Impact of Stage 4 Water Restrictions on Zoo Operations

As of August 26th, the City of Calgary has resumed Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions while they complete urgent repairs to the Bearspaw South Feeder Main. We will continue to adjust our daily operations to ensure compliance with the restrictions that are in place, while ensuring the safety, health, and well-being of the animals we love and care for.

We are taking the following steps to limit the use of city water:

Essential animal water stations will be maintained to ensure our animals’ well-being.
Our Animal Care, Health & Welfare (ACHW) team has implemented dry cleaning methods wherever possible and adjusted the frequency of habitat pool cleaning schedules.
We use non-potable well water for our irrigation systems to care for our botanical gardens and lawns. These wells operate independently of the city’s water supply.
Our drinking fountains will remain on, however we encourage visitors to bring water bottles or purchase water onsite.

Zone/Building Closures

Kinsmen Zooventure Playground, September 3-5: The Kinsmen Zooventure Playground in Destination Africa will be closed from Tuesday, September 3rd, through to Friday, September 6th, to accommodate maintenance and resurfacing work.

Brawn Family Foundation River Lodge, September 6: The Brawn Family Foundation River Lodge will close to the public (members and day admission) at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 6th, to accommodate a private event.

Gateway to Asia, September 11: Gateway to Asia will open to the public (members and day admission) at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 11th, to accommodate a private event.

Zoo Closure, September 19: The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo will be closed to the public (members and day admission) on Thursday, September 19th, 2024, while we host the final event of the 2024 AZA Annual Conference.

Zoo Closure, September 26: The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo will close at 3 p.m. on Thursday, September 26th for a private staff and volunteer celebration. The last entry for members and day admission will be 3 p.m. The zoo grounds will be cleared by 4 p.m.

Thank you for your understanding!

Animal Viewing Impacts

African Lions and Land of Lemurs: The tunnel in Destination Africa will be closed from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Monday, September 9th, to accommodate construction work for the Savannah Yard and Barn project. Our African lions and lemurs will not be viewable during this time.

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

Celebrating ‘Kito’

March 18, 2023 | 1 minute read

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!

Eastern black-and-white colobus monkey ‘Kito’

Celebrating ‘Kito’

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