Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo- Births, Deaths, Arrivals and Departures 2014
- Thread starter TZFan
- Start date
arcticwolf
Well-Known Member
I would love for the Canadian Domain to become a breeding centre for larger species. The bison, moose and elk exhibits could be used for breeding groups of Przewalski's horses, Grevy's zebras and wood bison.
I agree I think it will be convereted to a breeding center. It would be far from prying eyes and loud noises. Theres tons of space down there thats already cleared. I think they should put the shyier breeders down there like the cheetahs.
Plus they could hold surplus stock there, like a bacholor troop of gorillas or surplus polar bear cubs.
Plus they could hold surplus stock there, like a bacholor troop of gorillas or surplus polar bear cubs.
I'm not 100% positive, but I believe that the babirusas are actually the two females, Olive and Muna. When I was there last week, the larger of the two had a slight limp (one of the back legs) and from past visits, I'm pretty confident in saying that that is Olive. Since the other one is smaller, it is Muna. The male, as he usually is, is probably off display.
arcticwolf
Well-Known Member
Maybe it was the 2 female babirusas. Neither of them had tusks but one of them looked like it had its tusks cut off. One of us should try to ask about it next time we're at the zoo.
At two Muna should be ready for transfer. There is a demand for babirusas and being female and mature (happens between 1-2 years) one would think the SSP would be moving her out and pairing her with a suitable male somewhere. Which in turn free up much needed space to let Bucky and Olive breed again.
Since we were talking in the gallery about hopes for the new master plan the Greater One Horned Rhino building would be another thing I would love to see renovated. Expand as much as possible both the indoor and outdoor space so that we can hopefully hold more. Make the exhibits look more natural. Unfortunately that wont happen in the near future. Might not even make it into the 25 year plan.
Since we were talking in the gallery about hopes for the new master plan the Greater One Horned Rhino building would be another thing I would love to see renovated. Expand as much as possible both the indoor and outdoor space so that we can hopefully hold more. Make the exhibits look more natural. Unfortunately that wont happen in the near future. Might not even make it into the 25 year plan.
Alright, it was a beautiful day with nothing but sunshine, so I went to the zoo. Spent a lot of time there today, although I didn't really get to speak with much keepers. There were tons of kids that came from schools that took up most of their time.
First stop was the Panda as it was 8:30 and the rest of the zoo was technically closed. To my surprise Er Shun decided to be the active Panda today. She was rolling around her exhibit, moving between the outside and inside sections. Da Moa was doing what Pandas do best, sleeping.
After watching Er Shun being as happy as can be, I went to check out the Polar Bears. Humphrey wasn't out yet and I couldn't be bothered waiting for him. So I checked out the adults who were all swimming and playing with each other underwater. Eventually one of the female, not sure which one, left the pool to journey into the other yard. It was a lot of fun watching them. I wish the underwater viewing spanned around the entire waterside, instead of just the one corner. It seems shallower there, and I find the Polar Bears spend more time on the other side, away from the underwater viewing.
Next stop was the Arctic Fox. The two new foxes were in the exhibit. Didn’t get a chance to find out their gender, or names, or whether they’re a breeding pair, but they are clearly smaller than Cody. They are also way way more active. They never stopped running around the entire time I was watching them, which was at least 15 minutes. They were chasing each other around and seemed to love the attention of someone watching them.
In the Australasia Pavilion both Tree Kangaroos were on exhibit again. Harrington (male) seemed extremely interested in Nokopo (female), but she seemed very hesitate of him, even attacking him when he turned his back on her. Nokopo also seemed interested in the Bettong getting up and close to it (not sure if it was just one or if there were more). When the Bettong stood up Nokopo jumped away looking completely terrified. It was kind of funny. In the end it looks like Nokopo is not taking to Harrington’s advances, although she seems to be coming around to him being on exhibit with her. The first time I saw them with each other, she seemed to hate him.
The Americas Pavilion is officially the warmest area at the zoo. You can feel the immediate rise in humidity when you enter the aviary area. Aside from feeling dehydrated, I realized a couple things. Firstly, the female white-faced saki is still a no show. I haven’t found out why. Also the small aquarium tank next to the Octopus that was holding the Sailfin Sculpin has a new fish. The Sailfin is gone and two Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker has taken its place with a note reading, “Hi, we are Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers (Eumicrotremus orbis). We are cute and growing.” Not show where the Sailfin has been placed, but I’m thinking off exhibit. The otter exhibit, which as mentioned by arcticwolf, has been drained. It’s clear that they are doing some king of maintenance, as the floor inside the building has been dug up. A barrier is up preventing people from getting to the window. Because of this, the water in the upper otter area (which is still full of water) and beaver area have become foggy due to the filter system being off. A portable filter is in the beaver area, but not doing all that much to clear the water. Otters are being kept indoors, although they seem antsy to get outside.
The Canadian Domain turned out to be a complete waste of time. Very disappointing. The most I can hope for from that are some good shots of the Raccoons and maybe the Lynx. I didn’t see any Bison calves, although they could be in holding off exhibit.
As for the Giraffes, Mstari is a lot bigger from the last time I saw her. She’s now eating grass, and venturing quiet far from her mother, Twiga. Not sure if she’s still suckling. The male Hyena was looking to breed, but the female didn’t like him being near her. From most of the interactions I’ve seen between them, the female doesn’t seem to like the male at all. Tawny lions Lindy and Jerroh were out lazing around. Cheetahs doing the same. Only the male Zebra, Jake was on exhibit. A little disappointing, as I wanted to see Luke and Leia, but they’re only out for certain times, and after that trek up the Domain hill I was in no mood to wait a couple hours. As for the gorillas, I got to see new born Nneka riding on Ngozi’s back as she walked around the exhibit. She seemed to be moving away from Nassir most of the time, as he wanted to play with mommy and baby sister. Also more construction is taking place in the old elephant exhibit. Saw cement trucks in the area along with more heavily duty vehicle equipped to dig out the area.
Finally, I went on the zoomobile, just to see the Eurasia area. Got to see the Dr. Schofield Memorial Garden. Not much to say about it. They said that they’re thinking of adding other animals to the zoomobile section of the Eurasia track. They said that this morning they were testing Mouflons in the area to see how they interacted with the other animals (Horses and Yaks).
That’s pretty much everything I can remember at the moment. I’ll try posting pictures today or tomorrow.
First stop was the Panda as it was 8:30 and the rest of the zoo was technically closed. To my surprise Er Shun decided to be the active Panda today. She was rolling around her exhibit, moving between the outside and inside sections. Da Moa was doing what Pandas do best, sleeping.
After watching Er Shun being as happy as can be, I went to check out the Polar Bears. Humphrey wasn't out yet and I couldn't be bothered waiting for him. So I checked out the adults who were all swimming and playing with each other underwater. Eventually one of the female, not sure which one, left the pool to journey into the other yard. It was a lot of fun watching them. I wish the underwater viewing spanned around the entire waterside, instead of just the one corner. It seems shallower there, and I find the Polar Bears spend more time on the other side, away from the underwater viewing.
Next stop was the Arctic Fox. The two new foxes were in the exhibit. Didn’t get a chance to find out their gender, or names, or whether they’re a breeding pair, but they are clearly smaller than Cody. They are also way way more active. They never stopped running around the entire time I was watching them, which was at least 15 minutes. They were chasing each other around and seemed to love the attention of someone watching them.
In the Australasia Pavilion both Tree Kangaroos were on exhibit again. Harrington (male) seemed extremely interested in Nokopo (female), but she seemed very hesitate of him, even attacking him when he turned his back on her. Nokopo also seemed interested in the Bettong getting up and close to it (not sure if it was just one or if there were more). When the Bettong stood up Nokopo jumped away looking completely terrified. It was kind of funny. In the end it looks like Nokopo is not taking to Harrington’s advances, although she seems to be coming around to him being on exhibit with her. The first time I saw them with each other, she seemed to hate him.
The Americas Pavilion is officially the warmest area at the zoo. You can feel the immediate rise in humidity when you enter the aviary area. Aside from feeling dehydrated, I realized a couple things. Firstly, the female white-faced saki is still a no show. I haven’t found out why. Also the small aquarium tank next to the Octopus that was holding the Sailfin Sculpin has a new fish. The Sailfin is gone and two Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker has taken its place with a note reading, “Hi, we are Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers (Eumicrotremus orbis). We are cute and growing.” Not show where the Sailfin has been placed, but I’m thinking off exhibit. The otter exhibit, which as mentioned by arcticwolf, has been drained. It’s clear that they are doing some king of maintenance, as the floor inside the building has been dug up. A barrier is up preventing people from getting to the window. Because of this, the water in the upper otter area (which is still full of water) and beaver area have become foggy due to the filter system being off. A portable filter is in the beaver area, but not doing all that much to clear the water. Otters are being kept indoors, although they seem antsy to get outside.
The Canadian Domain turned out to be a complete waste of time. Very disappointing. The most I can hope for from that are some good shots of the Raccoons and maybe the Lynx. I didn’t see any Bison calves, although they could be in holding off exhibit.
As for the Giraffes, Mstari is a lot bigger from the last time I saw her. She’s now eating grass, and venturing quiet far from her mother, Twiga. Not sure if she’s still suckling. The male Hyena was looking to breed, but the female didn’t like him being near her. From most of the interactions I’ve seen between them, the female doesn’t seem to like the male at all. Tawny lions Lindy and Jerroh were out lazing around. Cheetahs doing the same. Only the male Zebra, Jake was on exhibit. A little disappointing, as I wanted to see Luke and Leia, but they’re only out for certain times, and after that trek up the Domain hill I was in no mood to wait a couple hours. As for the gorillas, I got to see new born Nneka riding on Ngozi’s back as she walked around the exhibit. She seemed to be moving away from Nassir most of the time, as he wanted to play with mommy and baby sister. Also more construction is taking place in the old elephant exhibit. Saw cement trucks in the area along with more heavily duty vehicle equipped to dig out the area.
Finally, I went on the zoomobile, just to see the Eurasia area. Got to see the Dr. Schofield Memorial Garden. Not much to say about it. They said that they’re thinking of adding other animals to the zoomobile section of the Eurasia track. They said that this morning they were testing Mouflons in the area to see how they interacted with the other animals (Horses and Yaks).
That’s pretty much everything I can remember at the moment. I’ll try posting pictures today or tomorrow.
arcticwolf
Well-Known Member
It sounds like you had a fun day cypher!
You're so lucky that you saw a bettong. Every time I visit the zoo I spend tons of time looking, but I can never find one.
I agree with you about the heat in the Americas Pavilion. I had to rush through it because I was so uncomfortable. The Pacific spiny lumpusckers have been in with the sailfin sculpins for a while. Both species were on exhibit together yesterday.
Hopefully the mouflon will mix well with the other drive through animals. I wonder what other species the zoo plans on adding to that area? Weren't the camels supposed to be mixed in there as well?
You're so lucky that you saw a bettong. Every time I visit the zoo I spend tons of time looking, but I can never find one.
I agree with you about the heat in the Americas Pavilion. I had to rush through it because I was so uncomfortable. The Pacific spiny lumpusckers have been in with the sailfin sculpins for a while. Both species were on exhibit together yesterday.
Hopefully the mouflon will mix well with the other drive through animals. I wonder what other species the zoo plans on adding to that area? Weren't the camels supposed to be mixed in there as well?
Cypher, Kawa, our female White Faced Saki died at some point in the last year. I dont remember when. But she was quite old. Maderia, our new male, is on his own until the SSP finds him a new mate. I think hes somewhat vaulable if I recall correctly so I think our odds of getting a new female are pretty decent.
With the digging up of the floor inside the Americas Pavilion I guess something must really have needed to be fixed with the otter and beaver filtration. Hopefully it wont be a long job.
Its probably for the best that the hyenas dont breed. The SSP says not to breed them because they are too closely related. If we dont listen and breed them its likely we are going to get stuck with the cub or cubs. Just what we need more Lindy and Jerrohs.
I feel bad you treked down that hill for nothing. At least if nothing is on exhibit past a certain point they could put up a sign so you dont waste your time.
Its nice to hear Nneka is now big enough to ride mom. Bet Ngozi is happy to have both of her hands free more of the time.
Always great to hear of more work in the new giraffe yard.
I remember last year they mentioned the camels and mouflons as potentials for the drive thru. I hope theres more of a mix. Plus moving them into those exhibit would free up space.
With the digging up of the floor inside the Americas Pavilion I guess something must really have needed to be fixed with the otter and beaver filtration. Hopefully it wont be a long job.
Its probably for the best that the hyenas dont breed. The SSP says not to breed them because they are too closely related. If we dont listen and breed them its likely we are going to get stuck with the cub or cubs. Just what we need more Lindy and Jerrohs.
I feel bad you treked down that hill for nothing. At least if nothing is on exhibit past a certain point they could put up a sign so you dont waste your time.
Its nice to hear Nneka is now big enough to ride mom. Bet Ngozi is happy to have both of her hands free more of the time.
Always great to hear of more work in the new giraffe yard.
I remember last year they mentioned the camels and mouflons as potentials for the drive thru. I hope theres more of a mix. Plus moving them into those exhibit would free up space.
So if the zoo follows the SSP, we won't be seeing Hyena cubs anytime soon? That kinda sucks, but if it's for the greater good, than it can't be helped.
Yeah, the maintenance on the otter area looks pretty intense. There's all kinds of equipment in the exhibit that they'll be using sometime.
Yeah, the maintenance on the otter area looks pretty intense. There's all kinds of equipment in the exhibit that they'll be using sometime.
If they follow it yes there wouldnt be cubs. But there was the signs last year when Moja was wounded saying he was hurt during breeding attempts. Unless they changed their minds they were trying. The SSP is just a recommendation. The zoo can ignore those recommendations, hence we have white lions that the Lion SSP says not to have or breed.
Maybe there was a major malfunction with the filtration.
Maybe there was a major malfunction with the filtration.
When I was there over Easter, there was a very large puddle of water in front of the viewing area for the Otter exhibit that basically covered the pathway and extended towards the door leading to the invertebrate section. The part that was sectioned off was around a drain in the floor, so I would guess that the exhibit work stems from that issue.
Oh that doesnt sound too good with flooding in front of the otters that went so far across the building. Time for some urgent and significant work then. Hopefully it will be a relatively fast fix so the otters can get back outside. Kids love watching them in that big pool and outdoor exhibit offers more kids a chance to look at the same time than the indoor one does. Plus based on what has been said the beavers are kind of off display too with their water being really murky and likely equipment in front of the window.
Had some free time today, so I went to the zoo with my brother. Not much happened, although I think I managed to get some decent photos.
- For once the Bettong was out from it's corner surveying the area. Harrington (male tree kangaroo) stayed up in the branches.
- Got to see the Tawny Frogmouth for the first time. It was lurking in the far end sitting in the top of the cage.
- Clean up of the outdoor Kangaroo area finished today, so they let the Kangaroos out for, I believe, the first time this year. You can tell they loved being back outside. They were quite active.
- Humphrey spent the majority of his time splashing in his pool, putting on a show for the crowd of school kids.
- Still haven't found out the two new arctic foxes names yet, but one of them is clearing starting to have its fur change from white to grey. This is the same one that I posted a picture of having a black spot on its side.
- Not sure if it's anything, but for the first time, to my knowledge, only the male Jaguar was out. The Black Panther, was a no show. Someone who frequents the zoo a lot said it was odd and not usual.
- In the African Rainforest Sadiki put on a show for the school kids, has he repeatedly ran by the window, slapping it to get a reaction out of the kids. Nassir watched wanting to join the fun, but it seemed Ngozi wasn't letting him. Ngozi seemed like a mother looking after two kids.
- Also, both otters in the Rainforest were together again. Last couple times I saw them only one otter was on exhibit. The Otters were grooming each other.
- And finally, Mouflons are official on exhibit in the Zoomobile Eurasia track. Camels are slowly being introduced to the exhibit.
- For once the Bettong was out from it's corner surveying the area. Harrington (male tree kangaroo) stayed up in the branches.
- Got to see the Tawny Frogmouth for the first time. It was lurking in the far end sitting in the top of the cage.
- Clean up of the outdoor Kangaroo area finished today, so they let the Kangaroos out for, I believe, the first time this year. You can tell they loved being back outside. They were quite active.
- Humphrey spent the majority of his time splashing in his pool, putting on a show for the crowd of school kids.
- Still haven't found out the two new arctic foxes names yet, but one of them is clearing starting to have its fur change from white to grey. This is the same one that I posted a picture of having a black spot on its side.
- Not sure if it's anything, but for the first time, to my knowledge, only the male Jaguar was out. The Black Panther, was a no show. Someone who frequents the zoo a lot said it was odd and not usual.
- In the African Rainforest Sadiki put on a show for the school kids, has he repeatedly ran by the window, slapping it to get a reaction out of the kids. Nassir watched wanting to join the fun, but it seemed Ngozi wasn't letting him. Ngozi seemed like a mother looking after two kids.
- Also, both otters in the Rainforest were together again. Last couple times I saw them only one otter was on exhibit. The Otters were grooming each other.
- And finally, Mouflons are official on exhibit in the Zoomobile Eurasia track. Camels are slowly being introduced to the exhibit.
arcticwolf
Well-Known Member
It sounds like you had a fun day!
It's good that the mouflons were able to mix well with the other animals. Hopefully the same thing will happen with the camels. I'll probably ride the zoomobile again when both species are mixed in.
It's good that the mouflons were able to mix well with the other animals. Hopefully the same thing will happen with the camels. I'll probably ride the zoomobile again when both species are mixed in.
It's funny, because despite it being a mix animal exhibit, the animals stay pretty wary and far away from each other. Each species looks to have it's own claim to an individual yard. Horses get the first yard, Yaks the second yard, and the Mouflons have the last yard.
Friday at the zoo:
Canadian Domain - every captive animal was out except the moose and raccoon. Bald Eagle is sitting on a nest. Saw several wild ducks and other birds and animals and flowering native plants.
Cheetahs - got more info about the cheetahs coming and going - TZFan will correlate in a few days.
Eurasia - saw several completed or close to completion new structures and more obvious work on landscaping. Took pics but it was a bumpy ride on the zoomobile so nothing worth keeping.
Zebras - male was out in the morning - females and foals in the afternoon
Clouded Leopards - people are still talking about a pair coming
Snow leopards - learned Kota is in the Health Centre.
Pekin Robin - learned the older pair have gone and the new pair is in the Health Centre
Canadian Domain - every captive animal was out except the moose and raccoon. Bald Eagle is sitting on a nest. Saw several wild ducks and other birds and animals and flowering native plants.
Cheetahs - got more info about the cheetahs coming and going - TZFan will correlate in a few days.
Eurasia - saw several completed or close to completion new structures and more obvious work on landscaping. Took pics but it was a bumpy ride on the zoomobile so nothing worth keeping.
Zebras - male was out in the morning - females and foals in the afternoon
Clouded Leopards - people are still talking about a pair coming
Snow leopards - learned Kota is in the Health Centre.
Pekin Robin - learned the older pair have gone and the new pair is in the Health Centre
In reference to a question Zootographer asked in the Animals at Toronto Zoo thread I have info on our cheetahs. I'm adding it here because it fits better in this thread.
Mr. Wrinkly and I have been trying to work this out for a couple of weeks now. We are just on the edge of having it all figured out. Best we can figure we have 14 cheetahs right now... 16 if the two new arrivals came today. As we all know there has been a large transfer in from African Lion Safari (ALS) and 3 will be leaving at the end of the month.
Again as best we can figure out right now here is how things shake down. I'm adding additional info many of you already know to help answer Zootographers question.
Onyx (F), Elio (M) and Jamoccha (F) are in the health center recieving end of life care. Onyx was born Jun 19 2001 at ALS and arrived here in 2010. Being nearly 13 she is extremely old for a cheetah so her problems are likely age related. Most cheetahs max out between 10 -14 years. She's never bred.
Jamoccha was born April 23, 2003 at the Cheetah Breeding Center (Im not sure where exactly that is). She arrived here in 2004 and went to ALS in 2007. At 11 she is on the older side and is most likley to have been a recent ALS transfer. I dont believe she has bred.
Elio was born Nov 4 2006 at the zoo to mom Mya and father Luke (who has since passed). He was in a litter of 4 with brothers Jose and Chico and sister Emma and all 4 were transferred to ALS in 2007. At 8 middle aged Elio may have been back sooner than the others currently arriving from ALS. Im not sure his reason for being on end of life care. He has never bred.
Reality with these three is that the will be gone eventually.
Pinky (F), Zoey (F) and Shamwari (F) are all being transferred to a zoo somewhere in Nova Scotia. They are full sisters born in think in South Africa. Pinky and Shamware are litter mates born Nov 19, 2004. Zoey arrived Nov 21, 2005. They moved to Toronto in 2006. None of the girls ever had cubs which is a shame because they were so genetically vaulable. I think someone said they are currently the grouping on exhibit.
In the exhibit holding is Rafiki (M) and Akeelah (F) fresh in from ALS.
Rafiki was born Nov 19 2004 in South Africa and is the litter mate of Pinky and Shamwari and brother of Zoey. He arrived here in 2006 with his sisters. In 2010 he went to ALS. While here in Toronto he sired a 2009 litter with Mya consisting of females Miti, Wangari and Asanti. Those cubs have moved on. He has sired one possibly two litters. The only definite litter was with Emma consisting of 4 cubs. Im not sure of the details.
Akeelah is a bit of a mystery. Based on rumors she is most likely one of Rafiki and Emma's cubs but she could just as easily be an unrelated female which would be great.
In the off exhibit holding is Mya (F), Zeke (M), Bomani (M) and Mahala (F).
Mya was born April 10, 2003 at the Cheetah Breeding Center. She arrived in 2004 with half sister Jamoccha, as well as Zeke and his brother Zack (now deceased). Mya is the most prolifc breeding female the zoo has ever had. She's had 3 litters. In 2006 she and Luke had boys Elio, Chico and Jose and female Emma. In 2008 she and Luke had male Bomani and female Mahala. And in 2009 she and Rafiki had females Asanti, Miti and Wangari. At 11 shes now too old to breed again and is considered elderly.
Zeke was born May 4, 2003 at the Cheetah Breeding Center. He arrived in 2004 with brother Zack (now deceased) along with Jamoccha and Mya. He has never bred and at 11 is probably too old to breed being so elderly.
Bomani was born July 23 2008 at the zoo to Mya and Luke and is the litter mate of Mahala. Because all of the cheetahs who are at the zoo being either too old to breed or related to him he has never been able to breed.
Mahala was born July 23, 2008 at the zoo to Mya and Luke and is the litter mate of Bomani. They may have tried to breed her to Zeke, the only unrelated male at the zoo (until the arrival of Rafiki at least 30 days ago) but nothing has ever happened.
In the health center's quarantine are females Tika and Cleo. They arrived last month and will be out of quarantine sometime this week and off to the exhibit. Two more unidentified ones are due to arrive today if things went well.
Tika may be another one of Rafiki and Emma's cubs but Im not sure.
Cleo may also be one of Rafiki and Emmas cubs since 4 were supposed to come.
Now one question is Emma. I have heard she arrived. But when she arrived or where she might be is up for debate. She may be here. She may not. She hasnt been properly accounted for yet.
Emma, if she arrived, was born Nov 3 2006 at the zoo to Mya and Luke and has brothers Elio, Jose and Chico. She moved with her brothers in 2007 to ALS. There she had at least one litter of 4 cubs in 2012. Its possible she may have had an earlier litter with Rafiki but I'm not certain. If she hasn't moved yet she could be one of the two due in.
There are two more unidentified cheetahs due to move to the zoo from ALS today (May 12th). They will be in quarantine for 30 days upon arrival.
That should cover all the cheetahs. 16 cheetahs by days end. 3 will be shipped out by the end of the month. 3 more are in end of life care. 3 older cheetahs who will likely need end of life care in the next couple of years. Leaving 7 possible breeders, 1 male, 4 females and 2 yet to be identified. Sounds good right? Wrong. Right now, if we accept that the 7 incoming cheetahs from ALS are Jamoccha, Rafiki, Emma and 4 2012 cubs, that means all 7 breeders are descendants of Mya and therefore cannot be bred. Once all the cheetahs have arrived, passed quarantine, undergone exams and the three outgoing cheetahs have departed the zoo can contact the Species Survival Program Coordinator for cheetahs to discuss their options. Likely more will go while most likely a new male or two come in to breed. It will be some time yet before breeding is even an option. New homes will need to be found for some, good genetic matches made, transferring in the new comers (cross border paperwork is a pain in the rear), quarantine cleared, introductions made and then we might get lucky with breeding. Just because we have so many cheetahs doesnt mean we will be having cubs any time soon.
Hope that helps answer your question Zootographer. Between Mr. Wrinkly and I we hope to figure out the last to missing cheetahs soon and clear up the Emma issue. If anyone else knows or learns something that would be awesome.
On a side note the new Arctic Foxes are both female and named Venus and Jupiter. Apparently they are realitively locally sourced. I dont know those details. Just focused on my obsession with names naturally. LOL.
Oh... I have more... the sea eagles are a male and female. They have been at the zoo long enough to clear quarantine but I dont know where they are being kept right now.
And Kota and Tiga are the only two snow leopards at the zoo. Kota will be clearing quarantine soon.
Mr. Wrinkly and I have been trying to work this out for a couple of weeks now. We are just on the edge of having it all figured out. Best we can figure we have 14 cheetahs right now... 16 if the two new arrivals came today. As we all know there has been a large transfer in from African Lion Safari (ALS) and 3 will be leaving at the end of the month.
Again as best we can figure out right now here is how things shake down. I'm adding additional info many of you already know to help answer Zootographers question.
Onyx (F), Elio (M) and Jamoccha (F) are in the health center recieving end of life care. Onyx was born Jun 19 2001 at ALS and arrived here in 2010. Being nearly 13 she is extremely old for a cheetah so her problems are likely age related. Most cheetahs max out between 10 -14 years. She's never bred.
Jamoccha was born April 23, 2003 at the Cheetah Breeding Center (Im not sure where exactly that is). She arrived here in 2004 and went to ALS in 2007. At 11 she is on the older side and is most likley to have been a recent ALS transfer. I dont believe she has bred.
Elio was born Nov 4 2006 at the zoo to mom Mya and father Luke (who has since passed). He was in a litter of 4 with brothers Jose and Chico and sister Emma and all 4 were transferred to ALS in 2007. At 8 middle aged Elio may have been back sooner than the others currently arriving from ALS. Im not sure his reason for being on end of life care. He has never bred.
Reality with these three is that the will be gone eventually.
Pinky (F), Zoey (F) and Shamwari (F) are all being transferred to a zoo somewhere in Nova Scotia. They are full sisters born in think in South Africa. Pinky and Shamware are litter mates born Nov 19, 2004. Zoey arrived Nov 21, 2005. They moved to Toronto in 2006. None of the girls ever had cubs which is a shame because they were so genetically vaulable. I think someone said they are currently the grouping on exhibit.
In the exhibit holding is Rafiki (M) and Akeelah (F) fresh in from ALS.
Rafiki was born Nov 19 2004 in South Africa and is the litter mate of Pinky and Shamwari and brother of Zoey. He arrived here in 2006 with his sisters. In 2010 he went to ALS. While here in Toronto he sired a 2009 litter with Mya consisting of females Miti, Wangari and Asanti. Those cubs have moved on. He has sired one possibly two litters. The only definite litter was with Emma consisting of 4 cubs. Im not sure of the details.
Akeelah is a bit of a mystery. Based on rumors she is most likely one of Rafiki and Emma's cubs but she could just as easily be an unrelated female which would be great.
In the off exhibit holding is Mya (F), Zeke (M), Bomani (M) and Mahala (F).
Mya was born April 10, 2003 at the Cheetah Breeding Center. She arrived in 2004 with half sister Jamoccha, as well as Zeke and his brother Zack (now deceased). Mya is the most prolifc breeding female the zoo has ever had. She's had 3 litters. In 2006 she and Luke had boys Elio, Chico and Jose and female Emma. In 2008 she and Luke had male Bomani and female Mahala. And in 2009 she and Rafiki had females Asanti, Miti and Wangari. At 11 shes now too old to breed again and is considered elderly.
Zeke was born May 4, 2003 at the Cheetah Breeding Center. He arrived in 2004 with brother Zack (now deceased) along with Jamoccha and Mya. He has never bred and at 11 is probably too old to breed being so elderly.
Bomani was born July 23 2008 at the zoo to Mya and Luke and is the litter mate of Mahala. Because all of the cheetahs who are at the zoo being either too old to breed or related to him he has never been able to breed.
Mahala was born July 23, 2008 at the zoo to Mya and Luke and is the litter mate of Bomani. They may have tried to breed her to Zeke, the only unrelated male at the zoo (until the arrival of Rafiki at least 30 days ago) but nothing has ever happened.
In the health center's quarantine are females Tika and Cleo. They arrived last month and will be out of quarantine sometime this week and off to the exhibit. Two more unidentified ones are due to arrive today if things went well.
Tika may be another one of Rafiki and Emma's cubs but Im not sure.
Cleo may also be one of Rafiki and Emmas cubs since 4 were supposed to come.
Now one question is Emma. I have heard she arrived. But when she arrived or where she might be is up for debate. She may be here. She may not. She hasnt been properly accounted for yet.
Emma, if she arrived, was born Nov 3 2006 at the zoo to Mya and Luke and has brothers Elio, Jose and Chico. She moved with her brothers in 2007 to ALS. There she had at least one litter of 4 cubs in 2012. Its possible she may have had an earlier litter with Rafiki but I'm not certain. If she hasn't moved yet she could be one of the two due in.
There are two more unidentified cheetahs due to move to the zoo from ALS today (May 12th). They will be in quarantine for 30 days upon arrival.
That should cover all the cheetahs. 16 cheetahs by days end. 3 will be shipped out by the end of the month. 3 more are in end of life care. 3 older cheetahs who will likely need end of life care in the next couple of years. Leaving 7 possible breeders, 1 male, 4 females and 2 yet to be identified. Sounds good right? Wrong. Right now, if we accept that the 7 incoming cheetahs from ALS are Jamoccha, Rafiki, Emma and 4 2012 cubs, that means all 7 breeders are descendants of Mya and therefore cannot be bred. Once all the cheetahs have arrived, passed quarantine, undergone exams and the three outgoing cheetahs have departed the zoo can contact the Species Survival Program Coordinator for cheetahs to discuss their options. Likely more will go while most likely a new male or two come in to breed. It will be some time yet before breeding is even an option. New homes will need to be found for some, good genetic matches made, transferring in the new comers (cross border paperwork is a pain in the rear), quarantine cleared, introductions made and then we might get lucky with breeding. Just because we have so many cheetahs doesnt mean we will be having cubs any time soon.
Hope that helps answer your question Zootographer. Between Mr. Wrinkly and I we hope to figure out the last to missing cheetahs soon and clear up the Emma issue. If anyone else knows or learns something that would be awesome.
On a side note the new Arctic Foxes are both female and named Venus and Jupiter. Apparently they are realitively locally sourced. I dont know those details. Just focused on my obsession with names naturally. LOL.
Oh... I have more... the sea eagles are a male and female. They have been at the zoo long enough to clear quarantine but I dont know where they are being kept right now.
And Kota and Tiga are the only two snow leopards at the zoo. Kota will be clearing quarantine soon.
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Here's a news report on the zebra foals.
Toronto Zoo baby zebras important to survival of species | CityNews
Toronto Zoo baby zebras important to survival of species | CityNews