Assiniboine Park & Zoo

11/14/2025

Join us for a lot of festive fun this winter in the Park and Zoo! Here's what we have coming up:

✨ Zoo Lights: November 21 - January 1

✨ Luminous: A Celebration of Light, Wonder, and Botanical Glow: November 22 - January 11

✨ Brunch with Santa: December 7

✨ Junior Chefs Academy - Sugar and Spice Holiday Cookies: December 13

✨ The Leaf After Dark: December 31

✨ Slow Flow Yoga: January 7 - February 25

✨ SAVE THE DATE - We Are Winter: January 9 - 11

✨ Saturday Guided Snowshoe: January 10 - February 28

✨ Fleurs de Villes WONDER: January 15 - 25

Learn more about all programs and events on our website: https://bit.ly/3IlakwD

11/14/2025

This weekend is your LAST CHANCE to visit the Enchanted Forest at The Leaf!

This display in the Babs Asper Display House celebrates the magic and majesty of trees. The forest’s gentle, ethereal atmosphere will transport you to an enchanted world where fairies flourish.

The final day to visit is Sunday, November 16.

📢 The biomes at The Leaf will be CLOSED from November 17 – 21 as we prepare to open our next display, Luminous, on November 22.

Luminous is a celebration of light, wonder, and botanical glow. Vibrant colours and the beauty of nature unite in a radiant celebration of the holiday season. 🎄✨

11/14/2025

Brunch with Santa is back at The Leaf! 🎅

Join us for a delicious buffet featuring an array of traditional brunch favorites, savoury selection of specialty dishes, and decadent desserts.

Plus, Santa is stopping by for a visit and photos!

Reservations are required and space is already almost halfway sold out!

Call 204-927-6098 to make your reservation.

➡️ More details: https://bit.ly/4oEQbqg

11/13/2025

Tickets are now available for Fleurs de Villes at The Leaf!

This one-of-a-kind event returns to The Leaf from January 15 - 25 with WONDER, a brand new exhibition inspired by the natural wonders of the world!

The exhibition will include installations inspired by the lavender fields of Provence, Great Barrier Reef, Amazon rainforest, monarch butterfly migration, and more.

➡️ Swipe through the photos to revisit stunning creations from previous years!

🎟️ Learn more and get your tickets: https://www.assiniboinepark.ca/wonder

11/12/2025

It’s been an exciting, monumental year for the Poweshiek Skipperling. 🦋

Earlier this month, we put our Poweshiek Skipperling caterpillars (a tiny, critically endangered prairie butterfly) into their overwintering chambers here at the Zoo.

Next summer, we anticipate releasing more of these endangered butterflies into the wild than ever before in Canada – up to 450 butterflies!

This is all part of our Grassland Butterfly Conservation Program, a head-starting program with the goal of saving this species from extinction.

This year was marked by record achievements:

🦋 We released 174 Poweshiek into three sites at Manitoba's Tall Grass Prairie Preserve

🦋 16 pairs of Poweshiek were bred at the Zoo (a record high!)

🦋 We collected 1,671 Poweshiek eggs (also a record high!)

🦋 677 Poweshiek larvae are currently in diapause overwintering at the Zoo, to be released or bred next summer (another record high!)

🦋 We observed more Poweshiek in certain wild habitats than ever before

🦋 We observed unmarked adult Poweshiek in our reintroduction site – these are descendants from last year’s released butterflies!

🦋 Poweshiek were observed in new areas of occupied habitats.

We were honoured to receive two awards for our Grassland Butterfly program this year: the 2025 North American Conservation Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (jointly awarded with our partners at Minnesota Zoo and John Ball Zoo), and the Colonel G.D. Dailley Award for Ex-Situ Species Propagation from Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums.

A huge thank you goes out to the hardworking Zoo team, all those who volunteered to help with our work during the busy season, our partners who helped inform decisions about breeding, releases, and monitoring, and to everyone else who supported the program.

We are looking forward to our largest releases yet in 2026!

11/10/2025

In recognition of Remembrance Day, the following special hours will be in place on Tuesday, November 11.

- Assiniboine Park Zoo: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
- The Leaf: 1:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- The Leaf Coffee Bar: 1:00 pm – 8:00 pm
- The Leaf Gift Shop: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
- Gather Craft Kitchen & Bar: 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- The Pavillion Art Galleries: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
- The Park Café: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (A moment of silence will be observed at 11:00 am and alcohol service begins at noon.)

Lest we forget.

11/07/2025

An unforgettable journey with a purpose. 🐻‍❄️

This fall, a long-time member of our animal care team, Caitlin, had the opportunity to travel to Churchill to participate in the Climate Alliance Program with Polar Bears International (PBI).

We are a proud member of PBI’s Arctic Ambassador Centre Network which enables us to participate in this program, collaborate on research, education, and help address the challenges polar bears face in the Arctic.

During this once-in-a-lifetime trip, Caitlin had the opportunity to:

🐻‍❄️ Observe polar bears in their wild habitat.

🐻‍❄️ Learn and share knowledge with Zoo professionals, researchers, and local community members.

🐻‍❄️ Develop plans to help inform others of the challenges facing polar bears, and inspire them to take action.

🐻‍❄️ Visit the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, and explore the tundra with Frontiers North Adventures.

Caitlin shared, “I’ve learned a lot from people in the community up there, from the scientists that are working up there, and from people who live with the polar bears year-round. Seeing polar bears in the wild, especially at this time of year, is very inspiring to me.”

Now, Caitlin is looking forward to sharing her knowledge with Zoo visitors.

“I was able to learn a lot more about climate change. I hope that I can share that with Zoo guests and inspire other people to make important changes in their lives to help the polar bears.”

🐻‍❄️ Ready to learn how you can make an impact?

When you visit the Zoo, ask us about our bears and how we can help their wild counterparts. We love talking about polar bears! You can read about polar bears, the Arctic, and conservation efforts around the Journey to Churchill exhibit at the Zoo.

Plus, learn more from our friends at Polar Bears International: https://polarbearsinternational.org/

11/06/2025

From the Zoo to the Arctic – we are working to support the polar bears in our care and in the wild!

In honour of Polar Bear Week, here are polar bear project updates from our Conservation and Research team:

🐻‍❄️ Bear-dar 🐻‍❄️

Last summer, we partnered with Polar Bears International and SpotterGlobal to train a revolutionary radar system, nicknamed Bear-dar, to detect polar bears. By scanning our habitat, the system learned to recognize polar bear appearance and movement patterns. This technology is now being tested in northern communities where it will help establish an early warning system that safely redirects bears away from humans.

🐻‍❄️ Burr on Fur 🐻‍❄️

In partnership with Polar Bears International, we tested innovative tracking devices called “Burr on Fur” that attach safely to the backs of polar bears. Our bears helped researchers refine these minimally invasive trackers through multiple design iterations. The final models have now been successfully deployed on wild bears in Churchill, and the findings have been published!

🐻‍❄️ Polar Bear Denning Study 🐻‍❄️

We previously created a comprehensive map of polar bear denning areas, and have now developed a cutting-edge tool that combines that information with real-time satellite imagery to assess fire risk. This enables conservationists to anticipate threats during fire season and deploy resources to protect critical denning sites where mothers raise their cubs.

Want to dive deeper? Learn more about these exciting projects: https://bit.ly/3JOCrtV

11/05/2025

Fleurs de Villes will return to The Leaf this January with WONDER, a brand new exhibition inspired by the natural wonders of the world!

Brought to life by Winnipeg's talented florists, WONDER will feature exquisite floral mannequins inspired by nature’s most extraordinary marvels, from iconic natural landmarks and diverse ecosystems to rare botanical treasures and awe-inspiring natural phenomena.

The exhibition will include installations inspired by the lavender fields of Provence, Great Barrier Reef, Amazon rainforest, monarch butterfly migration, and more.

📢 Leaf members, reserve your visit before tickets are on sale to the public! Member pre-sale is on now until November 11.

🗓️ January 15 - 25, 2026
🎟️ General admission tickets on sale on November 12.

Learn more: https://www.assiniboinepark.ca/wonder

11/04/2025

Fall is an exciting time to see polar bears here at the Zoo, and in the wild! 🍂🐻‍❄️

The bears in our care are currently exhibiting similar behaviours as the bears in the Churchill area. In both settings, active behaviours like sparring are common at this time of year.

In the Hudson Bay, bears are gathering on land waiting for sea ice to form, keen to start their hunting season on the ice. Sparring is commonly observed during this waiting period.

At the Zoo, daily enrichment programs provide the bears opportunities to explore, play, and experience similar natural behaviours and interactions.

This week, we’re celebrating Polar Bear Week, a special event created by our friends at to draw attention to the threats facing bears and a warming Arctic. Visit their page to learn more.

11/04/2025

Add wonder to your winter at Zoo Lights!

✨ Over 1.75 million lights illuminate a winter walking trail.

✨ Dazzling displays – The Enchanted Jungle, iconic LOVE sign, life-sized Zoo Lights Express train, and many more.

✨ Frosty fun and games – A glowing light maze, arcade games, and new activities like croquet, box hockey, and snowshoeing.

✨ Santa Claus visits nightly until December 23.

✨ Cozy fire pits for warming frosty fingers and roasting s’mores.

✨ A new indoor display area features a stunning show of cascading aurora lights.

✨ Live entertainment – carolers, fire dancers, and light performers.

🎁 Ready to get the holiday season started early? Take 50% off all November dates!

Get your tickets: https://www.zoolightswpg.ca

Zoo Lights is presented by Red River Co-op. Thank you for your support!

Celebrate the holidays with wonder, laughter, and unforgettable memories at Zoo Lights. Over 1.75 million twinkling lights transform the Zoo into a dazzling winter wonderland. Stroll through sparkling displays, snuggle around a cozy fire, savour sweet holiday treats, and experience the warmth and jo...

11/03/2025

🕵️ Time for our final X-ray challenge! Which Zoo animal is this - wrong answers only!

We'll tell you the real one tomorrow (11/04). 😉