Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo- Births, Deaths, Arrivals and Departures 2013

Took our kids to Safari Niagara at the end of September, recalled that the Gator-express driver told us the snow leopard had come to them from the Toronto Zoo. I was able to snap a picture of him lying on the platform with my phone. Wish I could have got a better photo.
 

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Erik&Emily'sDad said:
Took our kids to Safari Niagara at the end of September, recalled that the Gator-express driver told us the snow leopard had come to them from the Toronto Zoo. I was able to snap a picture of him lying on the platform with my phone. Wish I could have got a better photo.
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Thanks for sharing this photo! I can't wait to see him come back to Toronto next year.
 
Polar Bear Cub website!!

So the Toronto Zoo website has added a section for the polar bear cub. They have pictures and videos, along with general information about caring for the cub. Here's the link:

Toronto Zoo | Polar bear cub
 
Im totally shocked. Those incharge of the website actually did something right. While i'd like more of a colour contrast just to make reading easier for me... I'll conceed thats probably just me... Its pretty decent. Info on Remy (minus his name... anyone notice that too), Inukshuk and Aurora, photos, videos, care ect. This is exactly what they should do for each newborn... or at least the biggies. I just hope they continue to update it with each milestone until he goes on exhibit but I have little faith that will happen considering according to the cute alert the last birth at the zoo was the 2012 penguin chicks and they have not added 5 lemurs, 3 warthogs, 2 kudus (Odin and Rio), 1 giraffe, 1 yak, 2 moose, 1 hornbill and thats just what I can remember off the top of my head from the last year.

Remy is so adorable. I just wish he had his brothers to add to the cuteness. If they continue to breed Aurora maybe its going to be necessary to just pull the cubs within 24 hours and not risk their lives with a mother whos record to date is 2 of 11 and only because the boys were borht pulled (twins 2010, triplets 2011... hudson being sole survivor... triplets 2012... triplets 2013... Remy being sole survivor).
 
TZFan said:
Im totally shocked. Those incharge of the website actually did something right. While i'd like more of a colour contrast just to make reading easier for me... I'll conceed thats probably just me... Its pretty decent. Info on Remy (minus his name... anyone notice that too), Inukshuk and Aurora, photos, videos, care ect. This is exactly what they should do for each newborn... or at least the biggies. I just hope they continue to update it with each milestone until he goes on exhibit but I have little faith that will happen considering according to the cute alert the last birth at the zoo was the 2012 penguin chicks and they have not added 5 lemurs, 3 warthogs, 2 kudus (Odin and Rio), 1 giraffe, 1 yak, 2 moose, 1 hornbill and thats just what I can remember off the top of my head from the last year.

Remy is so adorable. I just wish he had his brothers to add to the cuteness. If they continue to breed Aurora maybe its going to be necessary to just pull the cubs within 24 hours and not risk their lives with a mother whos record to date is 2 of 11 and only because the boys were borht pulled (twins 2010, triplets 2011... hudson being sole survivor... triplets 2012... triplets 2013... Remy being sole survivor).
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Remy is just a nickname. The zoo probably hasn't put his name on the website because they'll have a naming contest. I like the name Remy though and I hope the zoo decides to keep it.
 
So I was watching CTV news and they had a report on the polar bear cub. Most of it was information that can be found on the new section of the Toronto Zoo website, but I did realize a couple new things.

Both Nikita and Aurora are back in the exhibit together, with Nikita being out of the maternity ward. I'm assuming they've given up on her having cubs, which kinda sucks.

They also said that they will indeed have a name game soon, although they didn't mention how they'll go about choosing the name. But I think it's safe that they'll have a name contest of some type.
 
TZFan said:
a mother whos record to date is 2 of 11 and only because the boys were borht pulled (twins 2010, triplets 2011... hudson being sole survivor... triplets 2012... triplets 2013... Remy being sole survivor).
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Twins in 2010? I don't recall any cubs before the 2011 trio...
 
Maybe Im wrong about the 2010 cubs but I could swear... wait I can check...

Jan 3 2011 male/female twins (so I was wrong about the year but it was the same breeding season that produced them)
Oct 11 2011 male/male/female triplets (Hudson)
Dec 6 2012 male/male/female triplets
Nov 9 2013 male/male/male triplets (Remy)

100% guarentee 4 different litters, 11 cubs, 2 survivors.

Oh yeah its a pity about Nikita... but its gotta be a little early to give up hope. Cubs arrive anytime between November and early January... although Im sure theres been some kind of hormone shift thats led to her being reunited with her sister.
 
I got pattern happy. Your right and I fixed it. 3 males this time. Whoops.
 
Heres a very interesting article on polar bear breeding relating directly to Canadian polar bears. Facts are wrong. They only mention 3 litters for Aurora when there were most definitely 4. And that she tried to kill litters 2 and 3 but thats understandable when they didnt count litter one. But last year she did try with those cubs and again with these. The most interesting fact they offer is that they knocked her out to get milk for Remy but there was no milk. Its exactly what I thought when last years litter died and then with this years. If they breed her again the zoo would be wreckless not to immediately take the cubs within 24 hours of birth. Its just like Josephine. She cant nurse her babies either and the zoo had to take each one to hand rear at least initially so they didnt die. I feel bad for Aurora but the cubs health and very survival will have to come first.

As polar bear populations decline, zoos are keen to breed the carnivorous mammals in captivity ? but it’s tricky | National Post
 
Interesting article. I think you're right in saying that next time Aurora has cubs, taking them away immediately may be their best chance at survival.
 
That or dont breed her again. Thats probably the most responsible decision. Inukshuk is well represented with 4 offspring out of the 13 polar bears in captivity.

If anything send Inukshuk off to breed with Aisaqvak, who has and can get pregnant and rear cubs. Bring Yelle to replace him and try him with a proven breeder in Aurora and just try with Nikita. Worst case scenario they find hes not capable of breeding. Best case he gets Nikita pregant and she rears cubs. If Aurora has cubs immediately hand rear them.

I highly doubt Assiniboine would give up Storm.

And swapping for Eddy from Aquarium du Quebec does nothing because Inukshuk cannot breed with his own daughter.

Could go for a big male swap. Inkushuk to St. Felicein. Yelle to Aquarium du Quebec. And Eddy to Toronto. No point in messing with Assiniboine as it will be a number of years before Aurora and Kaska could breed, Inukshuk is already represented there in Hudson, and they wont give up the genetic gem that is Storm, a potential founder for the population. He might also still be a little young.

It might be a good way to test the fertility of the other males. We all know Aurora is a very fertile bear. If paired with another male and no cubs come then its clearly him. If cubs come well then I dont know. If Nikita has cubs with a different male awesome!
 
Apparently not. The US governement has declared polar bears an endangered species. Therefore they kind of want to keep their population Alaskan. Theres also some issue with Canada allowing beas to be hunted... Im not so clear on that. They no longer allow the import of Canadian bears though. And considering how fragile the US zoo population of bears is they are very unlikely to send any up. The AZA manages Canadian bears seperate from US bears. THats unlikely to change any time soon. There is some chance of importing bears from Europe though. Yelle is from Europe. Another male was traded for him. This might be a possiblity in the future but right now the Canadian polar bear population cannot afford to get much larger. THere are only the 5 facilities housing them... Toronto, St. Felicien, Aquarium Du Quebec, Assiniboine and the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat... housing 13 bears. Once Assiniboine's Jounrey to Churchill exhibit opens next year and they have mix the 4 bears they might have more room.
 
TZFan said:
Apparently not. The US governement has declared polar bears an endangered species. Therefore they kind of want to keep their population Alaskan. Theres also some issue with Canada allowing beas to be hunted... Im not so clear on that. They no longer allow the import of Canadian bears though. And considering how fragile the US zoo population of bears is they are very unlikely to send any up. The AZA manages Canadian bears seperate from US bears. THats unlikely to change any time soon. There is some chance of importing bears from Europe though. Yelle is from Europe. Another male was traded for him. This might be a possiblity in the future but right now the Canadian polar bear population cannot afford to get much larger. THere are only the 5 facilities housing them... Toronto, St. Felicien, Aquarium Du Quebec, Assiniboine and the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat... housing 13 bears. Once Assiniboine's Jounrey to Churchill exhibit opens next year and they have mix the 4 bears they might have more room.
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Thanks for that info!
 
Your welcome. The whole polar bear situation can be very confusing. In Canada the best bet for the population is orphan wild bears, and imports and exports with Europe and Japan (very little trading goes on with any other regions).
 
Went to the zoo today, mainly to get some shots of the animals in the snow.

I managed to catch the keeper feeding the Polar Bears. She was talking about the struggles that were faced with Aurora and the new cub. From what I understand, and I believe it was mentioned on here before, the issue was Aurora's milk production. It wasn't that she wasn't producing milk, as she was, but the milk was not flowing for feeding.

So, the keepers are hoping to breed Aurora (and possibly Nikita) again next year and change her diet and adding medicinal treatment that will help with the milk issue. They really want her to raise some cubs on her own. Apparently their was a similar case like this with a Polar Bear in a European zoo, and a certain medicinal treatment helped solve the problem. They're hoping to try something similar.

She said it looks like for next year they won't be pulling the cubs, like many people think they should. It's a pretty confrontational decision she said, as a lot of people have all kinds of opinions. Some say pull the cubs immediately. Some say try everything possible to allow her to keep the cubs. And some say they shouldn't breed her anymore. The zoo staff feel that they will suffer severe backlash with whatever option they end up choosing.

One thing she said that caught my attention, (And I wish I got more out of her about it), was that if they are successful in breeding a full litter, there are plenty of zoo and facilities in both Canada and the U.S. in which they can be sent, once they're old enough. There's been some decision of this lately, and I'm wondering what you guys think about it.

Lastly, it seems that Hudson will indeed, eventually, breed with the orphaned female, coincidentally named Aurora, who is also as Assiniboine Park Zoo.
 
Cypher we can always trust you to come up with great info. THe keepers must love you.

Interesting that Aurora's milk isnt flowing. If they can change her diet and solve the problem then I say try her with her cubs but the moment the first one of them seems to be fading they should intervine. Knowing what they know now they have to act at the first hint of trouble or it falls back into that wreckless zone. They can hand rear cubs... Hudson and Remy are proof. Try all they can to help her successfully raise cubs but bottom line is the cubs suvival is most important so pull them at the first hint of danger.

And the keeper is right. They are screwed whatever they do. But you can try to keep 2 camps kind of happy. Breed her. Do all they can to help her nurse. If even a single cub starts to look weak pull to hand rear.

However if she cannot nurse next year they should call it quits with her. Maybe they will get lucky and some female Ontario cub will be orphaned and Remy can get a playmate and future mate. Then they could retire Nikita and Aurora to anywhere that will take them as non breeders and we can keep the kids. I know Im dreaming but its a wonderful dream.

I still hope Nikita will be successful at some point.

I find the US option for cubs interesting. I havent heard anything about a change in US or AZA policy. The US zoos desprately need young breeding age bears thats for sure. They have tons so space and a number of new exhibits planned or opening soon for them but very few bears to fill them. We have proven breeders in Aurora, Inukshuk and Aisaqvak. And with any luck in the next 5 years the Assiniboine will start producing cubs from both the females and at least one of the boys. And with Manitoba's new policy on bring wild bears into captivity (they will allow older trouble bears to be brought in if they meet criteria), Canada could provide a number of bears to the US. But that would be a big policy change on the part of the US government.

What confuses me more is the comment on the Canadian zoos. Assiniboine might be able to house a couple of more bears but they will need space for future cubs. Toronto cant handle much more than the 3 adults and a litter waiting for new homes I thought. I cant see the QUebec facilities being able to house tons of bears. I know Calgarys plan was to wait at least 20 years to build their facility (unless the flood pushed up the time table). Maybe Granby is looking to build something or Vancouver or Edmonton (both of them are more doubtful). Although I dont know how many bears Cochrane could handle. At least 4 or 5 bears were held there before our trio came home in 2009. They had Bisitek (our retired female who has since passed), Nikita, Aurora, and Nanook (a male from Calgary who has since died), and perhaps Inukshuk.

Interesting fact. Looking at Cochranes website on the bears. Ganuk, Inukshuks oldest son, is listed as current. Then theres the others who are past. And where is our big daddy? Not listed when he was there when I browsed the site last week. However their facebook page shows him doing things in the snow so maybe hes not left but will be shipped out shortly. Could also be a fluke.

It is interesting they have already picked mates in Assiniboine. I thought they might have seen who clicked with who and then decided. Lots could change though by the time the girls are old enough for breeding. Its not like they have to be certain of anything because they are talking about 4 bears who are completely unrelated and for 3 of them totally unrelated to any other bear in captivity.
 
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