Going to the Calgary Zoo: Lions and Tigers and Scares (Oh My!)

Not the Only Dinosaurs

Story and photo by Stephen A. Nelson

Brandon Sun / Canadian Press

A lot of Canadians feel somewhat ambivalent about wild animals in captivity.

One the one hand, it seems just wrong to put migrating Beluga whales in an over-sized swimming pool or to put polar bears on artificial ice during a sweltering summer.

But Canadians also appreciate the value that a good space can have. They understand that the survival of some endangered species — Siberian tigers for example — depends on breeding programs like the ones at the Calgary Zoo. And zoos can help us understand the importance of preserving the wildlife habitat.

But there’s no denying the Calgary Zoo has been getting a lot of bad press in the past year. There’s been a string of high-profile animal deaths and some serious problems after stupid humans had close encounters with animals.

Depending on who you ask,these incidents are the result of either bad luck or bad management.

The zoo, for its part, says it’s made the necessary changes to ensure these kind of things never happen again.

So we wondered what to expect when we visited the Calgary Zoo for a “behind the scenes” experience. This walk and talk with the animals is a privilege that’s usually reserved for school children who want to make like Dr. Dolittle.

What we got was a warm reception from zoo keepers who were clearly concerned for the animals in their care. And despite some initial misgivings, we felt like big kids when we got to feed the giraffes.

We missed out on the other “big” thrill for school kids: helping the hippos to brush their teeth. These days though, brushing behemoths and giant giraffes are not the biggest attractions at the zoo.

The biggest draw is the Dinosaurs Alive area, where 20 animatronic giants turn a corner of the zoo into a kind of prehistoric park.

Of course, for grownups who saw the Jurassic Park movies, nothing short of a living, breathing T. Rex and a pair of crafty raptors will satisfy. But for kids, the roar of the mechanical “terrible lizards” was a big thrill — and sent the young ones scurrying to Mummy for cover.

Among the anachronistic animals, the Stegosaurus, Triceratops and even the Pterodactyl were particularly impressive. But our favourite was the T. Rex’s cousin, the Albertosaurus — which prompted someone to comment, “See! The Socreds aren’t the only things in Alberta that became extinct.”