Adjusted Hours and Impacts

Alpacas: Our alpaca herd will not be viewable during the morning of Friday, June 5, during their annual fleece shearing. Thank you for your understanding.

Early Zoo Closure: Last entry to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo will be at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 5th, to accommodate set up for our Zoo Brew (18+) event. Last entry to Destination Africa will be at 3:30 p.m. and the zone will be closed by 4:30 p.m. The remainder of zoo grounds will be cleared by 5:30 p.m. Thank you for your understanding.

Jihad Shibley Rocky Mountain Aviary: The Jihad Shibley Rocky Mountain Aviary is temporarily closed. Thank you for your understanding.

Avian Influenza Protocols: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza within 200 kilometres of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

The health and well-being of the animals in our care remains our top priority. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re proactively implementing the following measures to protect our avian species:

Penguin Plunge and the Rainforest Aviary have foot baths at entrances for guests to use
The Jihad Shibley Rocky Mountain Aviary is closed until further notice
Birds will continue to have outdoor access where appropriate and weather permitting

Our dedicated Animal Care, Health & Welfare team will continue to monitor the situation and prioritize the health and well-being of the animals in our care. Thank you for your understanding and continued support as we work to keep the animals we all care about safe.

Animal Viewing Impacts:

PETRONAS Gateway to Asia Malayan Tapir Viewing: ‘Sempurna’ and her female calf ‘Nyawa’ have daily access to either the main indoor habitat or the outdoor habitat from 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. They’ll also have access to their behind-the-scenes space and may choose to spend time there, 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, 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.

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 ‘Rafael’

August 09, 2023 | 1 minute read

There’s exciting news in Penguin Plunge! Our Humboldt chick now officially has a name!

We are thrilled to announce that our newest addition has been named ‘Rafael’. This name is a nod to the Laguna San Rafael National Park, which is located on the Pacific coast of Southern Chile. Humboldt penguins are endemic to the warmer climates of Peru and Chile and swim in the chilly Humboldt Current.

At two months old, Rafael weighs 3.5 kilograms and is already losing some of his downy feathers in a juvenile molt, which is called a “fledge”. For Gentoo and Humboldt penguins, this typically happens around three months of age – much sooner than king penguins, which are between eight and eleven months old when they first molt!

Rafael won’t look grown-up quite yet, and for now, he can be identified by his greyish feathers before he takes on his adult ‘tuxedo’ of black and white feathers.

Waddle on over to Penguin Plunge to greet Rafael by name!

Humboldt chick ‘Rafael’

Introducing ‘Rafael’

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