Adjusted Hours and Impacts

Rainforest Building: The Rainforest Building will open at 10:00 a.m. on August 7th to give our western lowland gorilla troop the space, comfort, and privacy they need as they meet their newest member, ‘Johari’. Thank you for your understanding.

Transit Impact: Planned maintenance will impact the Blue Line, making C-Train service to Zoo Station unavailable from 8 p.m. on Friday, August 8th, through to the end of Sunday, August 10th.

A bus service will operate between Bridgeland/Memorial Station with drop-off only at the North Parking Lot. Visit the Calgary Transit website as you plan your zoo trip.

Early Zoo Closure: Last entry to the zoo for guests and members will be 3:00 p.m. on Friday, August 8th, to accommodate setup for our Cocktails for Conservation event. Thank you for your understanding.

Destination Africa: Destination Africa will close at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 17th, to accommodate setup for FOCUSED: Destination Africa, presented by the Camera Store. Thank you for your understanding.

Penguin Plunge: Penguin Plunge will open at 9:30 a.m. on the following days to accommodate our Penguin Breakfast events:

June 28
July 6, 13, 19, and 27
August 2, 3, 10, 16, 24, and 31

Thank you for your understanding.

Animal Viewing Impacts:

Exploration Asia
The Exploration Asia Redevelopment project is officially underway! While there are some viewing impacts in the area, you can still visit many of your favourite species.

Species Viewable: Bactrian camels, Komodo dragons, white-handed gibbons, Malayan tapirs, red-crowned cranes, Turkmenian markhors, Amur tigers, wild boar, and Pallas’s cats. Plus, our Dalmatian pelicans can be found in their temporary home at Land of Lemurs!
Species Not Viewable: Snow leopards and red pandas have been relocated during construction, but don’t worry – these beloved species will be back in 2026.

West Gate Closure

Due to significant construction activities in and around Exploration Asia, the zoo’s West Gate will remain closed for the 2025 season and is expected to remain closed until at least 2028/2029. This necessary step supports the safe movement of visitors while we undertake exciting improvements to animal habitats and visitor experiences.

Amur tiger, Samkha, departed for another zoo

Bite-Sized

Bon Voyage, ‘Samkha’

January 30, 2024 | 1 minute read

Goodbye Calgary, hello new adventures! ‘Samkha’, our 11-year-old male Amur tiger, will soon be on the move to a new home. He will be departing during the week of February 4, so plan to stop by to wish him well on his travels!

While we will miss Samkha, we are excited to welcome back a returning face to the tiger habitat! Samkha’s brother, 11-year-old ‘Vasili’, joined us late last year.

Transfers like these between accredited zoos, while sometimes bittersweet, are a critical part of maintaining healthy and diverse Amur tiger populations in human care. Amur tigers are listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, and we’re thrilled to partner with our peers to ensure that this species can continue to thrive. As ambassadors for their species, they play an important role in helping to build connections, create awareness and inspire action to help make a difference for wildlife.

Bon Voyage, ‘Samkha’

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