Was at the zoo yesterday as well
@Zooer !! My first visit with pavilions open in 4 years! And hoping to visit again soon.
I’ll share some notes and thoughts as well!
Watched the quite active Tahr from across the river to begin!
Maybe this is just because I hadn’t been inside in nearly 4 years, but the amount of birds left in the Indian rhino house was shocking! One single egret. Does anyone have any info on why this is?
Sad seeing the Woods pavilion all sectioned off and closed. Really going to miss the clouded leopards. My visit didn’t feel quite the same without them.
Seeing the new False Gharial was great! Very active along with the usually active turtles!
Only saw one Luzon Bleeding Heart, one Pheasant Pigeon and one Mandarin Duck. That area seems empty. But the fish in the aquarium were amazingly active! Very dynamic when they’re moving around like that.
Lot’s of tortoises in the tortoise area! Nice to see it populated!
Can’t figure out the photo thing but I hope you all can see I posted some progress on the Orang outdoor exhibit. Definitely hopeful for a Victoria Day opening in the spring! It’ll be so nice to have multiple of the orang groups visible at the same time! Can’t wait!
Holly was calling for Lenny the entire time I was in the pavilion and I wouldn’t be able to shake the sadness until I encountered young Charlie right up at the viewing window eating some greens. Lenny will be missed no doubt. More positively, having Bucky in that exhibit really makes for dynamic viewing! As always, let’s hope we get more and more mixes as the years progress.
Gorillas were very active! I got right up to the glass with both Charlie and Nneka! Charles is looking OLD.
The no meerkat thing felt weird. Can’t really say more than that. Seeing the naked mole rats in the chameleon nursery was confusing some guests around me and I had to clarify that they were not baby chameleons. Would love to know what the plan is for those guys! Phase out was the plan, but I wonder if things have changed.
Only 3 hogs in the exhibit, none of them looked like dad, so I really hope he’s ok! Was also weird not seeing him. Kind of a theme for this visit.
Don’t love that the Pygmy hippo area is inaccessible. They’re funneling people through the “Great Barrier Reef” (bleh) area in Australasia which is arguably tighter.
Saw both of the Turacos!! I think they’re staying.
Lemur exhibit needs additional species. Point blank. It’s inexcusable wasting all that space. How can we get some Red Ruffed Lemurs added?!
Seeing Mstari pregnant was so exciting! She’s looking big these days. Amazing those legs can support her and the baby!
One cheetah and one baboon were out. All three lions were out snuggled together on their heated pad. Fintan was looking mighty majestic. One hyena was out but was extremely active. I got the best photos of them I’ve ever gotten at the Toronto Zoo. They really are special animals. I wish we could display more together on exhibit, but I understand the realities of the hyena situation. Still frustrating!
The Penguin Reno was really nice to see! Not much happening in their. Everyone was tranquil or sleeping.
The Americas aviary was awesomely active! Lots of Ibises, and the guan, sunbittern, Aracari supporting cast didn’t disappoint. Please make this whole pavilion Tropical America’s new master plan!
Nice to see the Porcupine and Marmoset! The marmoset is looking quite old. Will be sad when they’re gone, but hopefully we can get some Goeldi’s Marmosets, Cotton Top Tamarins or Emperor Tamarins to keep things diverse. Not that’s it’s new, but it’s always nice to see a pair of Saki on exhibit. I’ll never take that for granted after years of seeing one or the other.
No octopus. Only lobster.
Old porcupine exhibit is now home to a boa Constrictor and done up quite nicely! They’ve changed the doors to the otter pump room and have it lit up for guests to see into. Cool.
Not new, but no more black widow spider, eastern Softshell turtle, mata mata turtle or electric eel.
Seeing the lone beaver was weird and unsettling. Didn’t seem as cozy in there with just one.
Even though I didn’t use it, seeing the new Temple/Tundra path was great! Will make great use of that in the summer!
As
@Zooer said, the wolves were incredibly active!! And I mean really really intrigued. The support dog seemed to consume them. I’ve never seen them come so close to the barrier, but almost all of them did at one point. Incredible to watch them all move together like a true pack. Nice to have a young, healthy pack after having the oldies in their for years who’s hide all the time. I wonder if the support dog possessed some sort of wisdom or if they viewed it as a prey item. Maybe someone will know something like that!
No foxes, no owls, and barely ever Caribou really drains this area (as has been mentioned). Something must be done. Lots of space here for something imaginative.
All 5 bears were out! The boys in the field yard, the girls in the pool yard and Juno in the den. All were roaming around and foraging. Easily the zoos greatest feature during the winter. (Still needs better underwater viewing though!)
Saw one of the chamois! Spent about 10 minutes looking at it just in case it was the last time. Sad to think that we won’t be able to see some species anymore unless we cross the pond. Oh I longed for the days of European Bison, Japanese Macaques, Dholes and oh yeah… snow leopards! Super weird not seeing anything in that exhibit. Pemba can’t be released soon enough!
Nice to see the Steller’s Sea Eagles using the entirety of their exhibit. Can’t believe they shared a third of the space with Eagle Owls and a keeper space. The addition of the pond and cave are nice touches! Would love to see them breed now!
Only 2 red pandas on display. But oh boy did Vasili put on a show! He is so large and majestic, and I love that the zoo removed all the bamboo along the side and back of the exhibit. Will be nice if they can create a third exhibit or expand the main exhibit into all that space behind - all the way to the red pandas.
Mila ain’t no kitten anymore!
Saw Puzzle through the window, but otherwise that area was shut down. B-lined it through the crowded Barrier Reef and was greeted by the loving face of a wombat. Fiji Iguana pair was nice to see! Didn’t take that for granted. All of the reptile exhibit improvements are so nice! Especially the larger monitor/turtle one. The Fly River turtles remain one of the most underrated exhibits. Love watching them glide through the water!
Goat world is actually pretty great! If the zoo can continue to provide such a great home for rescued goats I’m now totally ok with them using that space! I stand corrected.
Oh! And it was nice to walk through the green house and see some of the zoos plant collection! I’ve been in there many times before, but not as a regular zoo guest. Sadly, one black footed ferret had just finished up a procedure to deal with a pancreatic tumor in the animal hospital.
