Anyone who knows me knows that I could never bring myself to give any place like this anything less than 5 stars. As an avid animal enthusiast (AKA Crazy Cat Lady), there is always that moral struggle between wild animals in captivity, and promoting awareness, preservation, and just simply getting to see these amazing animals up close and personal. With that said, 5 stars certainly does not imply perfection in this situation. I am not too sure how I managed to not know of this place, having spent a few summers with my aunt who worked as a year-round Kindergarten teacher in Innisfail. So when my BF mentioned that he would be interested in checking it out, I was totally up for it, and SUPER excited!! I wasn't too sure what to expect as we walked in through the main entrance. It was pretty busy as the debit/credit machines were apparently not working. Thank goodness we had cash, so we were able to pay our $20/each admission price and walk right in. There are options available to get a more intimate experience with certain animals (bears, cats, beavers). We elected not to particulate in these, as we have a very cautious appreciation for these kinds of animals (either that or I have watched one too many episodes of Fatal Attraction on Animal Planet). Nonetheless, the enclosures are set up in such a way that you can get pretty up close and personal with these animals anyway. Several enclosures had feeding machines where you could pay a loonie to have some food fall out close to the gait and watch the animals eat (the camel in particular seemed to be a big fan of this!). We had to run back to the gift shop to get change (would have been nice if they would have mentioned that when we came in, but no biggie). Many of the animals got close enough that you could touch them through the gait. For myself, this is awesome - but I would recommend that parents keep a very close eye on the little ones, since those tiny limbs can fit pretty well through the fences, and you just never know what could happen - this isn't your typically zoo where there are concrete barriers at every enclosure to prevent anyone from getting close to the animals. Several of the animals were visibly stressed out, and were pacing back in forth. We would try to admire these ones from a bit farther away to try not to bother them as much. This is pretty common, I would say for zoos/wildlife parks. After listening to the 'caretakers' speech during a big cat show, it was clear that they have a sincere passion for education and wildlife preservation. They clearly care deeply for all the animals, and seem truly dedicated to improving the welfare of these amazing creatures throughout the world. In my opinion, the experience was totally worth it, and I wouldn't hesitate for one instant to make visiting the Discovery Wildlife Park an annual tradition. read more

I was looking forward to the road trip down with my sister and her kids. There is a tonne of parking, but the parking lot can get a bit messy if it rains a lot. The prices are reasonable for a day out with the family that proved unique. Having gone on a rainy day and having a 6 mo old with us, we rented a golf cart... So worth it!!!! It allows you to go through all the animals a bit faster, and then go back for a second visit if you'd like. The animal shows are very informative and help put to rest some of the fables. It is just soooooo awesome how they train the Bears. We choose to have a picture taken with the massive grizzly bear. It allows one to get up close and personal. The income from the pictures help them pay for upkeep of the park. There is actually a really nice diversity of animals as well. Make sure you take some change to buy food to feed your choice of animals. If you enjoy social media, they do an awesome job staying in touch on Facebook. read more

You can see quite some animals like bears, lions, deer, etc. But there were hardly any shades for the animals and so it was quite uncomfortable for them as it was pretty hot that day. In addition, many animals who usually live in groups were alone in their compound. And there was no chance for them to hide at all. There are shows that nicely done and they show some bears who have participated in various films. So 2 stars for the nice shows using clicker training but not more because of the way the animals are held in their compounds. read more

On a road trip we saw a sign for this place and stopped in. We rented a golf cart to check out all animals. Best day ever spent outside. Staff was amazing and very helpful. Some animals were in hiding as it was extremely hot out. read more

Seal was kissed by a rose but I was kissed by a black bear! I'm an animal lover and animals in captivity are something that keeps me conflicted. Roadside zoos in particular have a terrible rep.... so I thought long and hard about if we'd go here before we made the trip this summer. There are definitely some more things that could be done for privacy and recreation of their natural environments but overall the animals here seemed well cared for and it was something I remained focused on during our visit. They have an interesting collection of animals - may of Canada's local faves and then some exotics. Walking around just for them might not have been worth it but the animal encounters made the experience for us: 1. Behind the scenes with the big cats. Must be 18 I think. The Calgary Zoo did this/does this but they are much more expensive so the $23 (I think?) for the experience here seemed like a deal. I've done one with the Lions at the Zoo and it included a bit more and was longer and did a bit of training... but here it was more just getting behind the fence and having the chance to ask questions in a small group. We were allowed to put out palms to the fence and the tiger could rub the fence allowing you to pet him - wtf? That might be a line I hoped they wouldn't get close to. We saw one of the two tigers but the other was in the sleeping area likely having menopause symptoms.... I did like that they came over on their own because they wanted to socialize with us. We also saw the two brother jaguars which was very sweet. They got quite close and wrestled each other and let us have a really nice look at these magnificent animals. I'm not sure I've ever seen another Jaguar - but certainly not that close. 2. Behind the scenes with Bears. This one is free with admission in the summer if they aren't working (I assume they hibernate in the winter... ) If you're able to see this i'd make this a must see if you're already there. These bears (1 black and 4 grizzly) are movie bears and they show you their movie skills. They seem to really enjoy the work they do as opposed to being forced into it. The black bear paints canvases (I bought one... teehee) and in the end you can have pictures with the bears. You're always separated by a hot wire so you're fairly safe but you are allowed rather close to the bears. We got one with Betty smiling and waving behind us and I got one with bonkers giving me a cheek kiss. The pictures are prize winning quality but for $20 a pop they are sweet little mementos of the talented hears. I'm sure there are people would would find this appalling and exploitative... but I didn't feel like it was overly yucky or unsafe for people. Overall I'd go. We bought a lot of the "upgrades" but it still was a reasonable day of fun. I'm not sure if I could do it over and over in small window of time but the one tip was great. read more

Wonderful place! Celebrity bears live here when they are not working in Hollywood. They like to show off their acting skills too. It's quite something to get up close to a black bear or grizzly, albeit movie stars!! Not to mention the wild cats and all other creatures there, including reptiles inside. I juggle with the idea of animals kept out of their natural habitat, behind bars and in cages, but I am mostly convinced that they are doing good things for these animals and for good reasons. Well worth visiting! read more

Discovery Wildlife Park is home to many orphaned and rescued animals that cannot be re-released. Daily animal presentations educate the public about conservation and preservation and give visitors an up close experience with many spectacular species - Kodiak, grizzly and black bears, jaguars, tigers, monkeys, bison, deer, alligator and many more! Great family fun for all ages and a great way to build memories for your family to cherish! Open seven days a week from May 1 to Thanksgiving weekend from 10am to 7pm daily. read more

What an amazing little gem! You would never expect this place to be quite as fantastic as it is. They have a very broad animal selection, and it feels as if you can get really up close to the animals. My favorites were probably the ostriches and the tortoise; so funny! I appreciate all they do for wildlife conservation. The staff are always super friendly too. I was so surprised by how well the place is kept. The grass was mowed and I didn't see a single weed. The beaver photos are always a big hit for us, so definitely do that if you're here. Would've loved to do the wolf walk that they advertised! I greatly appreciate the fact that they have golf carts available to rent! It would be nice if they had more than 5 carts, though, as yesterday we had to wait nearly an hour to get one. It is okay though, as we did enjoy some ice cream from the cafeteria! Admission prices are average. Not super cheap, not super expensive. I can say I'm a bit surprised that the admission is about a dollar more than the Calgary Zoo, though! read more

Discovery Wildlife Park - Ostrich! - Parks Near Me - Innisfail, Alberta

See all