greater vancouver zoo

Because I love zoos, I thought I would go again because I knew the day I had gone before was just one of those days when the animals decided to take a break from the public (ha ha). I took the grandkids to see the animals and I must say we had a marvelous time. Every animal was out and the kids were able to see the lion and tiger being fed, the hippos being fed, you name it (we hit almost all the feeding times). My granddaughter was able to hold an owl which made her day. Make sure you go to the reptile house because it is very interesting and the staff will answer any questions. We made a day trip of it and packed a picnic lunch. The zoo seems to be in better shape this time and the animals well taken care off. Make sure you have your walking shoes on as it is a good trek around the entire site especially if you are there all day and want to catch the feedings because you might have to walk back to somewhere where you have been before (check the feeding schedules ahead of time if you can). The kids loved the train ride around the park also.

Our grandkids have had many fun experiences here beginning at a very early age. Sometimes we've taken along a picnic lunch and enjoyed relaxing by the pond.

My son loved running around and seeing all the animals. So many different things to see. Took the little train tour which was a lot of fun. Worth a trip to see :)

We visited so many kinds of animals and watched the workers to feed the lions and tigers. We were so close to the big bears and I even walked with her for a few minutes. The price was fair, including the entrance fee and the parking. We visited for 5 hours but we did not feel tired or bored till returned home. What a wonderful trip!

I have seen better i.e:- London, Whipsnade (England) Detroit, San Diego (U.S.A.) and Edmonton, but this is a nice little Zoo for the children as they have people walking around, with some of the animals, Owls, Hawks and of course Snakes, All in all Children will love it for the train ride so will Seniors saves feet. So go if you can.

Many better zoos out there, some areas were not kept up to standard, worst was when the worker told me not to pet the animal. It was sad when they were there asking for attention, do not waste your time here

I rated this average as I have been to much better zoos in Toronto, Buffalo and Chicago. Truthfully I even enjoyed smaller zoos in Peterborough and Bowmanville. They at least had the animals that were identified on the signage, whereas many specimens were missing from this zoo.

Fair play to the Greater Vancouver Zoo, they are trying hard to improve this attraction. I have been to many zoos around the world on my travels and I'm afraid this might be the least of them. But you can see the desire to improve - about a third of the park has seen recent improvements and the difference is remarkable. I particularly liked the hippo lake and open enclosure, as well as the beautiful timber work of the Bald Eagle viewing platform. However, the older parts of the zoo make it difficult to even see the limited number of animals there are. Lions and tigers - the staple of any good zoo - were so hard to see through a really old and closely spaces chain link fence. Safety is paramount of course but electric fences, glass, moats and natural vegetation are all much better tools that I seen house much larger animals, and in much greater volumes. Speaking of which, for a zoo there is a serious lack of animals! One lonely giraffe, so sad! Just three lemurs on a beautifully upgraded island, wire and run and glass enclosure. Even at that, there was a fluorescent tube light in the glass enclosure - for very little extra cash they could have provided recessed lighting not only for aesthetics but for the animals safety - the cute little critters could easily hang off the light covers and hurt themselves. Despite the shortcomings of the enclosures and the lack of actual animals, it is still a great day out for the family. There is a wonderful playground just inside the entrance and with the long clear paths, the kids can run riot while still in eyesight. Wellies and play clothes are essential to let them get mucky and into the proper spirit of the park. You can also rent bikes that look like little golf carts with room in the back for the kids. Great stuff if they get tired and you want some exercise! There are also lots of picnic tables throughout the park and a few concession stands around the park, with a larger grill just by the entrance. And what's a zoo without a choo choo! It does a lap around the park circumference and the old fashioned style and entertaining commentary from your host is worth the extra few bucks. At $22 for an adult entry (+ $6 all day parking), this is actually really good value for money. The lack of public transit links is an issue but without more of a draw I can see why it would be hard to justify a specific shuttle bus for access. Calling it a zoo is a little bit of a stretch at this point but with so much great land already available, it is a matter of finding an investor/investors to take interest in this little treasure and turning it into the attraction - and the home to animals who might otherwise die in the wild - that would be a great addition to the already enviable environs of the Greater Vancouver Area. I'm off home to watch Jurassic Park...

this is a nice zoo, well maintained, animals roam free as opposed to caged in cramped quarters. a bit pricey for what it is but I guess they are trying to pay for the animal food. giraffes are great you can get right up at eye height with them.

I had my doubts about going to the zoo as I had read a number of articles before I went so I aleady had my misgivings and I have to say what I saw didnt inspire me to say the least. We were close enough to the site to be able to cycle which was great only I worried that there would be no where to put our bikes ..there was'nt but that didnt seem to matter as we took them around with us which was lucky ...although having said that but a few cycle racks wouldnt go amiss...The entrance itself spoke for the facility it all looked a bit tired, although there were a couple of healthy queues to get in even mid morning. It was a lovely sunny summer day so everything was going to look its best, but there were still large areas that looked very unkempt. Yes it has lots and lots of animals and the enclosures on the whole looked big, and if you look at thier website they have undertaken and are going lots of new stuff, but unfortunately its still has lots of areas that really let it down...sadly it just didnt have the wow factor which given the number of animals they have it should have .. My son well yes he enjoyed it, most ten year olds would and we had a lovely afternoon out, but for me it still has a long way to go which is suprising as its been there apparently for nearly 45 years and until this year I never knew it even existed..

This summer I took my family to the Greater Vancouver Zoo. We had not been in years. What an amazing day we experienced. The grounds are kept lovely, the animals were out and we even had the pleasure of enjoying a few shows. The family favorite was the "Birds of Prey". We watched the presentation, learned about these beautiful creatures and then took home pictures of ourselves holding "Hagrid" the owl and "Thora" the golden eagle. Angela the presenter was energetic, funny and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend this for any family or individual looking for a wonderful day out.

My wife is a zookeeper and I am an animal lover. This usually results in the two of us visiting zoos in every major city we visit. Put simply- this is perhaps the worst zoo I've ever been to.Why does it even bother to stay open? How can this possibly be a zoo for a MAJOR metro city?? Its an embarrassment.I can hardly describe the experience... the entire place seems overrun. Perhaps they are going for a "natural experience" - as if you are walking throughout the forest and stumbling upon the animals... but there's a line between that and completely abandoning any sense of landscaping, attractive enclosures, and cleanliness. This zoo has long since crossed that line for the worse. It is essentially a giant open field with fences up in a grid pattern enclosing the animals. Zero thought has gone into making the enclosures interesting for the animals or the guests!During our visit the place was deserted. We saw 2-3 other guests and one employee. Peaking into some of the buildings was even more depressing. Smaller animals housed in disgusting conditions, numerous rats running around and getting into their food.I'm not sure what the accreditation process is like in Canada with the CAZA, but I'm shocked that it has received said accreditation if the criteria is anything like the AZA in the states.The animals had ZERO enrichment. They seemed depressed and bored. Reading about NUMEROUS questionable deaths, shady situations, & controversies re: this zoo after the fact is not at all surprising.We were admitted with highly discounted tickets (I'd pay good money to NOT have to visit this zoo again), but just now reading on their website what full price admission costs- $24!!- I'm further shocked and disgusted! Are they serious?We have been to some wonderful & beautiful zoos. Places amazing enrichment for the animals, fascinating & informative signs and information for the guests, great messages, and gorgeous theming. Set those great zoos aside for a moment, and think about the middle of the road places that perhaps don't have the resources to do truly great things, but still try, and have a healthy & presentable facility. Then take a few steps down from that- try to imagine a place that does not seem to have a creative bone in its body, that seems to exist simply for the admission fees, and where you walk through feeling sick to your stomach for the poor animals it contains.Reading some of the positive reviews I am truly depressed for the locals or tourists who were impressed with this facility. Have they never been to truly special zoos? Do they not have better options? If they think this is a clean, impressive or nice place... that is truly sad. They only need to drive to Calgary or Seattle to see what a zoo should be because their perspective is sorely lacking. Please do not put much weight in the half or so folks who wrote a positive review here- if you are an animal lover or a person who appreciates a nice zoo- this is NOT the place for you!I know that places like this exist, but I usually steer clear of them. These places are usually "roadside attractions". Places that aren't accredited or respected or associated with world-class cities.I felt dirty and depressed and angry after visiting.

We drove here from southern Alberta mainly just for this zoo. I have to say i was completely impressed! It was very well laid out. Very clean. And the animal habitats looked more "natural" then most zoos ive been to. You can very clearly tell how passionate the employees are about the well being of every animal in their care. We had the amazing pleasure of doing a behind the scenes tour. We got to getuo close and personal with the gorgeous tiger as well as the three beautiful lions! We even got to meet their Jaguar. They made it such a great experience i will never forget. We learned so much about the animals. Well worth it! If youre planning on being in the area i strongly suggest a visit! And if you can book a behind the scenes tour!

I visited the zoo last week with my son, daughter-in-law and their baby daughter. We all loved our visit; my little granddaughter was fascinated by everything! I was impressed by how clean everything was. The animals were healthy and their large enclosures were natural and well maintained. There were improvements going on all over the zoo; several brand new fences etc. It was obvious to me that the staff care about their animals and their facility. Being so far away from Vancouver is probably a challenge for the zoo; people visiting the city may find it too far a drive, but we were glad we made the trip and will go back again!

The zoo was nice and big with lots of animals - in clean, well maintained enclosures. The zoo could use a little more funding / donations by the look of it but they are doing a great job with what they have. $24 for adults, children under 3 are free. Very reasonable gate prices. We didn't eat here so I can't comment on the food or prices of that. We went in the evening (5ish) to avoid crowds and most of the animals were sleeping which is to be expected at that time of day. Animals still awake were the grizzly bear, bald eagles, camel, deer, elk, moose, pigs, peacock, and some others! I would definitely go back, my daughter loved it too.