Gorilla Troop Update
Two weeks ago, we shared the heartbreaking news of the passing of ‘Eyare’, our two-year-old western lowland gorilla. Since that time, we have been deeply moved by the outpouring of concern, compassion,…
Read MoreChristmas Day: The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo will be closed on Wednesday, December 25th, for both day admission and ZOOLIGHTS, presented by Olympia Trust Company. Normal operations will resume on December 26th.
New Year’s Eve: On Tuesday, December 31st, last entry for day admission and members will be at 3 p.m. with grounds cleared at 4 p.m. to accommodate set up for our Zoo Year’s Eve event, presented by Orange Frog.
Thank you for your understanding.
Land of Lemurs Walkthrough & Outdoor Gorilla Amphitheatre: The two outdoor animal viewing areas will close for the season beginning on October 15. Lemurs and gorillas will be viewable in their indoor habitats.
African Savannah Yard: Our Hartmann’s mountain zebras and ostriches will be off-view until the end of the year while we complete exciting upgrades in the African Savannah Yard, including the construction of a new Savannah Barn for the animals. Our giraffe tower will continue to be viewable throughout the project.
Thank you for your understanding.
Bite-Sized
Happy birthday to ‘Kito’! Our eastern black-and-white colobus monkey is 4 years old today!
The name “colobus” comes from a Greek word that means “mutilated”, because colobus monkeys have very unusual thumbs. Where other monkey species have thumbs, colobus monkeys only have a small bump and the remaining nail. This adaptation gives colobus monkeys an amazing advantage in using their long fingers like hooks to swing through the forest canopy in which they live! While their forest home has plenty of food, it’s low in nutrition, so colobus monkeys have multi-chambered stomachs that allow food to ferment and extract as many nutrients and calories as possible. Isn’t nature amazing?
Swing on over to the African Rainforest building to wish Kito a happy birthday!