We’re back! Zoo visitors will find many new COVID-19 safety features, alongside all the usual fun, at the Edmonton Valley Zoo now that it has reopened!
“We’ve been looking forward to reopening, but things look a little different,” said Lindsey Galloway, Director of the Edmonton Valley Zoo. “We are providing an enjoyable visitor experience with modifications in place to protect the health and safety of our visitors, staff and animals.”
One of the main changes to zoo operations is tickets will no longer be sold at the gate. Visitors and zoo members must book their tickets online at movelearnplay.edmonton.ca. Because daily attendance is capped at 1,500 people, half of normal capacity, each ticket comes with a specific entry time, allowing visitors to pick the time they want to visit and enabling the zoo to manage crowds and ensure physical distancing. Once inside, visitors are welcome to explore the zoo at their own pace.
Outdoor areas and indoor areas of the zoo are open to one-way traffic and are marked by signs and arrows. Animal talks, rides, play structures and stroller rentals are not available. The Zoo-tique gift shop and zoo food vendors: Moo at the Zoo, 40 Acres and Sandwich and Sons, are open with modifications. Buildings where physical distancing is difficult to maintain or where there are high-touch displays remain closed, including the Elephant House and some indoor areas of Saito Centre.
The zoo has also made a number of changes in order to follow public health guidelines, including providing hand sanitizer at numerous locations, enhancing cleaning procedures of public spaces and putting up signs to encourage physical distancing. Visitors are encouraged to wear masks.
“We know our visitors will do their part to follow public health guidelines, including staying on the marked paths and following all safety directions,” Galloway said. “We are committed to ensuring the zoo experience is an enjoyable and safe one.”
For more information, including new facility guidelines and a map showing one-way paths, please visit www.valleyzoo.ca