Calgary Zoo Calgary Zoo News 2025

@Jefferson So far, there has been very little information and no plans or renderings released publicly for the Exploration Asia revamp. With this first phase being internally funded, the Wilder Institute/ Calgary Zoo may already have the finances available to start construction and will not feel the same kind of pressure to release design images as they would if they were trying to fundraise. They may release more information mid to late March once animals have departed and construction begins.

There will be a few other new animals coming to the Calgary Zoo in the near future.

Details such as new signs have been added to the African Savannah yard. In the distance I could just make out a statue that looked a lot like a bongo. There are so many images of bongos throughout the Zoo, including in the Bongo cabin (There's Something New in the African Rainforest Building! - Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo) Zoolights displays and the giftshops, though that I could just be leaping to conclusions ;). I anticipate the new Savannah Barn, which has been designed to hold a new species in addition to the returning Hartmann's mountain zebras and ostriches, will soon hold living animals if it does not already.

I was digging through responses by the Calgary Zoo to Facebook comments about the orphaned cougar cubs and successfully found a nugget of information. The Wild Canada exhibit that was originally built for cougars and that temporarily houses female snow leopard Leika, will soon welcome a new species! Let's have some fun before the species is announced. Which species do you think this exhibit will welcome after Leika departs? Put me down for Canada lynx; they would be a great fit! A bit more vegetation would give the lynx cover. Only a few other relatively minor changes should be enough to convert this exhibit into a good display for lynx.
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West side of former cougar exhibit. There is also an east side of this exhibit that can be either separated or connected. Together the two sides provide roughly 3,000 square feet (perhaps more?) of enclosed space based off my estimations from satellite images.
 

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0.1 Canadian Lynx Kaya, a 10-year-old, recently arrived at the Calgary Zoo. She was orphaned in the wild in 2014 and arrived from another accredited facility in Canada. She will be visible to the public until later spring. She will be living in the temporary snow leopard enclosure where Leika is living. Kaya the lynx will live in her habitat when Leika leaves. A new male will join Kaya later this year
The Calgary Zoo
 
Zoo adventures said:
The zoo rescued 2 cougars from the wild aged around 5-6 months. They will take care of them for the moment They are not viewable to the public. They will transfer these two cougars to another facility in Canada. They were spotted by a photographer John E. Marriot. There is more about them in his facebook page
John E. Marriott Wildlife and Nature Photography
122K views · 3.7K reactions | Friday was a bittersweet day for me and a sad one for the Bow Valley and Canmore, as I encountered our two orphaned little cougar kittens for the first (and last) time in the Canmore wilderness. They were captured four hours later and currently are awaiting placement in a zoo or shelter. They are the 6th and 7th cougars to be lost from our ecosystem since May 2024. I can’t even describe in words just how devastating this is. | John E. Marriott Wildlife and Nature Photography

The Calgary Zoo
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The Zoo announced that they transferred the male and female sibling cougar to another zoo in Canada. The two cougars gained 10% of weight during their stay in Calgary Zoo.
The Calgary Zoo
 
Renovated Savannah Plains and Savannah Crossing

Savannah Plains and Savannah Crossing at the Calgary Zoo is not a reimagination of the largest exhibit in Destination Africa and is more like a significant infrastructure improvement to the mixed species exhibit for giraffes, zebras, and birds. Savannah Plains, the outdoor exhibit, added some space where the holding buildings for birds and hoofstock once stood, otherwise it largely has the same footprint. The biggest difference guests will notice in this area is the new Savannah Crossing, which has indoor viewing of birds and hoofstock that the previous holding buildings did not have. The indoor giraffe exhibit and holdings in the main African Savannah building did not receive renovations. The observable changes understate the scale of the work that was done involving more than 200 construction professionals and nearly a year of work (Zoo opens newly renovated African Savannah inspired habitats to public - LiveWire Calgary). It is difficult to fully understand these changes without a behind-the-scenes look at the facility. However, I do think the changes are important for improving animal being and I will try to highlight some things that I noticed.

The most important change to the outdoor exhibit is the new fencing.
Fencing pre-renovation in 2022
Destination Africa Savannah Yard Giraffe and Holding Buildings (Summer 2022)

Destination Africa Savannah Yard Giraffe and Holding Buildings (Summer 2022)

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The Savannah yard is currently being renovated. The holding building for birds (ostrich, cranes...
In this pre-renovation image you can see three horizontal cables running in the front of the image. The containment also consisted of three horizontal metal railings that you can see in the fencing in the back.
That fencing has been completely removed and replaced with tall panels or sections of mesh supported by vertical metal poles. It was designed to be safer specifically for the giraffes. In May 2023, Emara, one of the Zoo's masai giraffes, tragically died after it's believed that she got one of her ossicones caught in a cable and fell against the fence (Calgary Zoo giraffe died due to a broken neck in a 'tragic accident' | Calgary Herald). It is very likely considering the timing and nature of this event that it spurred the Savannah Plains and Savannah Crossings renovations.

View through the new mesh fencing to the African Savannah exhibit building in the background, which has the indoor exhibits and holding for giraffes and other animals.
Destination Africa: Renovated Savannah Plains Exhibit for HM Zebra, Giraffes, and Others

Destination Africa: Renovated Savannah Plains Exhibit for HM Zebra, Giraffes, and Others

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In this shot on the path by the Savannah Crossing you can see the main African Savannah exhibit...

The new safer fencing for giraffes precludes the East African crowned cranes from the space between the primary fencing and visitor barriers. To compensate for this loss, two islands were created for the cranes in the outdoor exhibit with railings that preclude access from the giraffe and zebras, but allow the cranes to duck underneath. Trees and shrubs planted inside these islands provides the cranes some shade and cover.

Another significant new feature for animals that visitors might overlook are corrals and an animal management area in the corner of the exhibit where one of the holding buildings once stood. I could not see or understand this area well from a distance, so unfortunately I cannot provide more details.

A more visible addition to the outdoor exhibit is the addition of another elevated feeding device at the far east end of the exhibit. There is now a total of three of these devices each of which have baskets for holding food and electric components for hoisting the baskets high up to giraffe feeding height. These elevated feeders are located at ends of the exhibit to encourage the giraffes to move throughout their outdoor exhibit.


There are a total of three main viewing areas around the outdoor exhibit. The viewing area on the south side of the exhibit sits on a relatively high elevation and may give visitors more of an eye-to-eye look at the giraffes. It features a bongo sculpture as a tribute to the Wilder Insitute/ Calgary Zoo's conservation work and to past President and CEO Dr. Clément Lanthier.
Destination Africa: Bongo Sculpture in the Renovated African Plains Exhibit

Destination Africa: Bongo Sculpture in the Renovated African Plains Exhibit

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A preview of animals to come to this exhibit or just a tribute to both the Wilder...
A viewing area outside of the Savannah Crossing replaces the sunken amphitheater that was once there. The animal exhibit slopes down to this viewing area to partially, but not fully, hide the foreground tall fence from view.
Savannah Plains Early Spring.JPG
The exhibit also slopes down to another viewing area to partially hide the foreground tall fence. This major viewing area by the lion exhibit is very similar to what was previously there. From this viewing area you can look to the right to see the Savannah Crossing building and viewing area outside of it.
Destination Africa: Renovated Savannah Plains Exhibit with Savannah Crossing in the Background

Destination Africa: Renovated Savannah Plains Exhibit with Savannah Crossing in the Background

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This renovated mixed species exhibit was built for Hartmann's mountain zebra, giraffe, East...

The new Savannah Crossing building is located partially where the Australia/Creatures of the Night exhibit complex once stood and is easily accessible to the service area behind it. Tiers of wood slats hide the service area from view and harmonize with the office towers behind - whether intentionally or not. To get to the Savannah Crossing from the Savannah Plains exhibit the animals must cross on a section of the visitor pathway.

Visitors can enter the Savannah Crossing building to view animals in colder weather. A planted strip with palms and mesh separates them from the animals. The animal's space is open and unadorned. The flooring had a bedding of what appeared to be very fine rock or sand. Skylights provide natural light. The building seems to be well ventilated. Areas not visible to the public include 8 stalls, a training wall, staff and volunteer workspace, and two outdoor courtyards. These areas will allow the Zoo to hold their Hartmann's mountain zebras, East African crowned cranes, ostrich, and potentially add another species in the future.

Destination Africa: Inside the New Savannah Crossing

Destination Africa: Inside the New Savannah Crossing

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The new holding building for hoof-stock and birds also includes this viewing area for the public...

The renovations also include numerous graphic signs highlighting the animals, biological relationships between animals, and community conservation.
Destination Africa: Renovated Savannah Plains with New Signs

Destination Africa: Renovated Savannah Plains with New Signs

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The renovations to the outdoor Savannah Plains exhibit includes lots of new signs about the...

These renovations build on the exhibit for zebras and birds that was built in 1993 and refurbished in 2002 to include giraffes. Over time the visitor experience has stood up fairly well and it was the infrastructure that was most in need of changes and improvements to enhance animal well-being and improve the level of animal care. I am a little disappointed that more wasn't done to hide fencing at the main viewing areas and I would have liked to see more plantings to soften the screens used in places around the exhibit and around the Savannah Crossing building. Expectations for African savannah exhibits can be very high because they are such a common feature in zoos and there are a few that are brilliant and exceptional. Some of the African savannah exhibits that look attractive are in need of infrastructure upgrades, particularly the holding buildings. Ultimately, I am happy that the Calgary Zoo is modernizing their facilities/infrastructure and improving their animal care and I am hopeful that the upcoming projects that will be larger in scope will be more impressive!
 

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I think you really nailed the point of it being a renovation for the animals more than anything else. In fairness to the zoo, that's something worth appreciating in and of itself, I think.

I did find it a bit underwhelming. The huge asphalt area directly in front of the Crossing building is... odd, both in look and feel. The middle islands for the cranes are a bit jarring at first as well. But I did think the bongo outlook was the most pleasant view, with long sight lines in either direction.

Having said all that, they went to the trouble of resodding the entire thing. I'll hold further judgement until the trees and bush have their leaves. In truth, it may take a couple years, but it all might fill out rather nicely. The horticulture team seems to do an admirable job generally.
 
Bit of a different one, but they announced, with their partners, that one of the conservation species that their foundation works with has been classified as a new separate species.

SECRETS OF THE BLAKISTON FAN: ISOLATED BUTTERFLY REVEALED AS NEW SPECIES

The species is a very interesting story. 40 000 years of isolation in a remote Alberta valley surviving (just barely) despite constant human and environmental pressure.

Not sure how often a zoo gets to announce a new species, so pretty cool!
 
Piece of April 2025 News Not Mentioned:

On April 23rd, the zoo announced that they swapped the inhabitants of the grizzly bear and American black bear exhibits with each other until late summer.

The Calgary Zoo

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On May 6th, the zoo announced they will transfer (1.1) snow leopards Tadashi and Leika to other unspecified facilities in the upcoming weeks, though will return sometime in 2026. The zoo also announced they will move (0.1) Canadian lynx Kaya into the former snow leopard exhibit (after renovations), as the zoo will be welcoming a new unspecified species into the lynx exhibit.

The Calgary Zoo
 
On May 9th, the institute announced they headstarted and released 26 burrowing owls back into the wild.

Wilder Institute

On May 14th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) Indian peafowl named Steve passed away at age 18 due to a combination of chronic arthritis, advancing kidney disease, and a cancerous mass found on one of its legs.

The Calgary Zoo
 
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