@DevinL Have you been a lurker on ZooChat for a long time? I see that you just joined this site and so I'd like to welcome you and it is a pity that we didn't meet at the zoo yesterday. Land of Lemurs gave me what is likely my all-time favourite lemur experience simply because I was in with the animals with zero barriers and my kids had a blast. In terms of an interactive, engaging exhibit then I'd give it an 8 out of 10...as the guided tour is the only major flaw as it is something that I usually never enjoy. Why not let visitors go in as a group and let them wander at their leisure? My guess is that people actually stayed longer than necessary because they had to listen to the entire rambling monologue that each staff member/volunteer spouts towards the groups. However, I did mention the aesthetics and quality of the design and in that regard I would not rank Land of Lemurs as one of the best lemur exhibits I've ever seen. Bronx Zoo, Dallas Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo and even San Francisco Zoo all have lemur exhibits with better landscaping and a more naturalistic look, as do many other facilities that I've toured. Calgary wins in terms of having a walk-through, and perhaps it will look better in subsequent years as Penguin Plunge's outdoor Humboldt Penguin habitat now looks fantastic with its green lushness. Land of Lemurs is quite bare in terms of foliage.
I agree that the Bronx Zoo has far superior lemur exhibits with respect to naturalism and a higher attention to detail. The other lemur exhibits that you mentioned really benefit from mature trees within and around the exhibit. Using the mature trees that once existed in the lemur exhibit site was an important feature of the original designs for Land of Lemurs. The devastating floods of 2013 resulted in massive flood protection measures on the Zoo island. Unfortunately, the construction of flood protection measures resulted in the removal of the beautiful trees formerly in the Land of Lemurs site . I think that you should come back to visit Land of lemurs once the vegetation has matured. I think it is very likely that you will find it significantly more lush. Some of the poplar tree varieties they planted will grow very large with wide branches to support climbing lemurs! The exhibit has hundreds of herbaceous plants, dozens of shrubs, and several significant trees. Not all of the herbaceous plants will survive, but the trees are doing well. Even the water feature has lots of emergent plants and floating leaves. Overall, I found this exhibit heavily planted in comparison to most zoo exhibits. @snowleopard , in my previous comment I was most interested in your use of the phrase, quality of the design. As an aspiring zoo designer, I am always interested in how others assess design quality; it's something that I think about a lot!
A Land of Lemurs Report I've had some of my best zoo experiences ever at the new Land of Lemurs exhibit at the Calgary Zoo! On all three of my visits (2 in one day) I've been able to get exceptionally close to active lemurs with zero barriers between us! The exhibit has a cluster of features around the visitor pathway that really encourage activity around the visitors to enhance the experience. Unfortunately, this exhibit is not designed to accommodate large crowds and not every visitor will get to encounter the lemurs so closely. The other exhibits in the complex are less compelling, but they provide the flexibility to manage multiple groups of lemurs. In particular, the indoor exhibits are quite basic and a far cry from the immersive experiences of the Bronx Zoo's Madagascar! exhibits. Land of Lemurs is a relatively small part of the Calgary Zoo's ambitious Master Plan. If future exhibits can build off Land of Lemurs and Penguin Plunge then the Calgary Zoo will surely become a premier North American zoo! I have a much more detailed report of Land of Lemurs on my website at, Biophilic Landscape Architecture .
Lemur's death after surgery among 3 recent fatalities at the Calgary Zoo Weeks-old king penguin chick waddles its way to its Calgary Zoo debut
The zoo will start breeding Northern Leopard Frogs. Calgary Zoo starts breeding endangered leopard frogs
DevinL, I have enjoyed reading your Land of Lemurs report on your website after my recent visit to see it and the rest of the zoo!
The zoo's staff are preparing for the panda's arrival next year. Calgary Zoo brings on team of experts as it prepares to welcome giant pandas
The king penguin chick hatched in August is a female and has been named Cleopatra. She is Nero's half sister.
During the winter round up of the peacocks one made an unfortunate choice and became dinner for one of the lions. Calgary Zoo peacock bolts during roundup — only to become lion’s lunch | Toronto Star
After giant panda, Da Mao, predicted the Argos win in the Grey Cup the CEO of Calgary Zoo lived up to his bet. Calgary Zoo president dines on caribou pellets after losing Grey Cup bet
Just an observation: there have been several senior moves in recent years at the Calgary Zoo. What is cooking right now? Any future plans for the place (since the UK director went back ..)?
I am not sure if it has been previously posted but this French language feature on the whooping crane program seemed interesting enough to give it a passing mention here. Calgary Zoo - its Devonian Wildlife Park - has just sent 2 young whooping cranes to the new flock in Louisiana. These released with a group of 10 other whooping cranes from Maryland, Audubon Zoo-Louisiana and Wisconsin. The total population now numbers 600 birds, of which 150 are in captivity. At the lowest point in 1944 the population count was only 21 birds in all .... Patuxent / ICF started a journey that is now going from strength to strenght. Link: Un couple de grues blanches de Calgary au secours de l’espèce
Great the zoo doesn't even have the pandas yet and the safety of the pandas while there is being questions. Naturally the reporting is stellar and just mentions the animals who have died and not what was learned from the incidents or much of an explanation about what happened. The pandas are going to the Calgary Zoo. How safe will they be? - Macleans.ca
Yes, and what comes to mind is qualitative references of tunnel-vision and ulterior motives without much factual journalism either. Somewhat a disgrace to the profession. I wish the newspaper industry would take up the act themselves of cleaning up this kind of "drivel".
