Calgary Zoo Has the Calgary Zoo Entrenched Themselves as Canada's Most Visited Zoo?

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DevinL

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5+ year member
Calgary Zoo remains most visited in Canada after booming 2023 | Calgary Herald

Even with less than a quarter of Toronto's metropolitan population, the Calgary Zoo was once again Canada's most visited zoo with over 1.54 million visitors in 2023! The transfer of giant pandas from the Toronto Zoo to Calgary Zoo in 2018 and the floods of 2013 obscured easy comparisons for some years. Subtracting those years, the Calgary Zoo overtook the Toronto Zoo's annual attendance in 2012 with the opening of Penguin Plunge and arguably hasn't looked back.

Wild Canada opened on December 1, 2023 at the Calgary Zoo, and will have a significant impact on attendance in 2024 too.

Is there anything the Toronto Zoo, or other Canadian facilities, can do to catch up?
 
They are both fantastics zoo with high quality exhibits and as Canadians we should be proud to have them both. I don't think quality of the zoos or animals is the continuing factor to the numbers, rather I think the major contributing factor to Calgary's number is the ease to get there.

Calgary Zoo is directly on the light rail line with a stop at its entrance. There is no doubt that this makes it more assessable. It is also roughly in the centre of the city, again making it easy for residents and tourist to get to. The downside of this, is that it doesn't have significant space to expand its footprint.

The Toronto Zoo on the other hand has a ton of space and can have large exhibits because of that (sometimes too much space as it is a long walk between some exhibits). However it is relatively outside of the city and on the slightly less populous side. It is much harder to get to by public transit and therefore limits visits to those with cars, definitely impacting the number of tourists that come.

Downtown Calgary to Zoo:
Driving: 5 mins
Transit: 8 mins

Downtown Toronto to Zoo:
Driving 28 min
Transit 1h18m

I think this is the major contributing factor. The only other thing to check, and I am guessing both include this in there numbers would be if these numbers include day camps, season pass holders and such. I suspect they both do.
 
Jefferson said:
They are both fantastics zoo with high quality exhibits and as Canadians we should be proud to have them both. I don't think quality of the zoos or animals is the continuing factor to the numbers, rather I think the major contributing factor to Calgary's number is the ease to get there.

Calgary Zoo is directly on the light rail line with a stop at its entrance. There is no doubt that this makes it more assessable. It is also roughly in the centre of the city, again making it easy for residents and tourist to get to. The downside of this, is that it doesn't have significant space to expand its footprint.

The Toronto Zoo on the other hand has a ton of space and can have large exhibits because of that (sometimes too much space as it is a long walk between some exhibits). However it is relatively outside of the city and on the slightly less populous side. It is much harder to get to by public transit and therefore limits visits to those with cars, definitely impacting the number of tourists that come.

Downtown Calgary to Zoo:
Driving: 5 mins
Transit: 8 mins

Downtown Toronto to Zoo:
Driving 28 min
Transit 1h18m

I think this is the major contributing factor. The only other thing to check, and I am guessing both include this in there numbers would be if these numbers include day camps, season pass holders and such. I suspect they both do.
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Definitely agree with you about the travel time being the big difference... and that transit time of 1hr 18min is basically starting from the subway platform (and I'm assuming from Yonge/Bloor looking at those times I know so well from the TTC planner haha) so one still has to factor in the time to get from home to that starting point.
I speak from experience... I live near Yonge/Bloor and take TTC. It usually takes me about 90min each way door to door, and that's assuming I don't just miss the bus connection at Kennedy, if so it's another 20 min added on.
So when I want to visit TZ, I have to plan at least 3 hrs roundtrip travel time into the day. For me it's worth it, I usually go at least monthly but it would be much more often if it was closer. I know others who only visit once or twice a year instead of more frequently, simply because it takes so long.
Conversely, I have family in Calgary, and they can just "pop by" the zoo on their way home from elsewhere instead of it being an all-day event like for me.
 
Toronto also has a lot going on. There are so many options for families, tourists, etc. Calgary doesn't have nearly as much, so people are more likely to go to the zoo (especially when it's so easy to get to).
 
TinoPup said:
Toronto also has a lot going on. There are so many options for families, tourists, etc. Calgary doesn't have nearly as much, so people are more likely to go to the zoo (especially when it's so easy to get to).
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Toronto Zoo is also *a lot* of walking- including a lot of hilly walking, with large areas between exhibits. I'd imagine a lot of families with children, or people with different ability levels, may not find Toronto to be a very accessible or enjoyable zoo experience.
 
I honestly can't see Assiniboine Zoo catching up any time soon, as much as I'd like it too. While Journey to Churchill is an outstanding exhibit, the rest of the zoo pales in comparison. There is not much to attract tourists outside of Journey to Churchill, and not a lot of tourists are coming to Winnipeg anyway (trust me, I work at THE tourist spot;)).

With The Leaf still being very new and the city's lackluster budget, I can't see anything too crazy happening. Hoping to be proven wrong, but I am not setting my hopes too high.
 
I spent a few years living in a city outside of the Greater Toronto Area and somehow managed to be a Toronto Zoo member for a good portion of that time. I would board Go Transit near the end of the line, travel to Union Station in downtown Toronto, take the Go train along Lakeshore East, and then take a bus from there to the Toronto Zoo. And then I had to do the whole thing in reverse to get back home o_O. How long did that all take? Perhaps, I suppressed the memory because I can't recall.

No doubt, I am a little crazy, and others wouldn't go to the same lengths. Well, excluding Judache, who will suffer through long public transit commutes as well. I certainly would have liked to visit the Toronto Zoo more while I was living in southern Ontario. It's hard to say how much of a difference shorter travel times would have made though.

A visit to the zoo, isn't the same as a visit to the grocery store or a commute to work. For the latter, convenience is the most or one of the most significant factors in your decision making. Visiting the zoo is a special leisure activity. The Columbus Zoo was built to the north of the city of Columbus and has been immensely successful. The Minnesota Zoo has done fairly well and it is about as far from the city centers of St. Paul and Minneapolis as the Toronto Zoo is from downtown Toronto. The Minnesota Zoo also has to compete with the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Yes, travelling time will impact the desirability of visiting the zoo, but as long as it's nothing crazy -like my trips from outside the city- then most people will put up with it. I don't think that the greater ease of travelling to the Calgary Zoo is enough on its own to explain the four times greater ability for the Calgary Zoo to draw visitors -as a function of metropolitan population- compared to the Toronto Zoo.

Years ago, I spoke with one of the original designers of the Toronto Zoo and the subject of location came up in our discussions. It was believed that the Toronto Zoo would be of international statue and that this would create enough of a draw to help compensate for its new location outside of Toronto's center.

For many years, the Toronto Zoo was well-known throughout Canada and I remember seeing commercials for it when I was growing up in Alberta. At that time, the Toronto Zoo was Canada's undisputed top and most popular zoo.

Times are changing and the Toronto Zoo can no longer lay claim to that crown.

How does losing that crown affect Toronto Zoo's reputation in Canada's biggest and most famous city, and outside it?

I would argue that for the Toronto Zoo to thrive they have to show some ambition! That doesn't mean that they should spend extravagantly. It also doesn't mean that all the projects have to be massive and splashy. Little improvements add up. What I think it means is that things should be done at high standards and with the intent of creating a premier facility. If the Toronto Zoo can do this, admittedly not an easy proposition, I am confident that they can challenge again as Canada's most visited zoo!
 
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Neil chace said:
Toronto Zoo is also *a lot* of walking- including a lot of hilly walking, with large areas between exhibits. I'd imagine a lot of families with children, or people with different ability levels, may not find Toronto to be a very accessible or enjoyable zoo experience.
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I've been there 5 or so times (2010-2011) and we never did the whole zoo in one day, we would do sections each time.
 
If any zoo does catch up my eyes are on Toronto or the Biodome.

The Biodome is entirely indoors which is perfect for winter when most zoo are less visited. The biodome also has many avain rarities attracting bird lovers, zoo enthusiest and the general public. From loons to grebes. The biodome is an ambitious zoo that is constantly shaking up new ideas and addition to there collections.

Meanwhile the Toronto zoo may reclaim there title as most visited for their 50 year mark. The zoo has gotten three new species and has recently started multiple larger scale projects. The zoo is ussually very quiet about aqquiring non-megafauna species only speaking of them them out once they arrive. Furthermore being the zoo that Canada is known for they attract many tourists. Though I must admit the lose of many star attraction species* the zoo is persevering and with the surprise reopening of the Malayan woods pavilion who knows whats in store!

The Calgary zoo most likley will remain the most visited. As they have many desirible qualities and animals. This zoo has finally reached it's long awaited glory and actions toward the master plan. Question: is bongo's still on the master plan?
(Though I really wish they replaced the dik diks and kept the african jacanas)

* Barbary macques, Red beaked blue magpie, Chamois, Spotted neck otter, the assuming lose of the the Golden breasted starling and the eventual lose of the Hippos, Indian rhinos,Lion tailed macque and Red legged seriema
 
The Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden and Prehistoric Park

The Calgary Zoo has such a strong presence in the heart and mind of Calgarians because it encompasses more than one traditional institution. It was once called the Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden and Prehistoric Park before the name was simplified to the Calgary Zoo. Gardens and displays of prehistoric animal sculptures have been an important part of the Calgary Zoo's history. Those different attractions within the Zoo have contributed to its popularity and destination status within Calgary.

Before any animals arrived, the City was creating lawns and planted beds on St. George's Island at the heart of the future Calgary Zoo site (read The Evolution of the Calgary Zoo by Tyler Trafford). Large scale plantings followed years later. The Conservatory was the next big step forward. Construction on the large structure to house plants began in 1963. Many of the structural bones of that complex remain in the Enmax Conservatory that opened in 2009. The last major piece was the Dorothy Harvie Gardens that opened in 1985. These decorative gardens encircle the Conservatory. They are a showpiece and educational tool for growing plants in the challenging chinook climate of Calgary. The Dorothy Harvie Gardens help complement the exotic plants kept inside the Enmax Conservatory.

Gardens and conservatories are quite popular throughout Canada. Vancouver has the Bloedel Conservatory and from there you can easily walk to the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. The UBC Botanical Garden is vast and just a few kilometers from Vancouver's city centre. Edmonton has the Muttart Conservatory. The University of Alberta Botanic Garden is a few kilometers outside of Edmonton's city outskirts. Assiniboine Park Zoo is part of a larger park complex in Winnipeg that features the recently opened Leaf conservatory and gardens. There are gardens and conservatories in Toronto too. Botanical gardens and conservatories are considered significant attractions in their respective Canadian cities.

In addition to their conservatory and gardens, the Calgary Zoo has a kind of non-traditional garden to showcase their prehistoric animal sculptures(mostly dinosaurs). The Prehistoric Park opened in 1984 with dinosaur sculptures set amongst a planted landscape with extensive themed rockwork. The Calgary Zoo has an even longer history with prehistoric animal sculptures that stretches all the way back to the 1930's. Recent improvements to the Prehistoric Park included the addition of animatronic dinosaurs, dinosaur model re-paintings, a dig site, and new interpretive material. There are many zoos now that have had popular displays of animatronic dinosaurs. Those displays tend not to have the extensive themed landscape that Calgary Zoo's Prehistoric Park has.

The Calgary Zoo's conservatory, gardens and Prehistoric Park provide a greater variety of attractions. The non-animal attractions are probably not enough on their own for people to justify paying to visit the Zoo, but they do help widen the appeal of the Zoo. They are important for social groups that visit the Zoo that include people who are less interested in living animal displays.

As the Calgary Zoo continues to develop, the non-animal attractions that helped it grow may become constraints on growth. More space is being devoted to animal spaces and the Calgary Zoo site is limited in size. The 2013 Master Plan called for the demolition of the Prehistoric Park completely to make room for far East Asian exhibits and a massive tropical building. Since then the Prehistoric Park has undergone a slight revamp and the animatronic dinosaurs were added. It's possible that the fate of the Prehistoric Park will change if those revamps have been popular. A while ago, I read on Calgary Zoo's Facebook page that they were working on a new master plan. Will the new plans include some version of the Prehistoric Park?

Space constraints play into our discussion of Canada's most visited zoo. The Calgary Zoo has managed to make several additions over the last 12 years without taking away too many attractions. They have a few more moves they can make. Those moves will run out soon if they're not very thoughtful about how they use space.

The Toronto Zoo has almost the opposite concern. They have too much space and need to figure out how to densify their site with attractions and replace a lot of old infrastructure. If they can do that, then I think that they'll grow. The reopening of the Malayan Woods was a nice surprise that helps bring a bit of life back to their primary visitor path.

There's a few years ahead where I don't think the Toronto Zoo will be able to surpass the Calgary Zoo's attendance. If the Calgary Zoo handles their limited space poorly, and if the Toronto Zoo handles their bountiful space thoughtfully, then the tides may start to turn...
 
Antilio-capra, that's an interesting question about bongos and the Calgary Zoo. It relates back to my point about the Calgary Zoo running out of space.

I think that the Calgary Zoo would love to exhibit bongos. The Wilder Institute (the umbrella organization that includes the Calgary Zoo) supports the Kenya Mountain Bongo Partnership. A researcher cabin in the TransAlta Rainforest building was redeveloped to showcase some of this work. Bongos are very attractive and the Calgary Zoo doesn't have any antelopes. Setting up an indoor space for the bongos would be costly, but their outdoor exhibit wouldn't be expensive.

In the 2013 Master Plan bongos were included in a mixed species yard with giraffe, zebra, and ostrich. This exhibit would have been an expanded version of the current African Savannah yard. This is still possible. Through publicly available documents I know that the Calgary Zoo is going to soon build a new holding building for this exhibit. That might be to help accommodate new species, or it could be to just modernize and improve conditions for their existing mountain zebras and birds. There aren't many examples of bongos being mixed with these or similar species. It could risk the bongos receiving interspecies aggression. Perhaps someone else on Zoochat could give more insight on this mix? Bongos also need shade and cover/screens. There are some large trees in the exhibit currently, but if they added bongos I would definitely like to see more vegetation added. They would have to protect any new trees from the giraffes. This exhibit is the most likely place where the Calgary Zoo would add bongos.

Other than that, there just isn't much room left in the Destination Africa section of the Zoo. They could move the popular Zooventure playground elsewhere and use that space for a bongo exhibit. Part of the parking area south of the playground is already being reallocated for another purpose, so wouldn't be available. It would be hard to create an exhibit of 20,000 square feet or more here.

The Calgary Zoo actually held bongos for a while in a shady yard where Land of Lemurs is now. Even if they could overlook the zoogeographic mess there's no way they would add bongos to a mostly walkthrough exhibit! The island ends just past land of Lemurs. This is another example of available space running out at the Calgary Zoo.
 
I'm a little surprised that no-one has mentioned Zoo de Granby (Granby Zoo) yet. On their website they claim to attract almost 900,000 visitors a year (About the Zoo | Zoo de Granby). Over $51 million of new projects may be completed over the next few years as part of their 2022-2030 Master Plan. Their collection of non-Canadian star mammals actually rivals the Calgary Zoo! Oddly enough, the Granby Zoo does not have a North American animal section. I have not visited the Granby Zoo, but the outdoor exhibits look quite good and consistent. They have a water park and amusement park too - which I'm sure helps draw in a lot of visitors. The big thing working against this facility attendance wise is that Granby is a city with less than 100,000 inhabitants and more than a 80km drive from downtown Montreal. How popular would Granby Zoo be inside the city boundaries of Montreal, or Ottawa, or Vancouver?
 
DevinL said:
I'm a little surprised that no-one has mentioned Zoo de Granby (Granby Zoo) yet. On their website they claim to attract almost 900,000 visitors a year (About the Zoo | Zoo de Granby). Over $51 million of new projects may be completed over the next few years as part of their 2022-2030 Master Plan. Their collection of non-Canadian star mammals actually rivals the Calgary Zoo! Oddly enough, the Granby Zoo does not have a North American animal section. I have not visited the Granby Zoo, but the outdoor exhibits look quite good and consistent. They have a water park and amusement park too - which I'm sure helps draw in a lot of visitors. The big thing working against this facility attendance wise is that Granby is a city with less than 100,000 inhabitants and more than a 80km drive from downtown Montreal. How popular would Granby Zoo be inside the city boundaries of Montreal, or Ottawa, or Vancouver?
Click to expand...

One of the biggest differences is Calgary is open 364 days a year. Granby spends chucks of the year closed / only open on weekends / etc. Being open weekends in the fall last year was even new, when I went to Quebec in 2022 it closed the first week of September and didn't open again until Christmastime, I believe. It was the one major place I missed out on going to.
 
antilio capra said:
If any zoo does catch up my eyes are on Toronto or the Biodome.

The Biodome is entirely indoors which is perfect for winter when most zoo are less visited. The biodome also has many avain rarities attracting bird lovers, zoo enthusiest and the general public. From loons to grebes. The biodome is an ambitious zoo that is constantly shaking up new ideas and addition to there collections.

Meanwhile the Toronto zoo may reclaim there title as most visited for their 50 year mark. The zoo has gotten three new species and has recently started multiple larger scale projects. The zoo is ussually very quiet about aqquiring non-megafauna species only speaking of them them out once they arrive. Furthermore being the zoo that Canada is known for they attract many tourists. Though I must admit the lose of many star attraction species* the zoo is persevering and with the surprise reopening of the Malayan woods pavilion who knows whats in store!

The Calgary zoo most likley will remain the most visited. As they have many desirible qualities and animals. This zoo has finally reached it's long awaited glory and actions toward the master plan. Question: is bongo's still on the master plan?
(Though I really wish they replaced the dik diks and kept the african jacanas)

* Barbary macques, Red beaked blue magpie, Chamois, Spotted neck otter, the assuming lose of the the Golden breasted starling and the eventual lose of the Hippos, Indian rhinos,Lion tailed macque and Red legged seriema
Click to expand...

re: bongos

Watch this space
 
Coming off their record attendance in 2023, the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo hosted the 2024 AZA Annual Conference in September. Of note, it was the first time the conference has been held in Canada in more than 40 years.

Inside the AZA Annual Conference 2024
Calgary zoo conference prioritizes pivot from entertainment to conservation

Will hosting the 2024 AZA Annual Conference help improve the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo's status as a leading North American and Canadian zoological institution, or was hosting it a testament to their existing strong status, or perhaps it doesn't mean much outside of the event?

If nothing else, I think it says that the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo feels confident about their current state. They have weathered a lot over the years from major public animal controversies, devastating floods, and the premature return of giant pandas to China because of COVID pandemic bamboo access limitations. What will they accomplish in the near future after rebounding so well from these events?
 
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