I've been thinking about what the Master Plan’s gonna be for a while, and I could easily go full bananas and create an insane overhaul for the whole zoo but I'll try to keep it within the realm of realism. Let’s call this a halfway point between what I think’s gonna happen and what I want to happen, because chances are a lot of what I want is probably an impossible dream for a number of reasons. I took a look at the Animal Plan again to see what that had to say about the near future, and the old Master Plan seems to have had a lot of the pages missing for some reason but I’m guessing that 99% of that got junked anyways since we’re already getting a new one like 5 years later so it doesn’t really matter. Okay but here we go, what do I think is happening at the zoo over the next two decades.
Oh and just FYI I’m not super up to date on the AZA and SSPs and stuff like that so if I say something completely insane or impossible it’s because I didn’t know it was
Entrance Area
This is what’s next up once the orangs are finished, and we can already see the beginnings of the project with stuff like Goat World. Rumour has it that sea otters are going here, and I’m inclined to believe it. Dolf actually mentioned sea otters in passing on an Instagram story the other day, might’ve just been a joke though. I can see them taking down the old greenhouse gift shop considering the other gift shop is like a minute away and putting them there, but that could cause a bit of crowd congestion near the entrance and exit that they might not want. Other than that and some updated landscaping and maybe replacing the entrance gate that’s older than I am I can’t see too much changing around here.
Indo-Malaya
It’s a weird time for Indo-Malaya. The spotlight’s on it right now because the orang outdoor exhibit is the big new project, but after that it looks like they’re taking a machete to the whole area. The pandemic might’ve closed Malayan Woods for good and when it goes it’s taking the clouded leopards with it, then the lemur summer home/peacock winter home is gonna follow, and if the Animal Plan is to be believed the rhinos are in the early stages of phase out. I think I heard somewhere they’re gonna try breeding Asha again once Kiran leaves and that would mean phase out could be years and years away but I’m not certain about it.
So what’s gonna happen to this area? If we can’t stop the rhinos leaving we’re gonna need to figure out what’s going in their place. Ideally this would be the return of the Malayan tapir, but I’m fully prepared for it to be the return of the gaur, which are far less interesting. Either that or the babirusa get the big yard and maybe some new friends, which would be a weird pick considering I’ve got a good feeling that the whole gibbon exhibit is going to the babirusa once Lenny and Holly pass.
Speaking of the pavilion, let’s talk about that. Obviously the outdoor orangs are about to be the zoo’s latest hot-ticket item, but their indoor exhibit is looking sadder by the day, and it’ll look even worse when compared to their state-of-the-art summer digs. Steel Poles n’ Ropes Land has gotta go. Maybe one summer when they’re outside they can put in the work to have that fixed by the winter. Other than that I think Indo-Malaya’s gonna spend the next few years banking on the orangs and the tigers and not much else.
Oh, and let’s rescue the giant salamander from the events tent where no one can see it and put him here. This probably isn’t a big enough deal for the Master Plan but I want it to happen.
Africa
There’s a lot to talk about here, as there’s no way the Master Plan is gonna come and go without touching on the crown jewel of the zoo.
Burrows and Caves seems to be history, but the jury’s still out on whether it’s gonna become a new exhibit or something along the lines of a staff room. I’d definitely enjoy making it a separate part of the Rainforest with dim lighting to simulate a night environment for nocturnal African animals like galagos or pangolins (we can call it Edge of Night 2: African Boogaloo) but my gut says they’re just gonna expand the washrooms into it and that’ll be that.
Hippos are out the second someone adopts Petal and Perky, and according to the Animal Plan their exhibit is becoming a flex space for the pygmy hippos, warthogs and red river hogs. I mean...sure, I’m happy the pygmies get to go outside for the summer, and yeah, it’s not the biggest exhibit in the world, but we can do more with it than that! If we have to use it for species we already have, let’s get some African waterfowl to keep them company, even bringing back pink-backed pelicans would make me happy. Or hey, if we wanna go real crazy, what about aardvarks? We can even turn the pool into a huge sandbox for them!
Moving onto the baboons. I dunno how much longer they’re sticking around but they’re not here forever and what’s replacing them is a big mystery right now. Ideally we finally add African wild dogs, which would be great for a number of reasons. They could add onto the interesting Predator/Prey theme the old Master Plan had set up for the Savanna (if that’s even still a thing), they’d definitely bring in guests, and it would mean I can stop worrying about if the zoo would ever replace the hyenas with them. Or if we wanna stick with primates, bring back mandrills. Sure, it’d be weird to have them in the Savanna instead of the Rainforest, but I can live with it. Again, they’re a super popular animal that would bring in traffic. Just anything but ugly Hamadryas baboons, please.
The watusi seem to be hanging on by a thread, and I dunno what their future is gonna be like. I know they’re unpopular here for a number of valid reasons (I like ‘em though!) so I’m sure you guys’d be happy to hear if they were wrapping up. The dream is we get cape buffalo to replace them but I don’t think that’s gonna happen. My thinking is it goes to a new species of antelope, like addax or the return of sables or gemsbok or something along those lines. And hey, if we get to keep the watusi as well that’s cool too.
And now the two big ones: mixed species habitats and the much-rumoured indoor savanna. The zoo is pretty jumpy about mixed species because of the infamous rhino incident but it was featured in the old Master Plan that they’d combine at the very least the zebras, kudu and any surplus male giraffes they had. I don’t need them to go to that extent, but I would like them to add some other animals to the existing exhibits. Give the giraffes springboks, give the kudus dukiers, give the ostriches gerenuks, and if you’re really spooked by the rhinos give them nothing. I don’t care what specifically gets added as long as we get more awesome animals.
As for the indoor savanna, I feel like that’s gonna be the big announcement for the new master plan. A way to see the zebras, white rhinos and others in the winter would be huge, especially since the indoor giraffes were a big deal when they happened. Is it feasible? I dunno. Honestly, I just don’t think there’s enough room for a whole indoor pavilion with room for guests, washrooms, etc. in the savanna without cutting into something, but if they have a way to make it work then so be it.
Americas
I’m gonna assume the Tropical Americas dream isn’t happening, at least not any time soon. Maybe way at the tail end of the Master Plan but even then I have my doubts. If we’re gonna spend that much money on a pavilion this one’s probably the least likely of the 4 to get those funds considering the big names for this one are otters and gators compared to the great apes and rare reptiles the other ones are packing. The Animal Plan dances briefly around the idea of turning the pavilion into Canada and putting all the desert/tropical stuff somewhere else (thanks but no thanks) but other than that there doesn’t seem to be much inspiration for the Americas in the coming years aside from expanding the jaguars into the spider monkey habitat.
The one thing I’ll say that I think’ll happen is that the zoo will finally put that massive grassy expanse between the pavilion and the temple ruin to use. They just added a bridge between Tundra Trek and that area last year after an unbelievably long time where you had to make a massive trek out of your way to see the jaguars, and they can’t have done it now after all this time for no reason. I think a new exhibit’s going there. My fingers are crossed for giant anteaters, but it could go to a Canadian Domain refugee to keep up with the Americas theme as well (more on them in a bit) or something I haven’t even thought of. Any suggestions?
Tundra Trek
Good god, what happened here? In just over a decade Tundra Trek went from the big new area of the zoo to a ghost town. The foxes and owls are gone, the walrus deal never went anywhere, and polar bear breeding has ground to a halt (thanks, Aurora). If it weren’t for the wolves having a baby boom over the last few years this would be the most boring area of the zoo bar none. And the Animal Plan doesn’t inspire confidence either. Whooping cranes? Really, guys?
So let’s get to fixing it. Introducing Tundra Trek 2.0, a new vision for this area paying tribute to the Inuit peoples of Canada. I’m talking a complete update, African Savanna style. New decor that’ll really make you feel like you’re travelling up in the Territories, both in the exhibits and along the pathways. And, of course, new animals. Obviously the walrus deal is a big if but this is my wild fantasy and I say it happens. Then we expand the Arctic fox exhibit to add wolverines and put puffins in the snowy owl exhibit. Use decorations/props and add foliage to make the second polar bear exhibit and caribou exhibit more than just big grassy hills with nothing interesting in them. And hey, if we really want whooping cranes, I’m sure they can fit in with the caribou.
Australasia
I’m gonna be a little more subdued with this one since I’m almost certain aside from a few minor adjustments this pavilion’s gonna see the least amount of action overall in the Master Plan.
Obviously everyone’s talking about koalas right now thanks to the Animal Plan briefly suggesting taking in bushfire victims, and since the tree kangaroo is about to leave for good all eyes are on that exhibit with fingers crossed. I’ve got my hopes up too but, as is usual with Australasia, it all comes down to if the Australian government is willing to let them come to Toronto. My heart says yes but my brain says no, so we’ll have to see.
The other thing is indoor kangaroos, the zoo’s been pushing the kangaroos crazy hard on social media lately and obviously people were hyped to see the walkabout return after the pandas left, so I can see them wanting to give the kangaroos the giraffe treatment and turn them from a summer-only animal to a full-time experience. Personally I’d like to see them turn the long-since-abandoned lorikeet aviary into a kangaroo winter home, but I dunno if it has the space for that. Plus, the animal plan says that the tree kangaroo exhibit is gonna be their winter home, so that’s probably what’s gonna happen if the koalas get turned down.
Eurasia
Looks like markhor madness is coming to Eurasia according to the Animal Plan, and I’m all for it. The plan says that the markhor are taking the caucasian tur exhibit, with the Zoomobile-only tahr exhibit being used for a potential bachelor group. They’ve got it pretty much all planned out so I can definitely see it happening.
Aside from that, a lot is leaving Eurasia over the next few years. The chamois have had one hoof out the door for what feels like ages but they’re still hanging on. The popular pick to replace them (plus the likely choice) is takins, and while I’d love that as well, a wildcard dream of mine are saiga antelopes. They look like something from Star Wars, and that’s amazing. They're super rare and super endangered so it's almost certainly never gonna happen but please put them in my zoo.
Oh, and if I can do another wildcard pick, can we put binturongs in one of the red panda exhibits? I know they’d be a better fit for Indo-Malaya but c’mon, why do we have 2 big exhibits just for the red pandas? They can even rotate, like if the red pandas need the exhibit on the left, the binturong can go on the right. I’m sure there’s a reason why the red pandas need 2 and this is one of my more out there predictions for a number of reasons, but still, food for thought.
But yeah, a lot is leaving. The Przewalski’s horses are going to replace the mouflon (I guess in the exhibit near the tigers? Not a lot of room for a whole herd of horses there but okay). The lion-tailed macaques and Barbary apes are almost done. The yak are leaving. What’s gonna replace them? Well…
Canadian Domain
It’s time for the Domain to go to the dumpster where it belongs. I hate that hill with a passion, and these animals should’ve been moved ages ago. I assume they got stuck again when the pandas put the focus on Eurasia in the early to mid 10’s and now we’re tying up loose ends that needed to get done like the outdoor orangs and the entrance touch-ups. But once all that’s out of the way, it’s time to finally kill the Domain once and for all and give these animals the treatment they deserve.
Welcome to the Canadian Wilderness, occupying the old Eurasia area that’s been used as the Zoomobile drive-thru for years now. It’ll be accessed by a new path near the tur/soon to be markhor exhibit. All your favourites from the Domain are back in brand new state of the art exhibits, including the moose, cougar, the zoo’s iconic bison herd, and of course the grizzly bears. The raccoons will take up residence in the Kids Zoo, and the lynx and eagles will be phased out as according to the Animal Plan (wouldn't mind if they weren't though). We’ll also be moving the beavers over here as well as adding new animals, like North American porcupines and a pond for Canadian waterfowl like loons and trumpeter swans.
Aesthetically the area will be the tribute to Canada that the Domain never could be, especially the Indigenous and First Nations people. Ideally we’ll have a lot of representation from them on the design team so we can capture their culture as accurately as possible. This area should tell tourists visiting from out of the country how amazing Canada’s nature is, as well as teaching them a bit about the country’s rich history and what it’s doing to continue conservation efforts for animals like the wood bison and the Vancouver island marmot.
Everything else
I really only care about the animals, so I’m not sure what else I can talk about. The daycare’s probably gonna happen, and I can see them setting up a sort of animal rescue centre in the Discovery Zone. Brew at the Zoo seems to be successful so maybe they’ll lean into that a bit more. I can definitely see either the Africa Restaurant or the Polar Patio being converted into a sit-down restaurant, they’re so close together and have like the same menu. Raven Roost or whatever the glamping thing was called seems feasible, you'll never catch me there though.
Of course the big question is if the monorail is going to make it’s long-awaited return. And to that I give you the very thrilling and exciting answer of maybe. It seems like the zoo is leaning into the Zoomobile right now (the winter form is ready to go, and the Eurasia station just reopened after years of being abandoned) so there isn’t much need for a monorail if the Zoomobile is still going strong. That said, a monorail would be pretty darn sweet and would be a great alternative to the Zoomobile if they decide they don’t want to lose it. It all comes down to money, I guess. If the savanna pavilion or the Canadian Wilderness drains their funds it’s probably not gonna happen, but if they get the revenue they’re hoping for then there’s definitely a chance
okay that went for way too long so I’ll stop now, if you read all of that I love you
TL;DR: sea otters at the entrance, indoor refurb for the orangs after the outside exhibit opens in Indo-Malaya, more animals in Africa plus a savanna pavilion, big new headliner species in Americas between the pavilion and the temple, Tundra Trek redo, Australasia stays more or less the same, Eurasia gets more hoofstock, and Canadian Wilderness finally happens
