After being told how amazing the Calgary Zoo is, I have to say I am a teensy bit disappointed. It seems like we came at a bad time as it was under construction and some animals had unfortunately been removed.
The zoo itself is very clean and it is obvious that they really put effort into both the enclosures and the general decor. I didn't have that gross 'zoo' feeling after touching things, and all the animals seemed content and healthy. They have a nice open concept idea going on with a lot of the enclosures that makes it so you are actually right next to the animals (and you are definitely in the splash zone in the penguin exhibit).
There is an abundance of forked trails, meaning that it takes a very long time to navigate the zoo and see everything and also makes it easier to miss things, but it does help with the crowds. I do wish they had more signage as it was difficult to tell where you were going at times, even with the map.