New Asia Highlands exhibit, with some new species, opens at the Calgary Zoo

Visitors to the Wilder Institute Calgary Zoo can now experience the new "Asian Highlands" exhibit, which officially opened Wednesday morning. The exhibit showcases a variety of animals, including the beloved red pandas, snow leopards, and Sichuan takins, all adapted to high-mountain cold environments.

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The habitats of the Himalayas are some of the most remote but some of the most important in the world for biodiversity, and the animals that live there are incredibly adapted to these high-mountain cold environments.

This new exhibit marks the first phase of three planned expansions for the Zoo's "Imagine Asia" area. Kyle Burks, CEO of the Wilder Institute, explained that the exhibit aims to bring attention to the biodiversity and conservation challenges in the remote Himalayan regions. The species featured are expected to thrive in Calgary's climate, mirroring their natural habitats.

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So the species we’re highlighting actually will really thrive here in Calgary (and) we get to bring some animals and awareness about the conservation issues for these species right here at home in our city.

Both red pandas and snow leopards have previously resided at the zoo. During the construction of the Asian Highlands exhibit, the snow leopards were temporarily housed at another zoo, while the red pandas were moved to a different section of the Calgary Zoo. The new habitats are designed to be more spacious, providing animals with increased choice and control over their environments. For the Sichuan takins, specifically, the habitat has been crafted to closely resemble the steep, high-altitude slopes they inhabit in the wild.

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These new habitats are more expansive, they’re designed to give the animals more choice, more control of their environments.

The animals were moved into their new enclosures on Friday and have spent the past few days acclimatizing before the viewing areas opened to the public. The zoo's "Imagine Asia" expansion is scheduled to be completed by its 100th anniversary in 2029, with two more exhibits planned. While Burks remained tight-lipped about future species, he hinted at exciting additions to come.

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And for the Sishuan takins, we’ve created a habitat that really mimics the high-altitude slopes that they would live on.