Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo- Births, Deaths, Arrivals and Departures 2014

I have an question someone will have to find an answer for. Calgary just announced they have their first Komodo Dragon, 28 year old Loka, the oldest dragon in captivity. Sounds like we transferred our Loka to Calgary. Dont know why we would risk transferring the oldest komodo dragon in captivity. Ok so I actually have more than one question come to think of it.

1) Did we transfer Loka?

2) If the zoo did why?

I can think of only one reason to risk transfering a girl as old as Loka... we need the space for another breeding age dragon. Someone made a comment awhile back about over hearing keepers talking about gender checking one of the dragons. Maybe they havent bred because Kiki and Kilat are the same gender. So that leads to ....

3) Is the zoo getting a new dragon?

4) Are Kiki and Kilat the genders we think?

I think that covers my new questions. It's going to bug me for a couple of days.

Komodo dragon lumbering into Calgary Zoo
 
Had some free time so I went to the zoo again today. Not much else to report on from Monday, but here it goes.

- Inukshuk was a no show (adams7 has brought to my attention that he's back at Cochrane's Polar Bear Habitat)

- The Arctic foxes are all getting along. The girls look to have accepted Cody.

- The Beaver pond has been cleaned of the algae.

- The steps by the lions are nearing completion. They've been replaced with new one. They should be done by Monday.

- Olive Baboons are back on exhibit

- Butterflies are filling up the Mayalan Woods

- Construction of the zip line has started, and hoping to be operational by the end of June.
 
arcticwolf said:
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.
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Today I had a chance to ask a keeper about that. It is true that the senior female's canines are growing out although they are quite small. The zoo staff has not seen this before but it does occur sometimes.
 
Arctic Fox - the two females who arrived recently came from Bowmanville Zoo and are less than a year old. The one who had the shaved patch on her shoulder has shed a lot of winter fur and is looking very scruffy (gallery). The other one is still quite white. They are not expected to breed with the male, Cody, because the females are so young and Cody has undetermined medical problems.

Polar Bears - Inukshuk left last night, ending his annual date with the females at TZ.

River Hippo - Samson has had that benign tumor on his leg since he arrived at the zoo in the '90s. It has gradually grown and now bothers him so that he is favouring that leg - this from a keeper who saw him when he arrived. Also learned the male and two females alternate outdoors night and day in good weather - don't remember hearing that before.

Brush-tailed Bettongs - the male Tree Kangaroo has been chasing the two bettongs so they are off-exhibit until there is a place to display them.

Tree Kangaroos - the male and female attempted to breed - it will be at least a month before the result is known.

Malayan Woods -many many butterflies and more to come!
 
Based on Cochrane's facebook page Inukshuk looks happy to be back there, even though he will be without his lovely ladies and vast number of adoring fans.

I'm glad Venus and Jupiter have accepted Cody. Dont really want them all stressed and possibly combative.

Seems to be a big construction year with all thats going on so far...; Eurasian Wilds completions; the giraffes; work on the the otters, lions, baboons, pandas, lion tailed macaques and penguins; eventually the new hoofstock exhibit; the zip line; and work on the new health center if that works started, I dont remember. Nice to see all the sprucing up even if its just minor.
 
I guess there's no harm in putting the Arctic Fox girls with Cody, since there's no chance of them mating, while they're so young. Plus, they can learn to get along now, rather than later.

I've realized that the Bettongs have been missing from the Tree Kangaroo exhibit on my last couple visits. Alsways slipped my mind.
 
Thats great to get more details on the foxes. Thanks Mr. Wrinkly. It's unfortunate poor Cody has health problems. Hopefully nothing life threatening. If they cant breed that's fine. I'm just glad Cody has some company and can therefore live a more enriching life. And if they dont want Cody breeding during his next medical check if hes to be a non breeder he can be neutered or just given a vasectomy.

It's good to hear the hippos rotate overnight when possible. It's probably not as good inside the hippo barn for the ones off exhibit. Probably a much smaller pool. Not as much room to walk. No grass. Not that I have been back there. It could be somewhat spacious especially when they were able to take over the bull elephant holding.

It is concerning that Samson's tumor is now causing limping. If they cant help him relieve that pain and walk normally or somewhat normally they might have to try something more drastic like knocking him out to try surgery which is very risky on hippos. Or they might have to take a good look a quality of life. Hopefully its treatable. The three of them are the hippos I grew up with it would be sad to see one go. Although to be perfectly honest their deaths would increase the odds of me seeing a baby hippo which I selfishly want to see. I know Im horrible.

I wonder why the bettongs cant just go back in with the wombats and wallabies or in the smaller exhibit the echidna is in. Where else could they display them? There are no other options unless they renovate the aviary and add some walls in somewhere to create exhibit space for them while still letting the birds fly around.

Hey at least progress is being made with Harrington and Nokopo. She seemed to hate his guts earlier. Now shes at least letting him try to breed. He's a proven breeder so the real question will be can Nokopo get pregnant and will she be able to rear a joey. Here's hoping for the first tree kangaroo joey in 8 years!

You seemed to have a great trip at the zoo in terms of getting keepers talking. Great job.
 
Thanks everyone for all of the new updates. I haven't been able to check Zoochat as often because of school, and things will be getting worse since exam time starts soon.

I've been inside the hippo house before, but it was a long time ago. From what I remember it wasn't very large and the pool was definitely smaller than their outdoor one. The house wasn't bad though compared to pictures of other hippo houses I have seen.

Hopefully the bettongs will be able to move back in with the wombats because they're one of my favourite species in that pavilion.

I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about the feathertail gliders than the zoo recently acquired. Have they gone on exhibit yet and if not when? Also will they be replacing the sugar gliders or going in another exhibit?
 
What smaller echidna exhibit?

The divided indoor exhibit had one aged wombat, various wallabies, the Echidna, and the Bettong. I have been assuming since they acquired two more wombats who are young active ones, somebody had to go.

Also I know you have not seen the tunnelling going on in there by the wombats - it is hazardous!
 
Sorry Mr. Wrinkly, maybe Im mixing up the name of the exhibit Im thinking about. The little one beside the wombats and wallabies. I think I have seen Annie in there. The other times I have gone its usually been empty or appeared that way. If your facing the wallabies is to the left. I probably used the wrong description for it.

Oh man they are tunnelling and Im missing it! I have to move back to the GTA.
 
That area has a passage thru at the back that can be closed, but mostly it is open.

Tunnels - I didn't keep a general pic but will post one that will give you an idea.
 
arcticwolf said:
I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about the feathertail gliders than the zoo recently acquired. Have they gone on exhibit yet and if not when? Also will they be replacing the sugar gliders or going in another exhibit?
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I wouldn't know one from the other but about three weeks ago the sign still said sugar - the feathertails arrived a long time ago, didn't they?
 
I think the feathertails arrived long enough ago to have cleared quarantine and be out on exhibit. Whether they are on exhibit is another matter. I think they arrive sometime over the winter.
 
Hippos - I would seriously now consider some kind of surgery (even if it is a risky business). How old are both females? It is a shame the hippo no breed policy (all over ..., also in Europe).

Bettongs - I assume they are well suited to being exhibited with the less bothersome echidnas, wallabies or wombats ...

Tree Kangaroos - I always thought it was a question of timing. It seems the female before was not in oestrus and trees are "loners" in the wilds. The trick in captivity is set up a compatible pairing (... this sadly ain't easy and much is down to keeper's knowledge of the species). It is what one finds too with cassowaries ... (and wombats for that matter)!
 
Hippos - I don't remember the females ages. The male is about 41 and I don't know his medical condition other than the tumor. What I don't understand is why something wasn't done before this. The keeper who saw him arrive years ago said it was about the size of half a tennis ball, so, OK, don't do anything. When it began to get bigger, obviously it would get to this point so take it off.

Bettongs - previously those four species were together but the male Bettong and two of the wombats are fairly new arrivals and the wombats are both quite active, so I have assumed that's it.

Tree Kangaroos - They have been bred there before and some of those keepers are still around as is the mammal curator, and this male has bred. The female is quite young and has been there about 1 1/2 years. In the last few months I have seen them peacefully on exhibit together sometimes and other times she is very testy with him, turning around and whacking him when he follows her.
 
The female Hippos are Perky (23) & Petal (27). If I remember correctly, they are full sisters to the male Samson.
 
Hippos - I would assume nothing was done when he arrived because it was a harmless growth on Samson's leg. It wasnt hurting him. It wasnt cancer... I assume they have checked that. It wasnt limiting his mobility. But something has clearly changed since his 1993 arrival because animals dont choose to limp and reveal weakness. They only limp because they are in pain and cant put weight on the leg. But now that its a problem knocking him out to perform surgery would have to be a very well calculated risk vesres reward gamble. Hippos are extremely difficult to put under in the first place, keep under, and then wake up. The chances of just that killing him are higher than in most other species. Forget the age factor and what the vets might actually find in the leg once they get to work. It could be impossible to remove.

Petal is 28 in July and Perky just turned 23.

Our hippos arent being bred for two very good reasons. First and foremost Samson, Perky and Petal are full siblings. No point in inbreeding. No one will want inbred hippos. Thats why the zoo maintains Perky and Petal seperately from their brother. Secondly they are all considered undesirable to breed. The origion of their mother Sieren is questionable. They know she was at Granby but where she came from prior to that is a mystery. The SSP has no idea how she is related to all of the other hippos in the SSP, if at all. Because of that they have chosen not to breed her offspring who were born in a simpler time when they werent as concerned about genetic integrety of the babies. The risk of them possibly breeding with close relatives outweighs the benefit of their unrepresented genetics in future generations. No river hippos in Canada should be breeding for this reason. All are related to animals with fuzzy pedigrees. I covered all of that in this thread.

http://www.zoochat.com/223/hippos-canada-347299/

But there is breeding going on in the hippo SSP all over the states. Not a ton of births are allowed but some have been recommended to breed. The problem with hippos is that they breed so easily and quickly for an animal of their size. Zoos could be flooded with unneeded hippos if they werent cautious.
 
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