Adjusted Hours and Impacts

Polar Bear Viewing Impact: The Taylor Family Foundation Polar Bear Sanctuary will be will be temporarily closed on Tuesday, March 24th and Wednesday, March 25th, to accommodate habitat maintenance. Our polar bear, ‘Siku’, will not be viewable during this time. Thank you for your understanding.

African Rainforest Aviary Pool Cleaning: The African Rainforest Aviary will be closed from Monday, March 30th, through to Wednesday, April 1st, to accommodate pool cleaning. Guests are still welcome to explore the rest of the African Rainforest Building, with both entry and exit through the main doors. Thank you for your understanding.

Early Building Closure: Last entry to the ENMAX Conservatory will be at 3:00 p.m. and last entry to Kitamba Café will be at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 27th, to accommodate set up for our ZooDunnit (18+) event. Thank you for your understanding.

Seasonal Closures

Gorilla Amphitheatre: The Gorilla Amphitheatre is closed for the season from October 15th, 2025. Our gorilla troop remains viewable in their indoor habitat.

Prehistoric Park: Prehistoric Park is closed for the season from October 27th, 2025, pending favourable weather conditions.

Animal Viewing Impacts:

PETRONAS Gateway to Asia Malayan Tapir Viewing: ‘Sempurna’ and her calf have daily access to the main indoor habitat from 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. They’ll also have access to their behind-the-scenes space and may choose to spend time there, especially when the calf is nursing, so viewing isn’t always guaranteed. 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.

Species Viewable: Bactrian camels, Komodo dragons, white-handed gibbons, Malayan tapirs, red-crowned cranes, Turkmenian markhors, Amur tigers, wild boar, and Pallas’s cats.
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. Our peacocks and Dalmatian pelicans are currently spending time in their winter holding space.

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

Introducing ‘Okabe’

July 11, 2023 | 1 minute read

We are excited to announce that our #WICZGorillaBaby has been named ‘Okabe’!

In Nigeria, our partners at the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) are working to help save and protect the Cross River gorilla, one of two subspecies of Critically Endangered western gorillas – the other being western lowland gorillas like Okabe. With a shared goal of helping western gorillas survive and thrive, we reached out to the NCF to ask them to help us find a name that pays homage to the species, the people and the culture where western gorillas are found.

The name ‘Okabe’ (pronounced oh-KAH-beh) means ‘to think’. It is derived from the Boyki language, which has a number of regional dialects and is an important Bendi language spoken by the Boyki people of the northern Cross River State, Nigeria.

Gorilla infant ‘Okabe’

Introducing ‘Okabe’

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