Early Closures

Zoo Grounds: Last entry to the zoo for guests and members will be at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11th, to accommodate a staff celebration. Thank you for your understanding.

Brawn Family Foundation River Lodge: Last entry to the Brawn Family Foundation River Lodge will be at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, June 22nd and Sunday, June 29th, to accommodate setup for our Wild After Hours: Otters (18+) event. Thank you for your understanding.

Animal Viewing Impacts:

Wild Canada

Replacement of the viewing window glass in the Taylor Family Foundation Polar Bear Sanctuary will impact animal viewing and pathway use.

Our polar bear ‘Siku’ will be off-habitat from Monday, June 16th through to Friday, June 20th. He may be viewable through the window to the inner courtyard during this time and will be back in the habitat on Saturday, June 21st.

Our woodland caribou herd will only be viewable in the east habitat from June 16th through to June 20th.

On Tuesday, June 17th, the public pathway between the Jihad Shibley Rocky Mountain Aviary and the woodland caribou habitat will be closed from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The north loop will close at the aviary and the south loop will close at the woodland caribou habitat.

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.

Bite-Sized

Farewell to ‘Josephine’

November 12, 2023 | 1 minute read

We are saddened to share that our senior king penguin, ‘Josephine’, passed away this morning at the remarkable age of 31. Josephine came to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo in 2018 from the Montreal Biodome and has been a much-loved member of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo family since her arrival.

Necropsy findings revealed that Josephine died due to age-related complications associated with kidney failure. Leading up to her passing, she had also developed a large urate stone in her cloaca that exacerbated her condition.

Josephine’s remarkable age at the time of her passing is a testament to the incredible care she received since coming to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo in 2018. She was a much-loved member of the zoo family and will be fondly remembered.

Farewell to ‘Josephine’

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