The Wildlife Festival returns to the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre on Jan. 16-28, 2026. (Photo: Cobb's Adventure Park and Exotic Animal Rescue)

By David Opinko

Wildlife Festival returns to Lethbridge Jan. 16-18

Jan 6, 2026 | 1:12 PM

Families in Lethbridge can see dozens of exotic animal species up close and personal.

Calgary-based Cobb’s Adventure Park and Exotic Animal Rescue are bringing the Wildlife Festival back to the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre.

Co-Owner Mike Sheppard says the exact lineup of animals is subject to change, but just a few of the critters they will bring include a kangaroo, gecko, snakes, porcupine, tamandua anteater, and a sloth.

“You get to interact with a lot of them, and most of them are on display. There’s educational displays, we do stage shows that are educational and interactive every hour,” says Sheppard.

If you have already been to the Wildlife Festival, he assures that there will be new things to look forward to.

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“We do have new porcupines we’re bringing this year – adorable, very friendly like a dog, this girl. We’ve got some new rescues that we’ve taken in, like lizards, a big tegu – he loves people, so he’ll be coming with us. We have different stage shows that we’re doing that are different from last year. We’re introducing a kids’ bounce area for toddlers.”

Volunteers will walk around the venue with animals in hand so that people can see, and in some cases, hold them.

Sheppard says they get many questions about keeping exotic animals as pets.

“Everybody always wants a sugar glider as a pet. They’re cute, they’re fluffy, they’re tiny, but then we tell people they’re horrible pets. They say, you know, experience it here, but that’s our number one surrender. We’ve had, probably, 60 now that have been surrendered and we currently have 45,” says Sheppard.

He adds, “We’ll be honest with people and tell you, if you’re looking for something that’s exotic, we’ll ask you, how much time do you have? Do you realize these things live for 15 years?”

Mike and his wife, Maureen, along with their staff and volunteers, run the Cobb’s Exotic Animal Rescue in Calgary, which has been rapidly expanding.

He says they looked after around 20 animals prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they now have 450-500 between three different properties.

Sheppard explains that many people bought animals during the pandemic to keep them company and to give them something to do, but once restrictions were lifted and more people returned to work, many of them did not want to keep their pets anymore.

This has made their rescue expensive to operate, and outside of a small amount of money from the Canada Summer Jobs program, Sheppard says they receive no government funding.

The Wildlife Festival is run through their non-profit organization, and proceeds go towards supporting the Exotic Animal Rescue.

The event also features an adults-only night, sensitivity hour, and a VIP experience.

You can learn more and purchase tickets at WildlifeFestival.ca