It’s been a long year for the Calgary Zoo as it repaired the damage from last June’s flood, but the zoo says it has ‘put the last nail’ on its flood recovery.
“We have spent $40 million over the past 12 months getting the zoo back to 100 per cent,” says Dr. Clement Lanthier, president and CEO.
Much of the cost of repairing the grounds and the estimated 40 buildings that suffered flood damage was covered by insurance, the city and the zoo itself.
Membership is now back to pre-flood levels.
“We have rebounded back to more than 69,000 memberships,” says Lanthier. ”We are selling more memberships than usual .”
As part of the restoration, the zoo has added an upscale restaurant called Grazers, which features locally grown products.
The zoo has also added several new habitats for the Komodo dragon, snow leopards and its rhino, and it has added a new green space with picnic tables next to the South America building.
The completion of repairs comes just in time for the peak summer season. The Calgary Zoo is a big tourist draw – about half of its summer visitors are from out of town.
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