Assiniboine Park Zoo has welcomed visitors to Winnipeg, Manitoba since 1904, growing from a small municipal menagerie into one of Canada’s most respected zoological facilities. Spread across roughly 80 acres in the western section of Assiniboine Park, the zoo is home to more than 160 species and is jointly accredited by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The zoo’s signature draw is Journey to Churchill, a 10-acre exhibit widely regarded as the most comprehensive northern-species habitat of its kind in the world. Beyond its polar bear enclosures and underwater viewing tunnels, the zoo plays an active conservation role: its Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre, opened in 2012, gives permanent sanctuary to orphaned polar bear cubs recovered from the wild near Churchill, Manitoba under the province’s Polar Bear Protection Act.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Opened: 1904
- Size: About 80 acres (32 hectares)
- Species: Over 160 species
- Signature exhibit: Journey to Churchill (about 10 acres)
- Famous for: Rescuing and housing orphaned polar bear cubs
Journey to Churchill
Opened in phases starting in 2014, Journey to Churchill recreates the sub-Arctic tundra of Churchill, Manitoba, and holds polar bears, muskoxen, harbour seals, and Arctic foxes across roughly 10 acres. Its Sea Ice Passage tunnel lets visitors watch polar bears and seals swim overhead and alongside them underwater, one of the exhibit’s most photographed features.
Within the larger habitat, polar bears have access to about 3 acres of outdoor space with pools for swimming and large rock formations mimicking their natural terrain, a scale uncommon among North American zoo polar bear enclosures.
A Conservation Role for Orphaned Bears
The Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre distinguishes Assiniboine Park Zoo from most zoos that display the species. Working with the Government of Manitoba, the zoo’s Polar Bear Rescue & Care Team takes in cubs whose mothers were killed in conflicts with humans near Churchill, giving them a permanent home rather than returning them to the wild.
Since the centre opened, it has repeatedly taken in orphaned cubs, several of which have later moved on to other accredited zoos as part of coordinated species management programs across North America.
Explore more: Explore more top zoos and aquariums.
Assiniboine Park Zoo FAQs
Where is Assiniboine Park Zoo located?
It sits in the western section of Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
When did Assiniboine Park Zoo open?
The zoo dates back to 1904, making it one of Canada’s oldest zoological facilities.
What is Journey to Churchill?
It’s the zoo’s flagship exhibit, a roughly 10-acre habitat recreating the sub-Arctic tundra around Churchill, Manitoba, featuring polar bears, muskoxen, and harbour seals, with an underwater viewing tunnel.
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Photo: Jimj wpg / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.