EDITOR’S NOTE
MISTS OF TIME
At some point or another, we’ve all had that
thought: “If only this object could talk…”
Whether it’s an ancient artifact or a modern
item that looks like it’s been through some
stuff, some things just have a way of letting
you know there’s a story there.
Calgary’s museums are jam packed with such
things, so much so that it was truly difficult to
decide which tales to highlight. We narrowed
it down to five stories that really get at the
struggles and triumphs of the lives they
passed through, from a war hero’s cigarette
case to the bell that rang 15 times when Ali
fought Chuvalo (page 23).
As fascinating as history can be, there are
some things we aren’t ready to consign to the
past. The numbers of giant pandas have been
dwindling rapidly and the future was looking
grim for the species until recently, when
they were downgraded from endangered to
vulnerable.
The Calgary Zoo recently welcomed a family
of giant pandas who stand as a symbol of the
work that has been done to pull the species
back from the brink (page 20). A breeding
pair was sent to Toronto five years ago,
and this year they arrived in Calgary with a
healthy pair of three-year-old twins in tow.
Whatever your reason for being in Calgary,
we invite you to take some time to peer into
our past and gaze forward into our future. Or,
simply grab a pint and sit out on the patio to
enjoy some spring weather — after all, there’s
no time like the present.
RACHAEL FREY,
Editor
8
where.ca
MAY/JUNE 2018
The twins will soon become part of the
breeding program themselves, and caretakers
at the Calgary Zoo have high hopes that their
parents will be able to produce another cub
(or even another set of twins).