture. Creating a brand that references the ecological and geographical articulation of Asia, rather than relying on cultural references. It’s a brand that shows off the sheer breadth of habitats, ecologies, species, environments, and landscapes.
You’ll see a maximalist illustration style that has a real sense of organized chaos and an inspiring & exciting visual busyness. In these illustrations, there is always something new to explore, see, and find.
The paper cut execution is a heavily abstracted reference to woodcut printmaking, but also an effort to maintain an analogue and handmade feeling, breaking boundaries out of the digital world and keeping them immersed in a tangible, physical environment while in the park.
Colours of Asia
We celebrate the elements of discovery, wonder, and imagination with strong colours. This palette reflects the breadth of Asia’s landscapes and ecosystems.
Yellow captures desert horizons, temple golds, and the intensity of equatorial light.
Green anchors the identity in biodiversity, from rainforests and bamboo groves to cultivated rice terraces.
Red introduces cultural and ecological energy, echoing shrine gates, lanterns, spices, and flashes of wildlife.
Blue references monsoon skies and glacial rivers, while pink softens the system through cherry blossoms, lotus flowers, and coral reefs.
Together, the colours express Asia as layered, vibrant, and ecologically rich within a single habitat experience.
The Journey Continues
As construction in Imagine Asia gains momentum this spring, Asian Highlands moves steadily toward its grand opening in the summer of 2026.
Returning favourites — joined by a new species to be revealed later this spring — will shape an unforgettable journey of discovery. Together, they spark wonder, deepen conservation connection, and reflect an unwavering commitment to world-class animal care.