A Beak-utiful Name for a Bald Ibis
We have beak-utiful news—our second southern bald ibis chick officially has a name! Meet 'Mooi' (pronounced “MOY”), named after the Mooi River in South Africa—a region within the native range of this…
Read MoreRainforest 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.
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.
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
Happy birthday to our American black bear, ‘Manuka’! Manuka came to us in 2013, and is turning 12 years old this month!
Did you know that black bears can come in different colours? Manuka is a black bear, but she’s a blonde black bear! Her white colouring comes from her origins in B.C., where the spirit bear population has recessive genes that cause white colouring. This gives Manuka her sandy blonde look that is similar to manuka honey!
You can often spot Manuka by looking up – she’s an agile tree climber! Manuka isn’t available for viewing while the bears are enjoying their winter slumber, but join us in wishing her a happy birthday and be sure to stop by to say hi once the bears wake up!
Black bear ‘Manuka’