We're so lucky to have such a world-class zoo here in Calgary!
I was a bit worried that the lines for the new penguin exhibit would be outrageous since I went during the opening week but it was actually pretty reasonable. We waited for 45 minutes which was pretty good considering there were signs warning the wait could be up to 2 hours. Right now they're letting groups of about 70 in at a time for 15 minutes each.
The exhibit itself was super impressive. The glass separating you from the penguins is only about 5 feet high so they get extremely close to you. One of them even splashed me! I was envisioning they would be behind a wall of impenetrable glass. However, the closeness you can get to the animals made it feel really interactive even though you can't touch them. Check out the photos I added. So cute.
I can't wait to come back to see the penguins when it's less busy and there isn't a time limit. One of the zookeepers mentioned they were hoping to participate in a breeding program in the future which would be amazing.
The rest of the zoo was pretty quiet since we did go in the middle of February. I assume a lot of the people there were annual pass holders so they can justify going just for the penguins and saving the rest of the zoo for a warmer day. I'm seriously considering buying a pass for myself too!