Sorry I didnt give my answers right away. Got dragged away by family festivaties.
And like I said Arcticwolf it doesnt have to be news. Anything is fair game including personal experiences.
Good
Dedintely the pandas. Who doesnt love Da Mao and Er Shun. Highlight for me was seeing them for the first time.
All of the polar bears this year. Love that we have Remy in Tornoto now but also awesome that Storm, Aurora and Kaska were saved and relocated to Assiniboine.
The birth of giraffe calf Mstari in Toronto. We had all given up hope that a calf would arrive especially after Stripes death last year. And for her to come on a day of great sadness for the staff and community was fantastic timing. She can help us look to the future.
I throughly enjoyed sharing all of the cool things I learned about Toronto Zoo and its animals with all of you. So worth the expense.
I loved getting to go to the zoo with a class of kids and sharing my love of the zoo with them and still hearing about that day from them months later. It was hilarious when another guest assumed I was a staff member because I knew so much about the polar bears. And nothing beats seeing kids faces fall to the floor the first time they see an elephant in real life... shame I wont get to do that ever again in Toronto... and not with my little nephew.
I also had a blast planning my dream Toronto Zoo with Arcticwolf. That was so fun to think about and hear other opinions.
Bad
Anything I hear about Marineland.
The string of penguin deaths in Calgary.
The fact not all of Eurasia opened this year... not really that bad but disappointing.
The horrible story about the two boys killed by a python in New Brunswick and the unfortunate death of several of the animals just because they couldnt safely be removed.
All of the undeserved bad press Toronto Zoo recieved.
Mixed Feelings
Now Calgary's flooding I see as both good and bad. I mean we all should be applauding the heroism and dedication of the zoo staff. What an amazing story they were. But the destruction to the zoo and the deaths of the animals is pretty bad.
Id have the elephants leaving Toronto here. While I agree it was right to send them away to a better climate I hate how everything went down surrounding it and Im not sure Im happy with where they ended up. But then the good news too is they are gone and the zoo can stop being bashed... In theory.
Ill add another section looking forward to in 2014...
I want a panda cub! Who here wouldnt?
Seeing little Remy, Mstari and hopefully the gorilla baby.
Any other toronto zoo baby.
For Calgary zoo to bounce back and have a wildly successful year.
Journey to Churchill's grand opening. I really will like to see what it looks like in reality.
Opening of Eurasian WIlds. I miss my snow leopards, red pandas and I still want to see the Stellars sea eagles... yes Im still as focused on that as I was when they first announced them.
I hope Toronto can transfer the giraffes to the new exhibit by spring or summer. And then the zoo can refocus construction on the orangs outdoor exhibit.
