Toronto Zoo Original Map

arcticwolf · 21 Aug 2014

This map was in the zoo\'s first guidebook. Here\'s what all of the numbers represent:

1. Zoo Entrance: ticket booths, rental depots for strollers and wheelchairs, first aid post and security police, an ice cream bar, washrooms, a kiosk selling guidebooks and a shop selling postcards and souvenirs. Also a membership kiosk and Toronto Zoological Society offices.

2. Orientation Area: map of zoo, list of featured exhibits and a sculpted map of the world.

3. Indian Monkeys: Entellus monkeys (also known as Hanuman langurs) and lion tailed macaques.

4. Village Edge: portrays the interaction between man and nature in Indo-Malaya.

5. Monsoon Building: display area explaining the influence of the monsoon on animals, plants and people in Indo-Malaya.

6. Indo-Malayan Pavilion: orangutans, gibbons, false gavials, blood pythons, rain forest display, aquaria, coconut, banyan tree, gingers and nocturnal exhibit.

7. Nilgai

8. Barasingha

(peafowl and sarus cranes also lived in the Indo-Malayan paddocks)

9. Boardwalk to African Pavilion

10. African Pavilion: bongos, pygmy hippopotamuses, sitatungas, gorillas, baboons, mandrills, nocturnal exhibits, African masks display, aquaria, sausage tree, triangular palm, coffee-bush and washrooms.

11. African elephants and hippopotamuses

12. Black and white rhinoceroses

13. Lions

14. Fur seals and black footed penguins

(other savanna animals included zebras, baboons, giraffes and many more not listed)

15. African Restaurant

16. Madagascar snack bar

17. Capybara, mara and waterbirds

18. North American Pavilion: beavers, muskrats, massasauga rattlesnakes, nocturnal exhibits, aquaria, agave or century plants, live oak and prickly pear.

19. Polar Bears

20. Restaurant

21. Eurasian Pavilion: fennec foxes, greek tortoises, flight cage with European and Asian birds, figs, lime, dwarf palms, nocturnal exhibits and silk route display.

22. Siberian Tigers

23. Chinese Leopards

24. Camels

25. Snack Bar

26. Australian Paddocks: walk through enclosure with wallabies, emus and black swans.

27. Future World of Oceans

28. Future Canadian Domain

29. Future Auditorium and Educational Complex

30. Future South American Pavilion

31. Future Australian Pavilion

32. Future Madagascar Pavilion

TZFan · 21 Aug 2014

Oh man I still wish they had done oceans and madagascar pavilions. That would have been cool. It would have also been nice for the south american animals to get their own pavilion separate from the North American.

Thanks for sharing this blast from the past.

arcticwolf · 21 Aug 2014

I wish all of those future plans actually came true. It would be amazing for the zoo to have sections dedicated to species from the Oceans and Madagascar. Also if a new Australian Pavilion was built, the Eurasia Pavilion might still be around.

Another interesting fact that I learned is that the reason why polar bears weren't included in the Canadian Domain was because the zoo wanted them to be in between the North American and Eurasian sections since they can be found in both regions.

Also does anyone know if any animals were in the Monsoon and Village Edge buildings and if so, what species? I know that the Village Edge eventually became the Malayan Woods, so did it have the same species and just the name changed?

TZFan · 21 Aug 2014

The placement of the polar bears has always made sense to me for just that reason. The placement of the domain away from the polar bears didnt. I would slid the polar bears and pavilion closer to Eurasia and then used Tundra Treks space for the domain, possibly including the temples space. But I get why they stuck them down the hill to take advantage of the valley and its views.

All of the other stuff I dont know about. That was before my time.

arcticwolf · 22 Aug 2014

Something else that I just remembered is that there was a brief description of what the South American Pavilion would look like. It said that there would be an island for monkeys and sloths with the moat surrounding it home to river dolphins!

TZFan · 22 Aug 2014

River Dolphins! Im not a fan of monkey islands but surround it with something so cool is pretty awesome. Completely unrealistic but awesome.

Toronto Zoo Original Map

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