We had such a wonderful weekend with friends from South Africa who also live in Canada. Besides the good food–and there was loads of good food–we hung out, caught up, laughed and chatted, and also treated the kids to a day at the zoo.

We’ve heard really good things about Calgary Zoo, but haven’t had the chance to visit until this weekend. I’m glad to report the zoo lives up to the expectations. We walked a good 8km and got to see a great variety of animals in themed enclosures.

I don’t know how you feel about zoos, sometimes I’m unsure about it myself. I don’t like wild animals in cages, but the interest and passion these animals spark in children trains a whole new generation of conservationists. The Calgary zoo also does quite a bit in the name of conservation.

Agree with the practice or not, I do believe it’s positive that my kid wants to do all she can to save the animals she gets to see at the zoo, and I’m sure many other children want to do their part to help for the same reason.

Hits according to Kayla.

• She’s learning about wolves at school, so for her, the wolf pack was by far the biggest attraction. She also got a small wolf stuffy to commemorate the occasion.
• The prehistoric park was also a big deal, but then, anything with dinosaurs sets her little heart aflutter.
• The pandas were epic. We missed these cute and furry animals while they were on tour in Toronto, and I’m so glad we got to see them this time.
• She was desperate to see the red pandas, and was so relieved when we found them.
• She’s been really interested in animals found in Canada, like black bears. One of the bears in the enclosure is a spirit bear, and it made her day to see him. She was pretty worried he’d fall from the pedestal he’d climbed up to, though.
• The alpacas were the coolest.
• We had ice cream, which is a highlight any day.

Misses according to Kayla.

• The gorilla eating his own poop was pretty much the most shocking and fascinating thing she’s ever witnessed.
• A close second on the gross-scale was the hippo pooping under water. Said hippo swam right by us, leaving a cloud of excrement in its wake. Again, shocked and fascinated.
• She really wanted to see the lemurs, but when we walked by they were either hiding or sleeping, so we didn’t glimpse them. Ringtailed lemurs are her favourite, and she was super bummed that we missed them.

Have a look at the photos.

I really enjoyed the butterfly enclosure. The plants and butterflies were so beautiful, and it was pretty cool to see the chrysalises and butterflies drying their wings up close.

If you’re ever in Calgary, this is a pretty cool place to visit.

Yolandie