Assiniboine Park Zoo (WPGCAMERAMAN / CHRISD.CA FILE)
Want to visit the zoo on Canada Day? It will now cost you.
The Assiniboine Park Zoo will begin charging admission on July 1 — no longer offering “Free Day at the Zoo” as in years past.
The main reason for the change is due to overcrowding each year, creating unsafe conditions at the zoo.
“The safety of our visitors is always our number one priority,” said Margaret Redmond, president and CEO of the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. “There have been concerns of overcrowding in the Zoo on Canada Day for some time and now with the addition of significant construction at the Zoo this was a move we had to make.”
The zoo experiences a daily attendance of between 3,500 to 4,000 people during the summer months. On Canada Day, that number increases to 37,000 visitors.
To make up for the change, the zoo will offer a “Free Weekend at the Zoo” instead, which will fall on September 24 and 25.
