The Zoo turns 70 this year!

Relive our 70-year history with us through a multitude of photos, videos and anecdotes!

Zoo de Granby : 70 years of exciting memories

In its 70 years of operation, the Zoo de Granby has experienced different eras, modernized its approach and facilities, and left an impression on the imaginations of over 30 million visitors since its establishment in 1953. The public is therefore invited to come and celebrate with us during the summer of 2023, to bridge the gap between the past and the future, and to celebrate 70 years of memories and wonderment!

The story began in the backyard of a businessman and the then-mayor of the city, Mr. Horace Boivin. Passionate about animals, he added beavers, deer, and foxes to his small menagerie to keep his three-legged goat company. However, the man harbored even greater ambitions: to provide his city with a real zoological garden.

A TEAM THAT LEAVES ITS MARK - VIDEO CAPSULES

70 years of memories

Chapter 1: Birth of a Zoo

Zoo de Granby is first and foremost the dream of one man, Mr. Pierre-Horace Boivin, born in 1905. The son of a prosperous industrialist who was mayor of the city of Granby between 1917 and 1933, young Horace had a passion for animals!

(1944 - 1955)

Chapter 2: A Growing Zoo

Well established on its new site and growing in popularity, the Zoo took advantage of Pierre-Horace Boivin's international connections to increase its number of residents.

(1955 - 1965)

Photo exhibition

The Zoo de Granby offers its visitors a true journey through time with the presentation of a photo exhibition covering the past 7 decades of the institution. Some will have the pleasure of recalling the arrival of Ambika, the first elephant at the Zoo, or the construction of the geodesic dome, an architectural masterpiece by Mr. Paul O. Trépanier. Many will probably learn that the Zoo's mascot, Alcide, was named in honor of the first baby hippopotamus to be born at the zoo, itself named as a tribute to its famous godfather at the time, the late meteorologist from Radio-Canada, Mr. Alcide Ouellet.