The Calgary Zoo
210 St. George's Drive NE T2E 7V6 Calgary, AB, Canada

We’re so excited to share that ZOOLIGHTS has been extended to January 10, 2021 to give Calgarians extra time to enjoy this magical holiday tradition! We will continue to operate under the enhanced public safety precautions including: remaining an outdoor-only space, reduced visitor capacity to 15%, advanced timed tickets required, recommended one-way path flow on the island, masks strongly recommended everywhere at the zoo & mandatory indoors (washrooms), and physical distancing will be strictly enforced by staff. Tickets are limited and on sale now https://bit.ly/2TxtFTl

It's "snow" joke, the red river hogs love to chill outside, even in winter! Several of the zoo's larger African animals do well in colder temperatures than you'd expect, and they often get the option to go outdoors when there's snow on the ground. The animal care team is always keeping an eye on thermometers to make sure these tropical swine are doing fine! #FollowUsAtTheZoo

Swing by the outdoor penguin habitat on a cool day and you might see Trinity shredding the slopes! Even by penguin standards gentoos are very curious, so giving them the option to explore a different space is important for keeping their energetic brains and bodies healthy. #FollowUsAtTheZoo

We're wishing oldest animal at the zoo a happy 54th birthday! Papa, the West African dwarf crocodile, may be old compared to other zoo residents but his species can live over 70 years when given proper care. You can ensure dwarf crocs in the wild can live long lives too by choosing Rainforest Alliance certified products! #FollowUsAtTheZoo

Happy New Year from the Calgary Zoo! After a tough year for everyone we are ready to take on 2021 and continue vital conservation action! We can't wait for you to join us in our mission to save wildlife and wild spaces in the coming year! #FollowUsAtTheZoo

Can you smell peppermint and maple on the wind? That can only mean ZOOLIGHTS, presented by Olympia Trust Company, is less than 2 weeks away! Grab your tickets for the zoo's magical holiday tradition here: https://bit.ly/2TxtFTl

ZOOLIGHTS, presented by Olympia Trust Company, begins tonight! We're excited to welcome guests to our safe and magical holiday tradition, and remember, you can grab your tickets for future evenings here: https://bit.ly/2TxtFTl

Looking to bring the zoo to a classroom near you? Tell a teacher about our virtual programming! Non-school groups are also welcome, so book your virtual experience here: https://bit.ly/3kqTSOT

During late fall, Rocky Mountain goat billies take part in their annual competition for females. A big male, like Yukon, can be especially territorial this time of year. Make sure to keep 3 bus lengths between yourself and wild hooved mammals! #FollowUsAtTheZoo Click the link for more on respecting wildlife: https://www.pc.gc.ca//b/activ/observation-wildlifewatching

Happy 24th birthday to the eldest gorilla in the troop Zuri! Arriving in Calgary after two previous attempts to integrate with other troops, Zuri eventually settled into our family and became a mother to the now grown-up Yewande. She can be a reserved gorilla, but you still might catch her playing with little Kimani time to time! #FollowUsAtTheZoo

Who's excited for Inglewood's Light Up The Night Kick-Off tomorrow? Make sure you visit Santa as he may have some festive ZOOLIGHTS passes! Support local this year for you holiday shopping and find out more here: https://inglewoodyyc.ca/index.//10/19/inglewood-christmas/

Low season has begun at the Calgary Zoo! What does this mean? It means shorter business hours and building hour changes - to accommodate the darker days. Booking your next #Zooventure find out all you need to know here: https://bit.ly/2WECcX3 #FollowUsAtTheZoo

#WorldLemurWeek Thank you to everyone who ran, walked, or donated during Run Calgary 's Wild Run for Conservation! Even in difficult times you were able to come together to help save wildlife and wild spaces. This year's funds will be going toward lemur conservation, protecting the world's most endangered mammal group!

The Calgary Zoo will be open as usual today for zoo visits and tonight for ZOOLIGHTS, while we create our plan to comply with new provincial restrictions.

Senior Macaque Update! Chaplin is the dominant male of the zoo's Japanese macaque troop, and at 24-years-old, he's considered elderly for his species. Earlier this year, after a noticeable dip in weight, the veterinary team diagnosed Chaplin with diabetes. Since then, the animal care team has been working closely with him to maintain his weight, administer medication, and monitor his blood glucose levels. Chaplin has been a star during this process, and has gotten lots of his favourite foods, including carrots, yams and avocado. Bright colours and creamy textures are a must for this high ranking monkey! The troop dynamic has also reacted to such a big change in the dominant male, but Chaplin's role is still respected and has helped maintain troop stability. #FollowUsAtTheZoo

This year, you can bring home our chef-created Festive Feast Dinner with our new curb-side pick up option. Enjoy a classic holiday dinner, with all the trimmings, in the comfort of your home without the hassle in the kitchen! The best part? You'll spend the day at home with family and friends while supporting the Calgary Zoo’s wildlife conservation initiatives at the same time. More info available here: https://bit.ly/2H8hdqy

Giant polar goat alert! Yes, you "herd" it here folks, muskoxen are members of the goat & sheep family. But they are so much more than that for their tundra homes they help fight climate change! Large Arctic grazers like muskox prevent the spread of woody plants on the tundra, increasing the amount of sunlight reflected off the terrain and cooling the landscape. Their constant trampling also ensures more permafrost is exposed to chilly air, keeping the ground frozen.

Happy 12th birthday to the most talkative penguin at the zoo, Ashley the Endangered northern rockhopper! Ashley is a VERY vocal bird, and you've probably heard him honking up a storm as part of his display behaviour. How can you celebrate Ashley's birthday? By choosing Ocean Wise recommended seafood! Northern rockhoppers are threatened by overfishing, and sustainably sourced seafood ensures people and penguins can thrive together. #FollowUsAtTheZoo

ZOOLIGHTS: Adult Night Out is going ahead! If you have tickets, come on down!

#WorldLemurWeek Enrichment is key to keeping lemurs healthy and the animal care team works hard to keep the lemur ambassadors mentally and physically engaged! Like most primates, lemurs have active bodies and brains that need lots of stimulation. They also have a wet, dog-like nose that gives them a much better sense of smell than monkeys and apes. A nice smelly onion is not just a snack, it's also scent enrichment! #FollowUsAtTheZoo

As we pause today to recognize the incredible service of the Canadian military, past and present, the Calgary Zoo would like to thank our veterans and active duty personnel for their sacrifice. Lest we forget.

Together we can do extraordinary things! Join us for #GivingTuesday on December 1, 2020 to double your impact. Thanks to the generous support of the Calgary Zoo Leadership Team, we will be matching every donation on #GivingTuesday up to $50,000! All donations are tax-deductible, and 100% of funds go directly to supporting wildlife conservation and providing exceptional care to the animals you love.

Tell a teacher! Virtual Safaris are a great way for students to learn about the natural world while also supporting wildlife conservation. Not a teacher? Non-school groups can book as well! More info here: https://bit.ly/3kqTSOT

Looking for the peacocks? They've moved inside for the winter, but the Chilean flamingos are the perfect bird to view during a Chinook zoo visit. They typically choose to hang outside as long as the temperature stays at 0C or above! #FollowUsAtTheZoo

Please note, we'll be limiting daily attendance today as we prepare for our evening special experience, ZOOLIGHTS: Adults Night Out (18+). The zoo will remain open to visitors until 5:00 PM, however the last the last entry granted is at 2:30 PM. Normal timed ticketing will resume tomorrow, Nov 25, 2020. Thank you for your understanding.

Calling all brunch lovers! Start the holiday season off right with the Festive Brunch at the Calgary Zoo! Our specialty menu features traditional breakfast items, cozy comfort foods, festive deserts. Tickets available here: https://bit.ly/3lkJOYQ

To recognize the incredible service of our Canadian military members, the Calgary Zoo is pleased to offer 50% off day admission (beginning on Nov 11) and 50% off ZOOLIGHTS admission (beginning on Nov 20) to members of the military and their immediate family members accompanying them. Visit our website to learn more. https://bit.ly/3pdw58w

Tickets for ZOOLIGHTS, presented by Olympia Trust Company, are live! Calgary's award winning, magical holiday tradition will be glowing for six weeks of festive family-friendly fun. We're committed to helping you enjoy this incredible event in a safe and physically distanced way while supporting wildlife conservation. Grab your tickets here: https://bit.ly/2TxtFTl

Feeling un-bear-ably tired? So is Skoki! The Canadian bear ambassadors are getting ready for their big winter snooze, so they might be hunkered down in their dens on your next visit. Bears aren't true hibernators though so it's always worth a "paws" at their habitat to see if anyone is up and about! #FollowUsAtTheZoo

Chilling for months under a frozen pond is probably not how you would want to spend your winter, but it works for northern leopard frogs! As their watery homes freeze over, northern leopard frogs enter a state called brumation, where their activity slows to a literal crawl allowing them to save energy until the warm weather returns. This process is different from hibernation, as the frogs are still able to move, likely helping them locate areas with higher dissolved oxygen underwater. Overwintering leopard frogs requires deep bodies of water that don’t freeze to the bottom, so healthy, deep wetlands are keys to northern leopard frog survival. #WeatheringWinter

#WorldLemurWeek Wood-n't you know it, lemurs need trees! Deforestation is the main threat facing lemurs in the wild. Community organized tree nurseries not only restore lemur habitat, but also improve livelihoods for local people. You could say these projects get to the root () of the problem by ensuring both people and lemurs can live side-by-side. ... Special thanks to our program partners, the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership and the University of Calgary. Lemur by Sheila Holmes

One of the hardest things we do at the Calgary Zoo is say goodbye to cherished family members. No matter how long they are with us or how old they are, each one matters. Earlier today, the Calgary Zoo’s medical team had to make the difficult decision to compassionately euthanize our geriatric 21-year old Wood Bison, Sage. Sage had been under veterinary care for numerous health challenges over the past year. When this culminated in her inability to stand, we knew this mor...ning it was time to say goodbye. Sage joined the Calgary Zoo family in 2001 from the Toronto Zoo. She and her daughter, Elly May and pasture mate, Lula were visitor-favourites. All summer you can hear children exclaim with awe and delight at the sight of these huge land animals. Sage will be remembered by the Canadian Wilds team for her calm, gentle nature. Please keep Sage’s caregivers in your thoughts on this very difficult day.

Today we're celebrating some spicy birthdays! Endangered chacoan peccary, Jalapeño turns 7 today, and his half-brothers Ancho and Serrano also have their 7th birthdays on October 29! See the pepper boys' dainty hooves? Those help them run through thorny vegetation without injury. Think you could sprint through a field full of cacti? #FollowUsAtTheZoo

Happy 20th birthday to the eldest rockhopper in Penguin Plunge; Scarlett! Southern rockhoppers, like Scarlett, are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, but you can help them! By choosing Ocean Wise Seafood recommended products, you're helping ensure that there's plenty of food available for wild seabirds, including rockhopper penguins! Click the link to find out more about Ocean Wise: https://bit.ly/3ken0sf

Greater sage-grouse are the only bird species our conservation team works with that stays in Alberta all year round, and they make it through the deep freeze with some familiar strategies. #WeatheringWinter Like any Canadian who roughs it through the cold, sage-grouse have their own winter footwear! Tiny feathers on their feet act like snowshoes for moving across frosty prairie without sinking. Fluffy feet are also helpful for digging through snow to reach covered leaves a...nd sage-grouse are even known to burrow into snow drifts to warm up during extra cold weather. A hearty meal improves any freezing day, and so sage-grouse diets also shift to include more fiber. The sage-grouse’s namesake, sagebrush, becomes the main dish of the sage-grouse meal plan. This aromatic plant is so high in fiber that parts of a greater sage-grouse’s digestive tract will expand to help them digest such a hearty winter meal.

Zoo members! Don't forget to renew your membership before October 31 for a chance to win one of the following: $500 VISA gift card $200 Suntrerra gift card ... Renew here: https://bit.ly/33fbIP2

ZooBOO, presented by Servus Credit Union, is coming to the Calgary Zoo on Oct 30 Nov 1 from 10 am - 3 pm (9 am -10 am is member only hr)! Get ready for a fangtastic visit full of candy and costumes by grabbing your timed tickets to ZooBOO here: https://bit.ly/3jeWL53. More member timed tickets have opened up as well! Contest Alert - Don't forget to take a photo of your kiddo at the zoo in their costume during ZooBOO and post it online using the hashtag #YYCZooBOO2020 to be entered to win 4 admission tickets to ZOOLIGHTS!

Ever thought of just curling up in bed and sleeping winter away? Well, that’s what Canada’s most endangered mammal, the Vancouver Island marmot, does! #WeatheringWinter Every fall, both wild marmots and the Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre’s resident rodents head to their dens and enter a state of true hibernation. During this process, their heart rates can drop from their normal 200 beats per minute to as low as 3 beats per minute! This super stasis allows the animal care team to create new marmot pairs as part of our marmot breeding program. This process is called Operation: Strange Bedfellows by the animal care team, and you can learn more about the project by checking out the Weekly Dose At Home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN5uptE1mBA

Looking for the perfect gift for a conservation hero? Recipients of a ZooCare Adopt a Species package not only get a collection of zoo goodies, but also know they are save species this holiday season! http://bit.ly/34soY00

#WorldLemurWeek continues with an intro to the zoo's lemur ambassadors! Land of Lemurs is home to 3 of the over 100 lemur species native to Madagascar, with 22 new species recognized within the last 20 years. Across the island, multiple lemur species are able to share the same area thanks to varying diets, activity cycles, and habitat preferences. Our lemur troops spend much of their day together, showcasing the diverse nature of Madagascar's forests. Red-fronted lemurs even overlap in range with both ring-tailed and ruffed lemurs in their wild homes! Have you ever seen an interaction between lemur species?

It's the last day to help us pick a suitably royal name for this year's king penguin chick! Donate to cast your vote by clicking here: https://bit.ly/35s3Eua

It's #NationalBisonDay, the perfect day to announce the beginning of a planned breeding program through artificial insemination (AI) for Elly May, our 11-year-old wood bison ambassador! Click the link below to find out how this important project is a part of a quest to save the largest Canadian land animal - WITH SCIENCE! https://bit.ly/36e0Dhw

With chilly weather comes the annual penguin switcheroo! Heat adapted Humboldts have moved inside, while the gentoos and kings get to play in the snow! Even the fluffy chick is getting in on the snow days, as she has been following the rest of the king colony outside. A change of space gives the birds lots of stimulation, and these early weeks after the switch are abuzz with penguin activity. Make sure you stop by Penguin Plunge, and don't forget, you can vote on a name for the royal chick by donating here: https://bit.ly/35s3Eua #FollowUsAtTheZoo

The animal care teams made sure to "carve" out some time last weekend for seasonal enrichment! From the savviest snow leopard to the most curious caribou, whole pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns alike are the perfect festive way of stimulating animal brains and bodies. #FollowUsAtTheZoo We want to see YOUR gourd-geous enrichment photos - post them in the comments!

Happy #WorldLemurWeek everyone! Lemurs are the world's most threatened mammals, with 1/3 of lemur species classified as Critically Endangered. Although wild lemurs live far away from Canada on the island of Madagascar, you can still have a big impact on their survival. Your support for the zoo through admissions, donations, and so many other ways, is helping protect these precious primates. We work with the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership and the University of Calgary to ...support local communities that live alongside lemurs in the rainforests of Eastern Madagascar. Your help makes this project possible and is ensuring lemurs have a future in their wild homes. Be ready for more #WorldLemurWeek content all week long! #SavingSpecies by Sheila Holmes

CONTEST ALERT! Renew your membership before November 30 and you can win one of the following: $500 VISA gift card... $500 Nordic Spa gift card Renew your membership here: https://bit.ly/33fbIP2

This year's final #SpookySpecies are cockroaches! The fear of cockroaches (or katsaridaphobia) is thought to be the most common insect fear and roaches have a reputation for being unhygienic due to their scavenging behaviour. But without the cockroach's love for decay, we would be living in a much dirtier world. Roaches are decomposers and they play a key step in the cycling of nutrients through environments. For example, giant Caribbean cockroaches have the lovely job of feeding on bat guano in tropical caves, while Madagascar hissing cockroaches are among the many decomposers that keep forest floors clean. Threatened bats and lemurs that these roaches live alongside rely on decomposers to keep their environments healthy. So let's hear it for the crawling clean-up crew!

There's still time to help us choose a name for this year's king penguin chick! Remember, to follow the link below and donate to vote on your favourite royal name: Boudicca, Mary or Victoria. #FollowUsAtTheZoo https://bit.ly/35s3Eua