Calgary Zoo

Calgary Zoo
Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo on St. George's Island
Map
51°02′45″N 114°02′00″W / 51.04583°N 114.03333°W / 51.04583; -114.03333
Date opened9 January 1929[1]
LocationCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Land area0.3 km2 (0.12 sq mi)
No. of animalsOver 1,000[2]
No. of species272[2]
Annual visitors1.54 million[3]
MembershipsWAZA,[4] AZA,[5] CAZA[6]
Major exhibitsPanda Passage, Penguin Plunge, Land of Lemurs, Canadian Wilds, Prehistoric Park, Destination Africa, African Rainforest, Eurasia
Websitehttps://www.calgaryzoo.com/

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is located in Bridgeland, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, just east of the city's downtown and adjacent to the Inglewood and East Village neighborhoods. It is accessible via Calgary's C-Train light rail system, by car via Memorial Drive, and by bicycle and footpath via the Bow River pathway. A large portion of the zoo is located on St. George's Island in the Bow River.

The zoo is operated by the Calgary Zoological Society, an independent not-for-profit organization that is Alberta's oldest registered charity.[7] The AZA-, WAZA-, and CAZA-accredited zoo was among the first in Canada to be accredited by all three associations. It is home to over 1,000 animals, excluding individual fish and insects, and 272 different species. The 120-acre zoo is organized by seven distinct zones: Destination Africa, Canadian Wilds, Penguin Plunge, Dorothy Harvie Botanical Gardens and ENMAX Conservatory, TransAlta Rainforest, Eurasia, and Prehistoric Park. The zoo is open every day except for Christmas Day.

The zoo has also received international recognition as one of the top zoos in the world for conservation research.[8] In 2013, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums said "the Calgary Zoo sets itself apart as one of the top zoos in the world."[9] In 2015 the zoo was named one of the top three most respected organizations in Alberta[9] and one of Alberta's 10 most beloved brands.[10]

  1. ^ @calgaryzoo (9 January 2020). "Happy birthday to us!🎉🎈Today in 1929 the Calgary Zoological Society was formed & we look pretty good for 91!😏We have evolved into a conservation organization who works to take & inspire action for wildlife & wild places. We can't wait to see where this chapter takes us!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b Calgary Zoo[permanent dead link] - 2005 Report
  3. ^ Wilhelm, Steven. "Calgary Zoo remains most visited in Canada after record attendance in 2023". Postmedia Network Inc. Calgary Herald.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference waza_list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference aza_list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference caza_accredited was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "T3010 Registered Charity Information Return". apps.cra-arc.gc.ca. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b "AZA Grants Accreditation to the Calgary Zoo" (Press release). Calgary, AB. Calgary Zoo. 10 September 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  10. ^ "Ipsos Reveals the Most Loved Brands in Alberta" (Press release). Calgary, AB. Ipsos. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2017.