Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo Developments 2018

TZDugong said:
Wow, that’s a great looking enclosure! It’s massive and filled with rolling plains of grass.

A quick question regarding the second video, is it safe for the people to be in the same exhibit as the Tapir? I don’t know much about Tapirs but they are pretty large animals and might be able to do some damage if aggravated.
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Just like their natural habitat... oh, wait.

Tapirs aren't renowned for being aggressive but they are big enough and well-armed enough to do serious damage to a person. There's a well-known story of a keeper having her arm removed by a tapir.
 
DevinL said:
I disagree. I am supportive of these changes to the 2017-2028 Capital Plan if some of the excluded developments are part of future (after the Capital Plan) developments.

The proposed changes to the Capital Plan seem to be about getting the Toronto Zoo back on a solid footing so that they can tackle future challenges. Reducing the State of Good Repair Backlog (see page 2 of the document InfoSponge linked to) is a major concern that I've brought up about the Toronto Zoo in some of my previous posts, so it is encouraging to see that being attended to. Visitor services are somewhat lacking at the Toronto Zoo. By building up these services through the Capital Plan, the Zoo will enhance the visitor experience, and increase revenue sources. With better revenue for stability, and services for guests, the Zoo will be more secure and will be able to better invest in new exhibits, education and conservation.

The individual new projects in the Capital Plan seem to be well considered to address facility backlog and improve guest experiences, while still improving animal welfare and providing conservation and education opportunities.

Originally, the Orangutan budget was too small, and I am very pleased to see that it has increased over the years. Orangutans are a charismatic flagship species with complicated needs. A relatively small budget for their exhibits would not satisfy their needs or be an attraction highlight for visitors.

Visitor services are not as exciting for me as animal habitats, but they are still important. The Welcome Area Redesign will help increase revenue and organize the visitor experience. These developments will help support future exhibits.

Winter accessibility and Zoomobile Improvements are also important. As a BLA design project, I worked on unofficial plans for Toronto Zoo orangutan exhibits. I argued that a significant design consideration should be improving ADA accessibility and my designs included major renovations to the ramps and walkways outside the IndoMalaya Pavilion. The Toronto Zoo should be accessible to every one.

I also agree that Wilderness North and the Canada Pavilion should be designed and developed simultaneously in the next few years. The current Canadian exhibits are too far away from the rest of the Zoo. Developing Wilderness North and the Canada Pavilion together will not only help integration, but also make a bigger statement about how the Zoo prioritizes Canadian wildlife.

The aging of the pavilions at the Toronto Zoo is becoming quite noticeable. The worst are the current IndoMalaya Pavilion and the Americas Pavilion. Renovations to transform these facilities into an Oceania and Tropical Americas Pavilion respectively, will help ease ongoing maintenance issues at the Toronto Zoo.

Finally, the Rhino Ridge improvements also look like a thoughtful move because they will improve animal welfare and create a more engaging exhibit relatively close to the entrance of the Zoo. They must have meant Indian rhinoceros though-not white rhinoceros, right?

For items that have been removed from the Capital Plan, I agree that the hippo renovations would not have been the best investment. It would have created another building and one with high maintenance needs. Most of the hippo exhibits being created in North America cannot house the social groups that hippos need. It would have cost an exorbitant sum to create an exhibit for several hippos in Toronto with underwater viewing. That's just not the best choice for an aging facility that has so many other needs.

I expect that a new outdoor gorilla exhibit, conservation breeding facilities, and education investments will be part of future developments after 2028.

There is a lot to applaud in the changes to the Capital Plan. The overarching vision and objectives are well considered, the additions support those objectives, and the subtractions that are important can still be developed in the future. Hopefully, these plans will be thoughtfully designed and realized and the Toronto Zoo can move forward.
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Well, "after 2028" is far too late to be making any Education investments. This planet cannot afford to wait even a year, never mind a decade, for places like the Toronto Zoo to get their message out and it ain't happening at the moment, let me assure you. The time for investing in Education is right now, or never. And I hate to say this, but it really feels to me like they might even be trying to cut back on this area, from everything that's happened (and not happened) over the past six or seven years.

And if they're such great changes to the plan, then why have they been kept a secret? That should concern you the most.

In any event, I was just reporting. The message in the quotes was clearly not from me, but from someone else with actual dogs in the race.

m30t said:
I doubt they will send the hippos anywhere. I would suspect that they will maintain the current exhibit for the rest of the current two hippos lives and then not acquire new ones.
Given the cost of doing a modern hippo exhibit, which in most cases is still seen as lacking by many, I am not shocked at all by this.
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After they lost the elephants, if they manage to not maintain a hippo population going forward then I really think the Savanna has lost much of its purpose, to be honest. This is not a good plan.

Yi Qi said:
Yeah, i'm rather disappointed at the prospect. I'm not quite sure why they cancelled the educational developments and gorilla exhibits. They aren't that expensive.
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I have a theory about one of those cuts, but I'm going to hold my tongue until I see more signs.

TZFan said:
Where will my wombats, tree kangaroos, regular kangaroos, echidna, wallabies, kookaburras, distinctly Australian critters going. Sadly unless a massive addition is budgeted which I'm not seeing budget for they are all gone and I will be furious. I would trade all of the Canadian stock for them.
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Wow. I absolutely would not. :O

TZFan said:
In answer the the tapir, Tanuck, left in 2015. He had to go to make room for Nandu. Which oddly enough Nandu will likely leave the zoo for the exact same destination, Parc Safari.
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There is no guarantee that Nandu is going to Parc Safari. In fact, there appears to be a push on for him to go to the L.A. Zoo. We'll have to see what happens come the Fall.

Also, I'm sorry I cut this from the quote, but Hannibal (the Chinese giant salamander) is supposedly staying at the Zoo. Exactly where he will be living seems to be up in the air – but with all of the events this Summer in the Interpretive Centre it seems unnecessary to move him anywhere just yet! :)
 
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InfoSponge said:
There is no guarantee that Nandu is going to Parc Safari. In fact, there appears to be a push on for him to go to the L.A. Zoo. We'll have to see what happens come the Fall.
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There is never any guarantee with any transfer until it's happened. Transfer recommendations are all part of a giant chess came the SSP's try to manage. What seems like the right move for Nandu and the species as a whole can change over night. A death, a birth, a new exhibit, the closing of another exhibit and breaking up pairs who aren't breeding can all change the landscape.

Getting Nandu to California could be really good for him because not only could he breed in LA but he could be moved over time to other west coast zoos and spread his great grandfather Vinu's valuable wild born DNA.

However Parc Safari has applied to be a non member participant in the SSP and wants to house greater one horned rhinos. Nandu is a long way from breeding a breeding bull. He could easily chill there for several years maturing while a mature bull spends a little time with an eligible LA female. Other than African Lion Safari no one else in Canada is breeding the species and African Lion Safari to my knowledge hasn't been successful recently or possibly even yet. It would be a little more difficult for Parc Safari to source another animal for the time being so holding Toronto's maturing boys could be a good move for all.

In the end the SSP will recommend Nandu go where he will be of the most good until his future needs to be reevaluated again. Which will happen at least every two years for the rest of his life like all other SSP species.
 
@InfoSponge while I agree that additional investments in education are always desirable, it is not as if there is no educational component or elements currently at the zoo. It might not be to the level you or I would like, but it is there. Further to suggest that there is no point in making investments to education unless it is done immediately is rather extreme; the sooner the better yes, but better late than never.

I question that you keep referring to the zoo doing this in secret, yet you link to a file hosted on the municipal governments website outlining all these changes. A publicly accessible file doesn't strike me as secretive.
 
TZFan said:
There is never any guarantee with any transfer until it's happened. Transfer recommendations are all part of a giant chess came the SSP's try to manage. What seems like the right move for Nandu and the species as a whole can change over night. A death, a birth, a new exhibit, the closing of another exhibit and breaking up pairs who aren't breeding can all change the landscape.

Getting Nandu to California could be really good for him because not only could he breed in LA but he could be moved over time to other west coast zoos and spread his great grandfather Vinu's valuable wild born DNA.

However Parc Safari has applied to be a non member participant in the SSP and wants to house greater one horned rhinos. Nandu is a long way from breeding a breeding bull. He could easily chill there for several years maturing while a mature bull spends a little time with an eligible LA female. Other than African Lion Safari no one else in Canada is breeding the species and African Lion Safari to my knowledge hasn't been successful recently or possibly even yet. It would be a little more difficult for Parc Safari to source another animal for the time being so holding Toronto's maturing boys could be a good move for all.

In the end the SSP will recommend Nandu go where he will be of the most good until his future needs to be reevaluated again. Which will happen at least every two years for the rest of his life like all other SSP species.
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Uh huh. Thanks for the lecture. ;)

Just FYI: Parc Safari is an excellent facility but the concern right now is they don't have proper accommodations for another rhino. That may be fixed by the Fall – or at least sometime soon – and I do hope that's where he ends up because I'd love to visit him there.

TZDugong said:
Can you give a reason why?
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Because a Canadian Zoo without Canadian animals is not a place I would like to visit.

m30t said:
@InfoSponge while I agree that additional investments in education are always desirable, it is not as if there is no educational component or elements currently at the zoo. It might not be to the level you or I would like, but it is there. Further to suggest that there is no point in making investments to education unless it is done immediately is rather extreme; the sooner the better yes, but better late than never.

I question that you keep referring to the zoo doing this in secret, yet you link to a file hosted on the municipal governments website outlining all these changes. A publicly accessible file doesn't strike me as secretive.
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Well, because it was on page...what? 19? of that file whereas the original 10-year-plan was championed with great fanfare. That's what I am referring to.

There are hardly any decent educational components or elements at the Zoo, especially when compared to any other "world-class Zoo" of a comparable size and stature. TZ is tremendously weak in that area and falling farther behind all the time. The signage is finally starting to improve, but even there they have errors that slip through all the time and are never corrected. And if I had a nickel for every tour I've heard being led through there by Staff and Volunteers alike where the tour leader was handing out misinformation about the exhibit or the species in question, I'd be able to fund the new Education improvements out of my own pocket.

I'm sorry, but this has to be a priority, and immediately.
 
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So, my question for anybody and everybody, has anyone heard of any kind of details in the design for the outdoor Orangutan exhibit? Have there been any elements that have been confirmed or scrapped?
 
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@cypher, to the best of my knowledge the plans are still being worked on for the orang exhibit. No plans have been posted on the zoo's website to look for contractors yet. One thing I fear has probably been dropped from consideration is the O line for the orangs. It was initially mentioned but as we have found out little bits and pieces since then I haven't heard it mentioned again. It is a pity if it has been dropped. I really liked the idea. Seeing photos or videos of the orangs using them at other zoos is cool. It would cap the exhibit off with a big wow factor plus it would offer excellent exercise for the orangs. But given our winters maybe its just not a feasible idea. Or maybe the close proximity of the tree line is a factor. Or just cost. We shall have to just wait and see what the plans look like once they are posted. I'm looking forward to that day almost as much as seeing Puppe outside for the first time since she arrived at the zoo.
 
Oh good the new land for the breeding facility is causing controversy already and the zoo is a long time away from doing much with it! Conservationist are against the plan.

They are unhappy that restoration projects for the Rouge are being compromised for the zoo. I say some minor give at take is necessary. Yes the land is working to reestablish itself but think of the good for so many other species native to Canada will get from the breeding center opening. How many more ferrets, marmots, shrikes will be free in Canada if Toronto can increase their breeding space? And the browse that they will be growing will be native species so there will be homes for animals its just the space will be managed and harvested. It's not ideal but more good will come of it I think then the losses.

Honestly from the look of the map the zoo is giving up more land to the park than they are getting in return.

I like how they complain about the building of Raven's Nest... that has nothing to do with the land transfer. It is on existing zoo land. Yes the land being used is natural right now but one also must remember that most of the domain will be regrown as forest once the Canadian stock move out. Journalism at its finest.

Toronto Zoo land takeover will be 'devastating' to Rouge Park habitat, conservationists say | CBC News
 
I am somewhat perturbed that within the conservation community the Toronto zoo record with conservation restoration is woofully overlooked. It is actually a win-win situation for the Rouge restoration area. Aside the Zoo has always been supportive of the wider project here.

Much ado about nothing!
 
So is there any news on the orangutan exhibit? Any at all? seems like the zoo is really dropping the ball on this one so far.
 
GorillaFan15 said:
So is there any news on the orangutan exhibit? Any at all? seems like the zoo is really dropping the ball on this one so far.
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Personally I wouldn't expect to hear a lot on this project over the next little bit. I would suspect the zoo will be promoting what they have/what they will try draw in crowds with this summer instead of promoting for next year. Even though we are all anxious to see what they have planned for the orangs.
 
What they have, is of course two baby Rhinos.

I too am eagerly awaiting the Orangutan habitat (although I’m sad to see the Gaur go), but as @m30t has said, the zoo should be focusing on promoting for the summer.
 
They have the rhino calves but they will also be joined sometime next month by an even more popular gorilla infant and I have heard quite possibly wolf pups by the end of the month.

Added to that they could pump the return of the tortoises and Amur tigers.

No design plans have been released for the orang exhibit. Considering now would be prime building time I think next summer might be a pipe dream unless they are having staff build it and there will be no bidding on a contract. I would think quite a lot would have to be done between now and fall before the really bad weather settles in. If its not started soon they will need next spring and probably summer. I fear Puppe may never see the new exhibit. Not that her health is bad but she is one of the oldest orangs in North America.
 
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