Welcome, Hiiro
What’s better than a celebrity couple? A royal couple! We’re thrilled to welcome our female red-crowned crane ‘Ruby’ back to zoo grounds along with her new habitat-mate, male ‘Hiiro’. In August, Ruby…
Read MoreThe African Rainforest building will open at 11:30 a.m. on October 24th due to scheduled maintenance.
The Jihad Shibley Rocky Mountain Aviary: The habitat is temporarily closed to visitors. Why the closure? Our great grey owls, especially the younger members of our parliament, are displaying protective behaviours of their nests and territory. To support their natural behaviors and prioritize safety for both our birds and visitors, we’re taking a proactive step by temporarily closing the habitat. 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.
PETRONAS Gateway to Asia: The building will have adjusted viewing from September 23 until mid-November while we complete mechanical upgrades to the Malayan tapir habitat. Komodo dragons will remain viewable indoors. Malayan tapirs and red-crowned cranes will be viewable in their outdoor habitats (weather permitting). White-handed gibbons will not be viewable for the duration of the project.
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
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the unexpected passing of our beloved 12-year-old slender-tailed meerkat, ‘Kruger’.
Kruger was born at the London Zoo, UK in August 2011 where he spent his first year before becoming part of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo family in November 2012. During his time with us, Kruger was a ‘conservation superstar” having successfully sired an incredible 17 pups in four litters, between 2014-2015, as part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP). A necropsy revealed that heart failure due to cardiac disease was the cause of his sudden death.
The median life expectancy for his species is 9.8 years under human care (versus an average of 6-8 years in the wild). At 12-years of age, Kruger lived a long and wonderful life with us – a testament to the exemplary care he received from his dedicated caregivers.
Saying goodbye to the animals we love and care for is never easy, but it is especially hard when the loss is unexpected. We know that our community will be as saddened by this news as we are. Please keep our Animal Care, Health & Welfare team in your thoughts during this difficult time.
Photo: unidentified individuals.