This year the Calgary Zoo brings something a bit fluffier to capture everyone’s curiosity: Land of Lemurs, the zoo’s first new major habitat in five years.
The incredibly immersive walk-through experience allows guests to explore 1.3 acres of forests that are home to three different species of lemurs: black-and-white ruffed, red-fronted and the iconic ring-tailed lemur.
With a bit of Madagascar now permanently introduced to the Zoo, there isn’t a better time to plan a trip to Calgary. In addition to the city’s vibrant downtown and fantastic shopping, Calgary’s welcoming accommodations make for a perfect home base from which to explore the fun family attractions. Some hotel packages even come with discounted visits to the Zoo, so you can easily plan a trip to see lemurs do what they do best: play, bask in the sun and just be extremely cute overall.
While kids marvel at fluffy lemurs bounding from the branches above or awe at them cuddling together in the canopies, parents can also explore assured that the exhibit offers educational opportunities, too.
The habitat is part of the Calgary Zoo’s 20-year program to take and inspire action that will sustain wildlife and wild places in the world.
As lemur populations dwindle in the wild, the Calgary Zoo has been working with the University of Calgary, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership to make sure lemur habitats are protected and that more earth-friendly technology (like solar lighting) is employed.
Local field technicians in Madagascar are also provided with what they need to keep tabs on the lemurs. By making strides to protect today’s lemurs, the Calgary Zoo works with local communities to make sure both lemur- and humankind live peacefully together. Funds from every day pass purchased for the zoo are a big part of what contribute to conservation efforts.
Being the only habitat of its kind in any of Canada’s zoos, Land of Lemurs can’t all be taken in with just one walk-through. Multiple visits are called for to truly see the unique personalities of each one.
There isn’t anything quite like walking beneath a canopy that mimics the lush beauty of Madagascar as lemurs swing across, or seeing these incredible critters forage for food on the ground and in trees.
Overall, nothing compares to being face-to-face with a lemur. And while it’s tempting to spend a good portion of the day among the trees and lemurs, the Calgary Zoo also has more to offer that call for longer stays.
After experiencing a bit of Madagascar, why not explore a habitat that is completely different? Get to know a species from a cooler climate at the Penguin Plunge, where you can watch as these playful birds march and swim around the exhibit.
The zoo also offers carnivore-feeding shows for those who crave a real wild sight. And kids of all ages will love the newly re-designed Prehistoric Park features epic scenery, animatronics, pathways and an overall experience of an extinct world.
With so much to see and experience at the Calgary Zoo, especially its new lemur residents, make sure to find a hotel package that includes convenient deals for the Zoo (and nearby family attractions such as Calaway Park). Some of the hotels even offer their own family activities onsite; kids and their parents can splash at the family fun water park at Sheraton Cavalier or lounge in the Jacuzzi on the rooftop at Acclaim Hotel, for just two examples.
Wherever you decide to lay your head, a visit to Calgary is the perfect vacation to cap off your family’s summer.
