Calgary Zoo Calgary Zoo News 2025

Zoo adventures said:
On January 7, 2025, the zoo acquired 0.2 wood bison named Taiga(4 years old) and Keewatin(3 years old) They finished their quarantine and they are viewable. They were both born in Alberta(from the wild?)(This was previously mentioned by me in the 2024 thread. Since it is a 2025 news, it will go here.
The Calgary Zoo
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Most likely from Elk Island National Park
 
Zoo adventures said:
On January 7, 2025, the zoo acquired 0.2 wood bison named Taiga(4 years old) and Keewatin(3 years old) They finished their quarantine and they are viewable. They were both born in Alberta(from the wild?)(This was previously mentioned by me in the 2024 thread. Since it is a 2025 news, it will go here.
The Calgary Zoo
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Both of these bison, Keewatin and Taiga are pregnant. They are expected to give birth in Spring
The Calgary Zoo
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
That is great news and new genetic additions not currently in the herd!

How large is the current Calgary Zoo wood bison herd and any more information on the herd genetics and founders???
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It's just these two at the moment. The previous herd was phased out while the planning for the Polar Bear habitat/exhibit took place, which sits in the footprint of the old Wood Bison, Dall Sheep, and Whooping Crane area. 1.1 were geriatric and not replaced, with 0.1 moving to the Greater Vancouver Zoo.
 
Clifford said:
It's just these two at the moment. The previous herd was phased out while the planning for the Polar Bear habitat/exhibit took place, which sits in the footprint of the old Wood Bison, Dall Sheep, and Whooping Crane area. 1.1 were geriatric and not replaced, with 0.1 moving to the Greater Vancouver Zoo.
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I suppose they want to set up a breeding group in due course? In cooperation with Metro Toronto Zoo and other Canadian zoos that wish to participate in the program!
 
Zoo adventures said:
The Zoo acquired two 0.2 north rockhopper penguins from a facility in Vienna after two years of planning. The one-year-old female has a brown wristband and the other 9-month-old female has a white wristband. They currently have no name
3.4K views · 259 reactions | Get ready for some rocking news – two female northern rockhoppers have joined our penguin colony! These two new arrivals came to us from a facility in... | By The Calgary Zoo | Facebook
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How many rockhopper penguins or small colony do they hold?
 
Does anyone know if these bison were hybridized? I can't find much on Providence Wood Bison but seems to be a for meat or breed to sell to ranchers and it's not uncommon to hybridize with domestic cattle to make them more manageable.
A study from 2022* found potentially all North American Bison have 1-3% domestic cattle DNA suggesting that some of the Elk Island Bison were contaminated from the get go leading to the corruption of and remaining wild individuals.
If the original Wood and Plains Bison genomes were sequenced it could be determined what traits were inherently cattle with

Genomic evaluation of hybridization in historic and modern North American Bison (Bison bison) | Scientific Reports
 
Two of the Egyptian tortoises born on July 8, 2024 and July 18, 2024 are now named Giza and Sphinx(Their births were mentioned in post 49 and post 39 in the Calgary zoo thread 2024)
The Calgary Zoo

kingoffreaks said:
Does anyone know if these bison were hybridized? I can't find much on Providence Wood Bison but seems to be a for meat or breed to sell to ranchers and it's not uncommon to hybridize with domestic cattle to make them more manageable.
A study from 2022* found potentially all North American Bison have 1-3% domestic cattle DNA suggesting that some of the Elk Island Bison were contaminated from the get go leading to the corruption of and remaining wild individuals.
If the original Wood and Plains Bison genomes were sequenced it could be determined what traits were inherently cattle with

Genomic evaluation of hybridization in historic and modern North American Bison (Bison bison) | Scientific Reports
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In this 2011 regulation.gov document. The Providence wood bison says their bison are pure bison. They say that all their animals are registered in the Canadian Livestock Records Corporation. I am not sure if their bison are still pure but likely to be. They teamed up in 2013 with the University of Calgary and Saskatchewan to help re-introduce non-diseased bison back into the wild.
https://downloads.regulations.gov/FWS-R9-IA-2008-0123-0017/attachment_1.pdf
Producer conserves at-risk species - Ponoka News
 
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Clifford said:
4.4 now. The colony is quite old so this added youth is great. Have to imagine it's hard with the Biodome, I think, being the only other Canadian org. keeping them.

Don't think it's 9.
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The zoo responded to my question by saying that they currently have 9 North Rockhopper penguin. I am not sure about the Bidome. I think the biodome it is around 4-5 of them if i remember well from last year's visit(I maybe mistaken them for macaroni penguin)
 
Zoo adventures said:
The zoo responded to my question by saying that they currently have 9 North Rockhopper penguin. I am not sure about the Bidome. I think the biodome it is around 4-5 of them if i remember well from last year's visit(I maybe mistaken them for macaroni penguin)
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Can confirm there are 8 Northern rockhoppers at Calgary. The reply of “9” that you received was incorrect data.
 
BurrowingOwl20 said:
Can confirm there are 8 Northern rockhoppers at Calgary. The reply of “9” that you received was incorrect data.
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Thank you for the confirmation and sorry for my false info. I thought of that afterwards, it make sense 8 and 9 can be easily mistaken when typed on the keyboard.
 
Zoo adventures said:
Two of the Egyptian tortoises born on July 8, 2024 and July 18, 2024 are now named Giza and Sphinx(Their births were mentioned in post 49 and post 39 in the Calgary zoo thread 2024)
The Calgary Zoo


In this 2011 regulation.gov document. The Providence wood bison says their bison are pure bison. They say that all their animals are registered in the Canadian Livestock Records Corporation. I am not sure if their bison are still pure but likely to be. They teamed up in 2013 with the University of Calgary and Saskatchewan to help re-introduce non-diseased bison back into the wild.
https://downloads.regulations.gov/FWS-R9-IA-2008-0123-0017/attachment_1.pdf
Producer conserves at-risk species - Ponoka News
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@Zoo adventures, thanks for putting this paper out. Most helpful for the less informed here. I do think that the unwitting comments by our Zoochat poster where ..... (should have been) based more on the plains bison founder stock as - to my knowledge too - the wood bison genome / genetics ... - have been better preserved!

I do hope that the Calgary Zoo can now build up from scratch a nice little herd of wood bison and participate in the grander ex situ breeding program set up in cooperation with the Metro Toronto Zoo. Would be nice if ..., if other zoos in Canada based around Northern hemisphere / temperate fauna would jump on the bandawagon and also become part of the Canadian ex situ conservation breed for release program!
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
@Zoo adventures, thanks for putting this paper out. Most helpful for the less informed here. I do think that the unwitting comments by our Zoochat poster where ..... (should have been) based more on the plains bison founder stock as - to my knowledge too - the wood bison genome / genetics ... - have been better preserved!

I do hope that the Calgary Zoo can now build up from scratch a nice little herd of wood bison and participate in the grander ex situ breeding program set up in cooperation with the Metro Toronto Zoo. Would be nice if ..., if other zoos in Canada based around Northern hemisphere / temperate fauna would jump on the bandawagon and also become part of the Canadian ex situ conservation breed for release program!
Click to expand...

We'll have to see. The Bison yard is nice, but fairly narrow and small. Was kinda surprised they didnt leave the Moose there and put Bison in the old Elk/Mule Deer area. But to Bison proof that larger space I'm sure would have been costly. Bison also have a habit of making a mess of their space under their heavy hoofs. Great for the forests and prairies, but tough to deal with in a zoo. I assume the narrower space makes it easier to close off portions of the habitat to remediate.

Point is with these two being pregnant, I'm doubtful the herd can increase by much. I'm thinking a male + another female and they're done. Unless they have plans for an off-site herd as well.
 
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