At-risk species need quieter home
Conservation Centre feels squeezed by growing, surrounding community
Booming development on the doorstep of the Calgary Zoo’s Devonian Conservation Centre south of the city has the facility, which helps return endangered species to the wild, looking for greener — and quieter — pastures.
Greg Royer, the zoo’s chief operating officer, said the secluded 52-hectare site in De Winton, which has been home to endangered species as part of the zoo’s conservation programs since 1984, is beginning to feel pressure from the growing community that surrounds it.
And because the critically threatened animals that call the so-called zoo ranch home are best served by peace and quiet, the hunt is on for a new location.
“It’s great here, but the City of Calgary is moving more and more in this direction,” Royer said.
“Assuming the economy will soon get back on its feet, the population will push out in this area and that makes it more difficult for us to do the things we need to do.”
Currently, the Devonian Conservation Centre is home to a collection of whooping cranes (and their sandhill crane surrogates), Vancouver Island marmots, Przewalski’s horses, sage grouse, and soon a small contingent of 15 tiny burrowing owls for a brief stay before they’re released into the wild.
Calgary’s zoo is believed to be the only one in Canada that has a conservation facility separate from its primary base, and Royer said the work that is done at the centre is a vital part of the zoo’s primary mission.
“Conservation is a very practical problem. It requires money, it requires partnerships, it requires huge amounts of dedication and it requires a lot of time,” Royer said.
“The whooping cranes were in trouble in the ’70s. Through the efforts of some great partners, they’ve put the whooping cranes in a much better position than they were in the ’70s, but they’re far from safe on their own.”
It’s not the first time the zoo has had to look elsewhere for its satellite facility.
Until 1979, the zoo kept many of its herd animals atop Tom Campbell’s Hill, overlooking St. George’s Island. But with the city’s population growing, officials looked for a quieter home, finally securing land in an isolated spot south of Calgary.
But the once secluded enclave is now being surrounded by housing developments, prompting the need for the move.
Royer said officials are looking for a similarly sized plot of land that’s still close to the city, but likely to remain relatively undisturbed.
“We’re looking for a more isolated area. Someplace within an hour of Calgary, but isolated — not likely to be developed in the next 30 years,” he said.
“We have identified some potential sites, have retained a real estate firm, but have not yet been able to secure a new location.”
Royer added the zoo is hoping to secure the new property by the end of the year, aiming to develop it through 2017 so it’s ready to move into by 2018.
He said the zoo will be covering costs for the new facility from its own capital budget, with any proceeds from the sale of the De Winton property going directly into its conservation programs.
The zoo is also hoping to expand its roster of endangered species when it secures the new facility.
“The short-term goal is to triple the number of animals that we’re working with,” he said, adding they’ll be endangered animals from Western Canada, but not predators, a challenge to properly prepare for reintroduction into the wild.
“There are a lot of species that are in trouble.”