In 2012 I was in Calgary and I visited the zoo on 3 consecutive days; now it is 2016 and I have been back in Calgary and I visited the zoo 3 times within a week. Here is an update for those that are unfamiliar and perhaps curious about what is regarded as Canada's second largest zoological establishment. The mainland section of the zoo is comprised of 3 sections at the bottom of the map. On the left-hand side is the vast, sprawling, 21-acre Canadian Wilds with a blue backdrop and most of those exhibits date from the 1990's; the outstanding Penguin Plunge is in the center and that was a $25 million addition to the zoo in 2012; and on the right-hand side is Prehistoric Park (in purple) that opened in 1983 and was the MOST POPULAR section of the zoo for my 4 young kids even though there are zero live animals there. All of those static and animatronic dinosaurs will be gone in the next few years as Amur tigers, Japanese macaques and takins will take their place. If I'm not mistaken the zoo has had at least a dinosaur of two for 80+ years and so it is a slightly contentious decision to phase out Prehistoric Park. However, the zoo phased out elephants a few years ago and attendance has increased each year since and so I'm sure that Calgarians will be able to cope without their dinosaurs. The top half of the zoo is set on an island and is also divided into 3 sections. The big orange section on the left-hand side is Destination Africa, which opened in the early 2000's and has two dominant buildings. The middle section (in green) has a trio of South American exhibits and a large Conservatory building with butterflies, plants and lawns (all very scenic and popular for weddings and events). The red section on the far right of the island is Eurasia, full of good exhibits but a bit "cagey" as it is the oldest section of the zoo. That is where the 4 giant pandas will go in 2018...and then when they leave in 2023 their home will become an orangutan habitat.
