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

2) Do you know why Stephane was moved to the zebra exhibit? I thought the plan was to reunite him with Lucy and the babies.

3) Do you mean the Grey Crowned Cranes? And if so does that mean they are also called Victoria Crowned Cranes? The AZA SSP only lists East African Crowned Crane as an alternative name.

4) So are you saying theres a contest to name the Aba Aba Electric fish?

2) I believe this warthog is either Woody or Norm and Stephane is on exhibit in the usual warthog exhibit with Lucy and the 3 piglets.

3) They are the grey-necked crowned cranes.

4) The Zoo was hosting an event about Fish Conservation this weekend and just as they did last year when they held a naming contest for the octopus, they held a naming contest for the Aba Aba (details on the website). I'm not sure how they will announce the winning name though.
 
Oh thanks Adams.

I wondered if it was one of the other boys in the zebra yard because I had definitely seen two adult warthogs with the babies in June and thought it would be weird to move him.

I hope for the contest they do announce a winner. Its more fun when people get to be involved with the animals. I think every summer there should be naming contests for some of the new babies and they dont even have to be big draw babies like last year. People wont care if they are naming a snake, fish, lemur or polar bear. They just like to feel connected to the animals because they helped name it.
 
The two male warthogs living in the old gnu/topi/male zebra enclosure are brothers "Norm" and "Woody".

Both lived off-exhibit together in one of the Savannah hoofstock buildings for quite some time, so in comparison... this new space is quite spacious for them (complete with a mud wallow!)

If you only saw one, the other was likely just out of view, unless something has happened and I just don't know about it.
 
I saw the Warthog from the zoomobile. The other one most definitely could have been in the exhibit just out of view. I meant to say grey-necked crown cranes, but was reading the previous comments/threads that spoke of the victoria crowned pigeon and made a typo. The Aba Aba Fish Contest was allowing guests to vote on five names. I can remember some of the names being Aba Kadabra, Zap, and Sirius Blackout. Sirius Blackout was winning by 10 votes when I saw the voting tally, as it was on a displayed board.
 
I've been playing around with the AZA's stuff again and I dont know if some of this has been mentioned already but the Tahr, barbary sheep, chamois (Im fairly certain this one has been mentioned) and mouflon are all phase out species. What will be in Eurasia when we have blown through all of these? I think the chamois are gone but the others arent. I had thought if any of the animals moved to the drive through exhibits the tahr might have moved over so they could be seen but if they are to die out too why bother. The barbary sheep if im not wrong (its been a long while since I have been in Eurasia) but arent they in one of the two big hilled exhibits (the one closest to the camels?)? And i cant for the life of me remember who the mouflon lived with but I know they were supposed to join the drive through at one point.

Also on this phase out thing theres no hope of muskox returning. I know someone wanted them back. They are a phase out species as well as our snow geese.

Im half way through the tag groups but these ones stuck out in my mind. FYI complete lists are being posted on a TAG by TAG basis in the US forum. I will get the rest done ASAP.

http://www.zoochat.com/22/phase-out-species-united-states-309373/
 
I've discovered even more of our mammals are on the outs. Barbary apes (no surprise), Domestic Yaks, Olive Baboons, wood bison and common marmosets. generic ostriches are also out but dont worry the North African subspecies will replace them.
 
TZFan: the job of TAGs is to recommend which species can best be served by North American zoos (and to highlight which species zoos should be working with). So, although the TAGs recommend the species you mention to be phased out (and replaced with other, higher-priority species), whether individual zoos actually heed those recommendations is another story. The fact that the zoo has just acquired several more yak indicates that - at least at the Toronto Zoo - they'll be around for quite a while. So try not to be quite so alarmist.
 
Oh I know Ungulate that its all recommendations and the zoos can choose to listen or ignore them. Why else would we have shipped in White Lions when breeding genetic blips like white lions and tigers is not recommended? I just read though the stuff and found some of the phase outs interesting because we have them. Im not really surprised about many of them. Quite a few of them I had heard were on phase out but i didnt realize it was recommended AZA wide and not just the zoo itself. Sorry if I sounded alarmist. Maybe my curoistity about what could be, came off the wrong way. If we got rid of some of these species through natural attrition their spaces would be open for something new and that opens up a world of exciting possiblities.

For instantance if the Olive baboons go what new monkey could come in? Do we go back to Hamadryas baboons or Mandrills? Or something new like Guinea Baboons, Drills, Geladas? I'd be thrilled with the Mandrills returning but any change would be cool... not that the olives arent entertaining enough. When the Barbary Apes go will we bring back Japanese Macaques? Or move the lion tailed macaques? or use the space for Canadian animals? I loved the snow monkeys and if they came back it would be fantastic but if the lion tails got the exhibit they would get so much more space and thats great too. And if we got a new Canadian species of any kind that could be very interesting too. Its a world of wonderful possiblities.

Phase outs might be a little sad but they offer a chance at rejuvination for the zoo. New species. New or revamped exhibits. New experiences. New memories.
 
Does anyone know if they have tried AI on polar bears?

Yes, it the first and I believe only procedure was done in 2012 at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY. This was in affiliation with the Cincinnati Zoo. The female polar bear did not have a cub and the zoo has chosen for natural breeding this year. However, this may be a route to go in the future.
 
We had 7 Southern Tamandulas. I believe we had one named Simon who was featured on Zoo Diaries a fair bit because he lived in the health center and he was one of head vet the head vets favourites. His move to Sedgwick was featured in one episode. Well he passed in 2008 but was able to father 6 offspring before his death.

Are these tamanduas on exhibit or all off exhibit?
 
We dont have tamanduas any more. Simon was our last. Shame they are pretty cute and unique looking.
 
A few updates from my trip to the zoo yesterday:
- there's a baby kudu (wasn't there on my trip in mid-August, so I'm guessing it is fairly young)
- there was construction taking place in the Panda Interpretive Centre where the giant salamanders are supposed to be going. I think they are probably putting the tank in.
- in the Americas' Pavilion, they have moved around the species in the marine invertebrate tanks and it looked liked there were a few new species (at least ones I have never seen displayed before). I can't tell you what they were because the signs haven't been updated yet and they aren't listed on the website.
 
A few updates from my trip to the zoo yesterday:
- there's a baby kudu (wasn't there on my trip in mid-August, so I'm guessing it is fairly young)
- there was construction taking place in the Panda Interpretive Centre where the giant salamanders are supposed to be going. I think they are probably putting the tank in.
- in the Americas' Pavilion, they have moved around the species in the marine invertebrate tanks and it looked liked there were a few new species (at least ones I have never seen displayed before). I can't tell you what they were because the signs haven't been updated yet and they aren't listed on the website.

Was the baby kudu on exhibit? I didn't see it on my visit today.

I took a picture of one of the mystery species in the Americas marine tanks and posted it in the gallery. Hopefully someone will know what it is.

Here are a few other things I noticed today:
- there is a guineafowl in the kid's zoo sitting on eggs.
- the prehensile tailed porcupines are back in their indoor exhibit.
- I watched two massasauga rattlesnakes fight over a mate which was really cool to watch.
 
Intersting you got to see a snake fight. Weird they would breed now in the fall being an Ontario snake. Maybe shes a mate now lay later species. I dont know.
 
Not an animal departure but the Chinese keepers who accompanied Da Mao and Er Shun have returned to China according to the board meeting. Our keepers are now fully incharge of the pair at least until breeding season when Im sure experts will come over to help out as they seem to with other zoos and again once the pregnancy window begins to draw to a close in case theres a special arrival or two. I hope our Chinese keeper friends enjoyed their visit to Toronto a little before returning home to their friends and families.
 
Thanks to other zoochaters I have finally found out that one of the new mystery fish species in the Americas pavilion is the sailfin sculpin.
 
Our poor elephants have perhaps hit another obstical in going south. Apparently the Canadian Food Inspection Agency who for some reason have to sign off on the transfer are concerned about the travel on the old girls. It might mean another winter in Toronto for them. Now I would prefer their destination was the National Elephant Conservation Center in Florida but at this point its just better they go south anywhere before winter sets in again. I dont want them to die in transit but the zoo is clearly ready to move on from this ugly mess. And I being somewhat selfish dont want anything slowing down the new giraffe exhibit and the import of a breeding age giraffe herd. Espeically if I can feed the giraffes. I know, I know, Im being greedy. Come on Bob Barker just buy off officals again and lets get these elephants on the move.

Another snag could keep Toronto’s zoo elephants here for another winter | Toronto Star
 
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