Assiniboine Park & Zoo

08/07/2025

Put on your cowboy boots and come dance on down to Zoo Nights on August 8! 🤠

Have a hoot and hollerin’ good time with our adults-only, after-hours night at the Zoo. Join an animal mini-tour, play fun lawn games, and enjoy delicious summery drinks and snacks!

We’ll be dancing the night away with That Line Dance Cowboy and jamming to an electrifying musical performance from local country artist Jason Kirkness.

Jason’s a Billboard Canada charting artist who’s taking the country world by storm. He’s performed at Boots & Hearts Festival and Dauphin’s CountryFest (to name a few) and previously shared the stage with legends Luke Bryan and Keith Urban. His musical styling is a captivating country charm that showcases his impressive vocal range and leaves audiences wanting more.

Grab your tickets now: https://bit.ly/44YDhuR

Psst! Members, check your inboxes for a special offer. 😉

08/04/2025

Look who’s nesting in the Park! 🪺

Our Conservation and Research team has had a second successful season of purple martin birds nesting in our bird condo at the Riley Family Duck Pond.

Purple martins are aerial insectivores, which means they depend on eating insects for reproductive success and to fuel long-distance migrations to South America. Due to pesticide use and competition for breeding habitats, it’s getting harder for them to feed themselves and nest. Our bird condo helps support them by providing a nesting and egg-laying spot with a great source of insects to eat.

Our team first installed the condo in 2021, and this is the second consecutive year they’ve had a successful nesting!

To learn more about their movements and see if they come back to the same nesting spot, our team collaborates with students from Dr. Kevin Fraser’s lab at the University of Manitoba to add numbered leg bands to the nestlings that are 12 days old. By this age, their legs are grown enough that they won’t be harmed by the bands.

On your next visit to the Riley Family Duck Pond, check out the bird condo and see if you can find any purple martins flying around!

08/03/2025

Join us for a FREE exercise class every Wednesday evening in August!

Wellness Wednesday classes are suitable for all fitness levels and abilities. Bring a mat, water bottle, and get ready to move!

All classes take place from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

💪 August 6 & 20: Strength and Mobility with Dani Wenger

🧘‍♀️ August 13 & 27: Yoga with Adrienne Shum

Wellness Wednesdays is presented by Manitoba Blue Cross. Thank you for your support to help make this event free for all!

Wellness Wednesdays are part of Assiniboine Park's Summer Entertinament Series. See the full schedule: https://bit.ly/3YQkfDu

The Summer Entertainment Series features musical performances at the Lyric Theatre and the outdoor Performance Garden at The Leaf, Jazz in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, Movies in the Park, and Wellness Wednesdays! PLUS - special events will take place to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day and Canada ...

08/03/2025

📢LAST CHANCE to win big and support the Park!

The deadline to get your raffle tickets is midnight this Wednesday, August 6. Winners will be drawn on August 7 at 9:00 am.

The more you buy, the more you save! Tickets are 1 for $25, 3 for $50, 10 for $100

You could win:

✈️ Two Calm Air flights plus a Polar Bear Experience at the Zoo with dinner for four

💎 IJL Gift Certificate ($5,000)

🏔️ 7-day/6-night stay at Lake Louise Inn

🛍️ Mondetta Shopping Spree

🐾 Behind-the-Scenes Zoo Experience for four, plus two adult memberships

📸 Family Photoshoot in the Park with Wayne Hewitt Photography

🎨 Authentic Polar Bear Animal Artwork

🌿 Autumn & Holiday Plant Arrangements

🔥 2-Night Sauna Rental from Backyard Barrel

🍕 Pizza Party for You + 19 Friends at Boston Pizza

GET YOUR TICKETS: https://www.assiniboinepark.ca/raffle

07/31/2025

Come on down to the Park this August for the second half of our Summer Entertainment Series, presented by Casinos of Winnipeg!

Don't miss out on the fun - check out the August schedule:

🎸Summer Concert Series at the Lyric Theatre🎸
Thursdays and Sundays at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Presented by the Richardson Foundation

Sunday, August 3 - Clyde Heerah and the Paradize Band curated by Folklorama
Thursday, August 7 - Drag Haus: Some of Winnipeg's Favourites
Sunday, August 10 - Twang
Thursday, August 14 - Burnstick
Sunday, August 17 - Duo Cochi curated by Folklorama
Thursday, August 21 - Slow Leaves
Sunday, August 24 - Kelly Bado
Thursday, August 28 - Brandi Vezina
Sunday, August 31 - Attica Riots (Opening Act: The Haileys)

🍿Movies in the Park at the Lyric Theatre🍿
Fridays at 6:30 pm and 8:45 pm
Presented by Recycle Everywhere

Friday, August 1 - 6:30 PM: Lion King (1994) | 8:45 PM: Mufasa
Friday, August 8 - 6:30 PM: Inside Out 2 | 8:45 PM: Twilight
Friday, August 15 - 6:30 PM: Despicable Me 4 | 8:45 PM: Thunderbolts*
Friday, August 22 - 6:30 PM: Wild Robot | 8:45 PM: Wicked

🎷Jazz in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden🎷
Sundays at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Presented by Levy Canada

August 3 - Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra Ensemble
August 10 - Erin Propp + Larry Roy
August 17 - Amber Epp Duo curated by Folklorama
August 24 - Marika Galea
August 31 - Eric St. Godard

🧘‍♀️Wellness Wednesdays at the Lyric Theatre🧘‍♀️
Wednesdays at 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Presented by Manitoba Blue Cross

August 6 - Strength and Mobility with Dani Wenger
August 13 - Yoga with Adrienne Shum
August 20 - Strength and Mobility with Dani Wenger
August 27 - Yoga with Adrienne Shum

Visit our website for more details: https://bit.ly/3YQkfDu

07/30/2025

Peek-a-boo… we see you! 🦘👀

Say hello to the newest member of our kangaroo mob! (Yes, a group of kangaroos is called a mob!)

Xena gave birth to a beautiful joey at the beginning of 2025, but the joey first emerged from her pouch earlier this month. When they are born, they go straight into their mother’s pouch to drink their milk.

For the first six months, joeys are growing, developing hair, and starting to explore the world around them, all from the comfort of their mother’s pouch.

Then, soon enough, they will be exiting and entering the pouch at will for around six months, growing in strength and confidence while still having the pouch to come back to.

One day, the joey will become too large to fit back into the pouch, but you might see the joey sticking its head into it to nurse until it is around a year old.

During this time, we do not interfere with the joey’s development, as it’s essential for their growth. Since the joey hasn’t left Xena’s pouch yet, we don’t know their s*x yet! What we do know is Xena is calm and comfortable with her joey, and the joey is very curious and quite big. (The joey needs to bend in half to fit properly in her pouch fully!)

Keep your eyes peeled, and hopefully, we’ll see the little one out and bouncing around soon!

07/29/2025

The caribou (reindeer) here at the Zoo are supporting the development of a new tool for conservation – airborne DNA sampling!

White Otter Biotech, a local environmental research organization, is developing an innovative way to detect caribou using genetic material (DNA) found in the air.

This technology makes it possible to identify caribou from a distance, without needing to see them directly. This summer, they have been testing this method at the Zoo, where the number and presence of caribou are known. Then, they can refine and validate the approach before applying it to the field.

Together, these efforts will support stronger conservation practices during industrial activities such as mining, forestry, and hydroelectric development.

We are proud to do our part to support this important research!

Bonus Fun Fact: Caribou and reindeer are the same species and share the same scientific name! Caribou is what we call the wild species in North America, and reindeer are what they are called in Eurasia. Reindeer can be wild or domesticated.

07/29/2025

Music, dance, and movies are on at the Park this week!

Here’s what’s coming up at the Summer Entertainment Series.

🎶 Summer Concert Series at the Lyric Theatre:

Thursday, July 31: sākihiwē
- 7:00 pm: Interlake Steppers
- 7:25 pm: Kinew Youth Jiggers
- 8:00 pm: Norman Chief Memorial Dancers

Sunday, August 3 - 7:00 pm: Clyde Heerah and the Paradize Band curated by Folklorama

🎷 Jazz in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden:
Sunday, August 3 - 12:00 pm: Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra Ensemble

🍿 Movies in the Park at the Lyric Theatre:
Friday, August 1: 6:30 pm - Lion King (1994), 8:45 pm – Mufasa

All events and performances are FREE thanks to generous sponsorship and donor support. See you at the Park this week!

Full summer schedule: https://www.assiniboinepark.ca/summerentertainmentseries

The Summer Entertainment Series features musical performances at the Lyric Theatre and the outdoor Performance Garden at The Leaf, Jazz in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, Movies in the Park, and Wellness Wednesdays! PLUS - special events will take place to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day and Canada ...

07/28/2025

We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Sachi, a beloved red panda.

Sachi was considered a geriatric panda at 13 years old, with the median life expectancy for red pandas in care being ten years. She was born in 2012 at Chausuyama Zoo in Nagano, Japan and arrived here at Assiniboine Park Zoo in July 2014.

Sachi has been receiving veterinary care for a number of years to address gastrointestinal disturbances. While treatment was typically effective to help resolve her symptoms, over recent months these disturbances increased in frequency and intensity. Recently, her health took a turn for the worse. After a thorough examination of her health and quality of life, the Zoo veterinary team determined that humane euthanasia was the best course of action for Sachi. Post-mortem examinations and testing have also revealed that Sachi had experienced changes in her heart health as she aged.

Sachi was an excellent ambassador for her species during her time here at the Zoo, helping to educate visitors about red pandas and the challenges the endangered species faces in the wild. Sachi was part of the red panda Species Survival Plan Program, and has three surviving offspring with partner Tango; Tanvi and Suva (living here at Assiniboine Park Zoo), and Crimson (living at Zoo de Granby).

Sachi’s caregivers described her as sassy, independent, petite, and very smart. She liked to be the boss in every situation, and she was a strong panda who wouldn’t let anyone push her around.

She enjoyed working on puzzle feeders and could often be spotted splooting around different areas of her habitat. She loved sweet treats like apple, pear, and dates but she would do just about anything for her favourite food, figs.

Sachi touched many lives and was cared for by several Animal Care Professionals here at the Zoo who will all greatly miss her and her cute curly tail.

Please join us in offering sincere condolences to the members of our animal care team who loved Sachi.

07/26/2025

Movies in the Park is back at the Lyric Theatre!

BYO lawn chair and enjoy a double feature on a Friday night at Assiniboine Park.

Here’s what’s playing this summer:

🍿 Friday, August 1
6:30 PM: Lion King (1994) | 8:45 PM: Mufasa

🍿 Friday, August 8
6:30 PM: Inside Out 2 | 8:45 PM: Twilight

🍿 Friday, August 15
6:30 PM: Despicable Me 4 | 8:45 PM: Thunderbolts*

🍿 Friday, August 22
6:30 PM: Wild Robot | 8:45 PM: Wicked

Movies in the Park is presented by Recycle Everywhere. Thank you for your support!

See the full Summer Entertainment Schedule:

The Summer Entertainment Series features musical performances at the Lyric Theatre and the outdoor Performance Garden at The Leaf, Jazz in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, Movies in the Park, and Wellness Wednesdays! PLUS - special events will take place to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day and Canada ...