Calgary Zoo closes Rainforest Aviary amid avian flu resurgence in Alberta
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo has announced the closure of its Rainforest Aviary amid the resurgence of avian flu cases in Alberta.
"The health and well-being of the animals we love and care for is our primary concern," the zoo said in a Wednesday Facebook post.
"We are proactively taking steps to protect our birds, and other susceptible species, from avian influenza."
All birds will be moved indoors and may not be viewable for visitors, including the Chilean flamingoes, rhea, ostrich, crowned cranes, peacocks and pheasants.
In addition to the closure of the Rainforest Aviary, the zoo says the Jihad Shibley Rocky Mountain Aviary remains closed.
The zoo says the indoor habitat at Penguin Plunge will remain open "for now" – but everyone entering will have to step on a disinfecting mat in the entrance vestibule.
"We are asking all visitors entering zoo grounds to notify guest relations or security team members if they have been around live chickens, turkeys, ducks or geese in the past week," said the zoo.
"If you are wearing the same shoes and clothes as when you were around live chickens, ducks, turkeys or geese, you will not be permitted to enter zoo grounds and will be encouraged to return on another day."
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, there are currently 26 farms in Alberta with active infections, significantly more than any other province.
Species without outdoor access (rock hyrax, slender-tailed meerkats, African Crested porcupine, Egyptian tortoise, round nosed plated lizards, and hippos) will not be viewable until it reopens.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.