For all non school/non youth-group tours, please click here

What Do We Do?

• The Assiniboine Park Zoo's Education Centre is a facility designed to promote the concepts of endangered species and wildlife conservation through public education and interactive learning.

• We specialize in walking and trolley tours for children, adults and seniors as well as indoor programs on specific themes for those groups looking for more in depth knowledge on a subject.
• We do not offer programs in French at this time.

Registration

• All groups must pre-register to insure placement in a program.
• Space is limited and spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
• All policies are subject to change without notice. Please check www.assiniboinepark.ca for updates prior to your program.
• Additional program specific information (theme, content, program length) can be found on your registration form.

When Your Group Arrives

• All buses or parent carpools should enter the zoo’s South Gate parking lot on Corydon Ave as the Zoo Education Building is at this gate.
• Unless indicated, our programs include an outdoor tour component so please make certain each participant is dressed for the weather and that proper walking shoes are worn.
• So that our guided tour is not repetitive, please wait for the end of your program before visiting the animals at the zoo that are relevant to your program theme.
• Please have payment (cash, cheque or credit card) ready upon arrival.
• We will not accept group invoices between June 1 and September 15. You must pay for your program on the same day you take your program.
• Fees for education programs are to be paid directly to the program instructor, not the gate.

Arrival Times

• Tours and programs run between 75 to 90 minutes, depending on the season. Please check your registration for program length and arrive 10 minutes before your start time.
• Groups arriving late (on or after their start time) will still finish their program as scheduled and will not have their program extended. This is to insure other groups who arrive on time receive their full program and are not penalized for another group’s tardiness.

Lunch And Snack Time

• The Zoo Education Centre is unable to provide lunch storage. We encourage all students to carry their own lunch in a backpack. Classes may rent or bring their own wagons for students to carry their own belongings.

• For your convenience there are several seasonal picnic areas in addition to our main restaurant, the Animal Tracks Café. The Café has a school lunch program available year round. If you would like more information please call 982-0667. Pre-booking for the lunch program is required.

Preparing For Your Visit To The Zoo

• All groups must pay a program deposit of $60 upon registering, please make sure yours is paid. Groups who fail to pay their deposit in a timely manner will automatically lose their time slot.
• The balance owing (total minus deposit) is due the day of your program.
• We will not accept group invoices between June 1 and September 15. You must pay for your program on the same day you take your program.
• Payments can be made to the Zoo Education Centre with cash, credit card or cheque.
• Your fee includes admission to the Assiniboine Park Zoo.

Where Is The Education Building?

• All activities will start and end (unless otherwise arranged) at the Zoo Education Centre, a year-round facility used to conduct talks, camps, workshops and meetings.
• We are located at the Corydon Avenue (South Gate) entrance of Assiniboine Park Zoo.
• The South Gate is closed to the general public from the September long-weekend to the May long-weekend but is open for education programming year-round. A staff person will meet your group at this gate. 

Do You Need To Cancel Or Reschedule?

Contact parkprograms@assiniboinepark.ca or 204-927-6070 as soon as possible.

Programming staff will work with you to find another date or time that works well for you and the zoo.

• We would ask that you cancel a booking no less than 10 business days in advance of the scheduled program. Cancellations with fewer than 10 business days notice will be charged a $20 administrative fee.
• Cancellations with less than three business days notice will forfeit the booking deposit of $60.
• We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule any program. A full refund will be issued if the Zoo Education Centre cancels a program.
• As a general rule, all programs run regardless of rain, snow or shine, with the exception of severe weather conditions (e.g. thunderstorms, high wind-chills, unsafe travel conditions, school closings). Contact us about possible cancellations on the day of your program and please dress appropriately.

Chaperones – The Key To A Successful Visit

• Chaperones provide safety and help guide your students’ educational experience at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. Chaperones (whether teacher, group leader or parent volunteer) should take an active role in their children’s program and leave the socializing until after.
• One adult per five students (1:5) will be allowed into the zoo free of charge.
• Additional adults above the 1:5 ratio will be charged regular zoo admission. Zoo Society memberships cannot be used to attend registered education programs.
• Every group visiting the Education Centre should have at least one adult per ten students regardless of the student’s age. We do not encourage a ratio greater than 1 to 5.
• Special needs assistants/aides are admitted free.
• Due to space and program content, neither younger siblings, nor extra parents are permitted in an education program booked for your students.

Program Evaluation: Download Here

All of our school and group programs are between 75 and 90 minutes in length (depending on the season) and consist of both a classroom presentation and a guided tour within that time. Animal artefacts and interactive activities are used whenever possible to encourage learning during the classroom presentation. This is followed by a visit to relevant exhibits and habitat areas that relate to your program theme.

Deposits and Payments

• A deposit of $60.00 (payable to the Assiniboine Park Conservancy) must accompany your registration. Groups who fail to pay their deposit in a timely manner will lose their time slot.
• Balance owing is due the day of the program. The remaining balance owing (total fee – deposit) is due the day of the program and should be paid to your program instructor, not to the gate attendant.
• Payments can be made to the Assiniboine Park Conservancy with cash, credit card or cheque.
• Your fee includes admission to the Assiniboine Park Zoo.
• We do not waive program fee for Zoo Members.

Teachers, Group Leaders and Chaperones

• We allow up to 1 free adult (teacher, supervisor, chaperone or volunteer) for every 5 children. Additional adults will be charged a fee of $4.50.
• Minimum supervision ratio for school classes or groups is 1 adult to every 10 students.
• We do not encourage a ratio greater than 1 to 5 (except for one-on-one aides).

Cancellations

• We would ask that you cancel a booking no less than 10 business days in advance of the scheduled program. Cancellations with fewer than 10 business days notice will be charged a $20.00 administrative fee.
• Cancellations with less than 72 hours notice will forfeit the booking deposit of $60.00.
• We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule any program. A refund will be issued if the Zoo Education Centre cancels a program.
• As a general rule, all programs run regardless of rain, snow or shine, so please dress appropriately. If weather conditions are severe (e.g. thunderstorms, high wind-chills, unsafe travel conditions, school closings, etc.) contact us about possible cancellations on the day of your program.

Registration Policies

• All education program participants must pre-register to insure placement in a program. Space is limited and spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

• To insure a placement in one of our programs, please phone to book your visit at least two to four weeks in advance for non-peak months and two months in advance for the peak months of April, May and June.
• Programs are booked on a first-come, first served basis.
• We do not offer programs in French at this time.
• All policies are subject to change without notice.
• Please check for updates prior to your program.

Program Themes:

General Zoo Themes      _        Specific Animal Themes

Animals at the Zoo              Bats

Birth & Growth in Animals      Frog and Toads, Oh My!

Creature Categories             Monkey Business (primates)

Di-bird-sity (bird diversity)    Purrfect Predators (big cats)

Endangered Species                 

Invasive Species                

Wild at Heart

Tour Only (no theme)

Due to new construction projects and zoo renovation projects, some of our programming is no longer available. New programs are being designed and will be unveiled soon.

Program Evaluation: Download Here

Location

All of our programs begin and end, unless otherwise arranged, at the Zoo Education Centre. We are located on Corydon Ave at the south gate entrance of the zoo. This gate is only open to the general public in the spring and summer, but is open for educational programming year round. Classroom Entrance: Click Here

Animals From A to Z: Kindergarten and Nursery

This is an introductory look at zoos and the animals that call them home.

Bats: All Grades

We’ve developed a new program to help Scouts and Guides meet Levels 1 and 2 of the Bat Badge requirements. This is also a great program for schools.

Birth and Growth in Animals: Grades 2 - 3

Learn the life cycle differences of several different groups of animals at the zoo.

Creature Categories: Grades 1 - 3

Discover the differences and similarities in the zoo’s animal groups such as how variations in an animal’s covering (fur, feathers, skin or scales) help it survive in the wild.

Di-bird-sity: (Bird diversity) Grades 5 & 6

Discover the amazing diversity of bird form and function and the richness of species around the world, many of which you can visit at the zoo on your guided tour.

Endangered Species: Grades 3 – 12

Explore what human pressures (e.g. poaching, habitat destruction, pollution, the pet trade) have put so many plants and animals in danger of extinction and what is being done to save them.

Frogs and Toads: Grades 3 - 7

Explore the wonders of amphibians and learn how hundreds of zoos and aquariums around the world banded together for Year of the Frog to save amphibians from extinction.

Invasive Species: Grades 5 - 9

Non-native (alien) plants and animals are having a devastating effect on the world’s ecosystems. This 45-minute PowerPoint presentation and discussion has no guided tour component, but does challenge participants to find ways to combat the problem.

Monkey Business: Grades 2 - 6

Primates have fascinated us for hundreds of years, but now, many of them are on the verge of extinction. Learn about the Assiniboine Park Zoo's primates, including lemurs, monkeys and apes. You will also find out what you can do to help conserve them.

Purrfect Predators – All about Big Cats: Grades 3 - 7

Learn about the distinctive qualities of the world’s big cats like tigers, leopards and cougars with a comparison to smaller cats like the lynx. An emphasis is placed on the species we will see while on tour at the zoo.