Assiniboine Park Zoo is an 80-acre (32 ha) zoo at the west end of Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It has been best known for decades for its polar bear exhibit, of which the old enclosure was replaced in 2013 with Journey to Churchill.
Established in 1904, it is managed by the Assiniboine Park Conservancy and accredited by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
History
In 1904, the City of Winnipeg Parks Board purchased some native animals, including deer, bison, and elk, to start the zoo. In 1908, the bear enclosure was built, and by 1909, the zoo had 116 animals of 19 species.
In 1916, the zoo budget was $8,000 ($1,800 for food, $4,200 for labor, and $1,158 for new construction). Two decades later, the zoo got its first female lion in 1935; and its first polar bear, a wild, orphaned cub named Carmichael, in 1939. Carmichael got a partner in February 1940—a female named Clementine.
The Zoological Society of Manitoba was formed in 1956 to provide the vision and funding for the zoo. In 1957, the zoo helped develop “Aunt Sally’s Farm,” a children’s petting zoo named after Sally Warnock. A scale model was presented in February 1958, and the petting zoo officially opened on Friday, 7 August 1959. At first, an admission fee was charged: 10 cents for children over five years old and 25 cents for adults. The price dropped years later.
Exhibits and Facilities
The Animals of Asia, a section of the Zoo, contains various rare and exotic animal species, including (as of 2021):
Mammals
- Arabian Camel (Camelus dromedarius)
- Domestic Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus domestic)
- Sichuan Takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana)
- Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
- Domestic Yak (Bos grunniens)
- Turkmenian Markhor (Capra falconeri heptneri) Bed Bug Exterminator Winnipeg
- White-handed (Lar)
- Gibbon (Hylobates lar)
- Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
- Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) — two endangered Amur (Siberian) tigers, one female, and one male
Birds
- Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)
- Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) from Australia
Aunt Sally’s Farm
Aunt Sally’s Farm is a child-friendly learn-and-play area of the zoo, which includes a wishing well and sits parallel to a playground. Unlike the current exhibit, the old Aunt Sally’s Farm was a petting zoo that operated between 1959 and 1989. It was replaced by the Kinsman Discovery Centre, which opened on 23 March 1990.
The current farm includes the following mammals:
- American miniature horse (Equus caballus)
- Kiko goat (Capra hircus)
- Llama (Lama glama)
- Nubian goat (Capra hircus)
- Pygmy goat (Capra hircus)
- Sardinian miniature donkey (Equus asinus domestic)
- Vietnamese pot-bellied pig (Sus scrofa)
Address: 2595 Roblin Blvd, Winnipeg, MB
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