Look around the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo this summer, and you’re likely to see a baby animal—or more likely a dozen.
From North American river otters to wood bison, black-and-white ruffled lemur pups, Humboldt penguins, southern bald ibis, and even the Malaysian tapir, babies have been delivered or are on the way for this summer.
Patrick Thompson, animal care manager for South America/Rainforest at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, said that it was a very exciting year for the zoo due to the number of births.
“It’s just been a great year for babies. Great year for pregnancies and a lot of the animals, a lot of success. It just kind of speaks to the care that these animals receive to be able to successfully reproduce here at the zoo,” he said.
Thompson said that the zoo has done a number of swaps to increase the genetic diversity of animals internationally at various zoos, which increases the chances of species surviving for the long term.
Although the zoo has brought in several younger animals as part of that commitment to international species survival plans, he said that it wasn’t just young mothers giving birth or laying eggs.
“When I look at our southern bald ibis, the mom of one of the chicks, Natasha, she’s 26. Pretty old for a bald ibis,” Thompson said.
“We like to work really closely with the species survival plans, the SSPs, make sure we’re doing our part, being a good partner, moving animals around, making sure that we’re producing for these programs, helping with the sustainability of these populations in terms of age.”
New zoo babies mean survival for many endangered species
He said the excitement for 2025 from all of the new babies was really building up with Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo staff.
“It’s super exciting for everybody involved, especially when it’s a big one that we’ve been working towards for a long time. Our southern bald ibis, our critically endangered black-and-white ruffled lemur, everybody gets super excited,” Thompson said.
“Everybody wants to see that success, to see those babies grow, and then to bring in, bring in the guests, and let the guests experience it and learn about them as well.”
The new babies also offer an opportunity for communities to get involved in conservation in a tangible way.
Alison Archambault, director of brand and engagement for the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, said that they partnered with the Siksika Board of Education to infuse Indigenous cultural traditions and knowledge into the educational offerings at the zoo, and that also resulted in the naming of the new bison calves.
“As we’re naming animals at the zoo, we invite local communities to provide names that are significant so that we can bring those cultural traditions, that knowledge, to educate our visitors,” she said.
“The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo prioritizes inclusive conservation, which is partnering with communities that are doing the conservation work to support their conservation efforts. That includes our work in Africa with the mountain bongo and with the hippos, as well as the Cross River gorilla.”
In addition to the new babies, the zoo will be introducing many new, bigger residents in the coming months. Details on those species additions will be released via the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s newsletter and social media accounts later in 2025.
