butterfield acres reopens after parasite-related closure
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families enjoy butterfield acres in calgary on monday, may 18, 2026. the petting farm was open again after a deep cleaning following a cryptosporidium outbreak.
gavin young/postmedia
gavin young/postmedia
a local petting zoo officially reopened on monday, following an outbreak of a watery diarrheal disease that forced a weeks-long closure.
within an hour of opening, several families had already filed into butterfield acres petting farm. some parents kept watch over younger children in strollers, while others accompanied their kids into the pens to feed and pet the animals.
there was a particularly strong buzz around the goat and sheep pens, where visitors fawned over the baby goats and lambs prancing over for treats and head pats.
“it’s very exciting to see people,” said tania katay, the farm’s general manager. “just hearing chatter and the kids’ laughter and seeing people smile — that’s such a lovely gift.”
the farm, at 254077 rocky ridge rd. n.w., shut down in early april after a calf was found to be infected with the cryptosporidiosis parasite.
families enjoy butterfield acres in calgary on monday, may 18, 2026. the petting farm was open again after a deep cleaning following a cryptosporidium outbreak.gavin young/postmedia
gavin young/postmedia
in humans, the parasite can cause watery diarrhea, with symptoms including fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and weight loss. symptoms typically appear between two and 10 days after infection and last between one and two weeks.
staff acquired the calf and its twin at the end of march and discovered the infection april 9. the infected calf was removed from the farm, while its twin and other affected animals were kept in isolation.
in the weeks since, staff have disinfected and cleaned the pens, replaced boards and fence panels, and scrubbed every surface that came into contact with animals and people.
“we have really done everything we can,” katay said. “there have definitely been some late nights for all of us, just trying to get all hands on deck and get this done so we could open today.”
matthew and his mom have fun with the goats at butterfield acres in calgary on monday, may 18, 2026. the petting farm was open again after a deep cleaning following a cryptosporidium outbreak.gavin young/postmedia
gavin young/postmedia
since the parasite was discovered, five cases of the diarrheal illness have been reported.
katay noted that since may 1, none of the animals or staff members has become sick from the parasite. the farm had been told by an agricultural veterinarian that as long as no symptoms were reported within 12 days, it could reopen.
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“with her guidance and her confidence in us, that’s why we decided to open this weekend,” she said, adding monday was chosen because of the warmer and sunnier forecast.
by the 10 a.m. opening time, several cars were parked in the lot in front of the farm, while a group of young children pressed against the fence to gawk at a llama placidly feeding on hay.
oleksandra zorgach decided to visit the farm with her two children, aged five years and 18 months, along with a friend and their similarly aged children.
within a few minutes of arriving, she had purchased a season pass for the family.
“we’re in the neighbourhood, so we can just stop by,” she said. “i told my husband, ‘maybe when you have a bad day, you can stop by yourself.’ ”
while most visitors gathered around the baby goats and lambs, with a few children trailing after the pony rides, the calf pen at the far end of the farm remained quiet.
the calf remains in quarantine, katay said, and will likely be moved to another home outside the farm for the summer.
this is the second time in the past year the farm was forced to close due to disease. in october last year, the facility temporarily shut down after nine cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza were discovered among the farm’s poultry.
“that was a hard hit for us, not just closing but losing all of our birds,” katay said.
“we fall in love with them, right? every animal has its own personality, and you can see that when you’re with them from the day they’re born.”
families enjoy butterfield acres in calgary on monday, may 18, 2026. the petting farm was open again after a deep cleaning following a cryptosporidium outbreak.gavin young/postmedia
gavin young/postmedia
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