Of course, not all the world’s best zoos lie within the borders of the United States.Excellent zoos are found throughout the world, and those in Canada are often an easy day’s drive for many Americans.Here are some of the very best Canadian zoos:
Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden, and Prehistoric Park
Calgary is well‑known for both the Stampede and for its nearby national parks.It is also home to western Canada's finest zoo.Located on St.GeorgesIsland in the heart of Calgary, the zoo’s landmark attraction is Destination Africa, with TransAlta Rainforest, home to gorillas, and African Savannah, home to giraffes, zebras, and underwater views of hippos.Another highlight here is the Canadian Wilds, where the many native animals include wolves, grizzly bears, moose, wood bison, and cougars.The most unique feature of this facility is the 62‑acre PrehistoricPark, which displays over twenty life‑sized dinosaurs.Other displays include Eurasia (with tigers, red pandas, and snow leopards), Elephant Crossing, Creatures of the Night, Large Mammals, Australia, Primates, and the Conservatory (a tropical rainforest and butterfly garden).
Located less than an hour east of Montreal, this zoo has an extensive collection of exotic animals.African species include gorillas, elephants, lions, rhinos, zebras, and giraffes, and the hippos here have underwater viewing.In Le Temple, South American animals such as black jaguars and spectacled bears are exhibited beautifully, while tigers live in a habitat with Asian-themed décor.Other cats in the zoo’s impressive collection include snow leopards, fishing cats, and ocelots.Visitors can see the zoo from above on a skyway monorail. There is also a small amusement park and Amazoo waterpark on the grounds.
This zoo is often considered one of the top ten zoos in the world.Situated on an immense 710 acres, its collection of more than 5,000 animals of over 460 species make it one of North America's largest zoos.In addition to displaying most of the common zoo animals, it also features Komodo dragons, rare wood bison, Barbary apes, Przewalski’s horses, wombats, wisents (a European species of bison -- see picture), hyenas, mandrills, beavers, musk oxen, red pandas, and moose. Exhibits include the world’s largest indoor gorilla rainforest.Four color‑coded trails, including a Round the World trail, cover the zoo's six geographic regions: Indo‑Malaya, African Savannah, the Americas, Canadian Domain, Australasia, and Eurasia.Most of the animals can be seen year‑round, thanks to the "Indoor Zoo" design that spaces eight tropical indoor pavilions in close proximity to each other.The massive zoo can also be toured on a tractor-pulled Zoomobile.
