Welcome to the Greater Vancouver Zoo | GREATER VANCOUVER ZOO
This collection of approximately 800 animals is located an hour east of Vancouver, and is in essence more of a wildlife park than a proper zoo. It only recently regained its CAZA accreditation after several years of having its "official zoo license" suspended for the inadequate housing of a baby hippo. I visited the zoo during this time and was shocked to see the young hippo living in solitary confinement inside a tiny, dark barn. This female hippo spent a year and a half by herself in a pitiful barn until eventually the zoo constructed a new exhibit and obtained a male for company.
Four hippos have died prematurely at the zoo. Two drowned in their pond in 1983 after falling through ice and then not being able to get out of the water. Their replacements, Gertrude and Harvey, died in 2004 and 2005 due to health reasons. The zoo thus lost its accreditation with the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2004 because its hippo facilities were sub-standard, but regained accreditation in early 2008.
ZOO MAP | GREATER VANCOUVER ZOO
The map of the zoo illustrates how the majority of the animals are hoofstock, and they are exhibited in fairly large enclosures. The problem with such exhibits is that they are generally quite barren, with ugly wire fencing surrounding the mammals. The signage at this zoo is notoriously poor, and many exhibits have either no signs at all or only contain a bare minimum of information.
05/07 ~ SPIDER MONKEY KILLED AND ANOTHER IS MISSING | GREATER VANCOUVER ZOO
The zoo recently made headlines all over Canada for the theft of a spider monkey, and the violent death of its mate.
Overall the zoo is a major disappointment, and nowhere close to Canada's two large zoos in Calgary and Toronto. The Greater Vancouver Zoo does have an excellent grizzly bear exhibit for its solitary bear, and the enclosure is over an acre in size and is full of naturalistic materials. The arctic wolves and several of the hoofstock have adequately sized enclosures, but there isn't a lot to be proud of for this collection of captive animals.
This collection of approximately 800 animals is located an hour east of Vancouver, and is in essence more of a wildlife park than a proper zoo. It only recently regained its CAZA accreditation after several years of having its "official zoo license" suspended for the inadequate housing of a baby hippo. I visited the zoo during this time and was shocked to see the young hippo living in solitary confinement inside a tiny, dark barn. This female hippo spent a year and a half by herself in a pitiful barn until eventually the zoo constructed a new exhibit and obtained a male for company.
Four hippos have died prematurely at the zoo. Two drowned in their pond in 1983 after falling through ice and then not being able to get out of the water. Their replacements, Gertrude and Harvey, died in 2004 and 2005 due to health reasons. The zoo thus lost its accreditation with the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2004 because its hippo facilities were sub-standard, but regained accreditation in early 2008.
ZOO MAP | GREATER VANCOUVER ZOO
The map of the zoo illustrates how the majority of the animals are hoofstock, and they are exhibited in fairly large enclosures. The problem with such exhibits is that they are generally quite barren, with ugly wire fencing surrounding the mammals. The signage at this zoo is notoriously poor, and many exhibits have either no signs at all or only contain a bare minimum of information.
05/07 ~ SPIDER MONKEY KILLED AND ANOTHER IS MISSING | GREATER VANCOUVER ZOO
The zoo recently made headlines all over Canada for the theft of a spider monkey, and the violent death of its mate.
Overall the zoo is a major disappointment, and nowhere close to Canada's two large zoos in Calgary and Toronto. The Greater Vancouver Zoo does have an excellent grizzly bear exhibit for its solitary bear, and the enclosure is over an acre in size and is full of naturalistic materials. The arctic wolves and several of the hoofstock have adequately sized enclosures, but there isn't a lot to be proud of for this collection of captive animals.
