Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo Developments 2023

Photo from Dolf's Instagram. Not the best quality, but an idea of the layout of the new tiger boardwalk.
 

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Year end wrap up here. Im gonna try and remember all the big things from the year. I dont keep as accurate a list developments as I do animals moving.

Completed Projects
Outdoor Orang Exhibit - FINALLY!!! Our beloved Puppe was first out! As she should have been.
African Boardwalk - Improved accessibility
Greenhouse Renovations - Improved accessibility and access
Macaw Exhibit - Replaced the Americas free flight aviary
Amur Tiger 3rd Habitat - Increased space to house the Sumatrans as well during renos to their habitat and eventually hold multiple adult Amurs.
African Penguin Habitat - Renos to the pool and indoor holding
Aviary Upgrades - All walkthrough aviaries were enclosed to reduce the risk of avian flu. Ranged from minor changes to a whole reno of the Australiasian avairy.
Peacock Aviary - finally making use of the long overgrown Australasia outdoor aviary.
Echidna and Bettong Exhibit - conversion from tree kangaroo to an echidna and bettong exhibit if I remember right.
Splash Pad - resurfacing, bathrooms and change rooms.
Moose Exhibit - Finally whatever renos they were doing to shore up the exhibit after the flood a few years ago is done.
Winter Zoomobile - finally started running and they got painted so they are no long just bland white.
Bat Conservation - A movable education centre for bats
Malayan Woods - Reopened for the first time in nearly 4 years.

Ongoing Projects
Improved signage
Repaving of the guest paths - correcting grade for accessibility
Small exhibit revamps - just sprucing up the small animal exhibits.
Bathroom renos - the Splash Pad bathrooms were completed and Simba Restaurant and Domain Hill bathrooms are next up.
Additional structures for shade and climbing in various exhibits.

New Projects Started
Conservation Campus Phase 1 - the site has been cleared and the greenhouse giftshop is no more.
Indo Boardwalk - improving accessibility plus it was 50 years old.
Sumatran Tiger Habitat - expanding and adding enrichment items.
Ostrich Barn - Expanding the barn for better winter holding.

Other Developments

Free wifi is available throughout the zoo for guests.
You can now be prescribed a visit to the zoo by a doctor.
Re Accredited by the AZA
Christmas Marketplace continues.
 
I think the Greenhouse and the third Amur tiger exhibit are still on going?
Small additions would be the Snow Leopard exhibit Reno (I think the cooling rock was added?) and the Polar bears got an enrichment poll added as well.

Only other upcoming projects are quite small I think. I know they have requested some permanent shade structures where some of the volunteer umbrellas are. I am trying to think if there was anything else I saw before the portal for bids went behind a paywall. There was an entire design for the wildebeest barn that went through, but that is likely on hold given the lack of wildebeest.

There was the request for proposals for the African Savannah Winter indoor viewing and holding, so I don't know if you would consider that started haha.
 
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The greenhouse looks pretty done. I thought I read it was finished somewhere. I may be mistaken. And the tiger habitat I thought was done since they moved the Sumatrans over. Maybe moving them was more about the boardwalk starting than the exhibit being ready for 3 adult tigers.

I did consider the Savanna Winter Holding but since nothing has really started on it I skipped over it. Once they select a contractor and have a start date, thats when I personally would really consider the project started. The orangs taught me to not consider something started until work begins.

@antilio capra, I'm fairly certain all the species in the Americas aviary have departed or passed, except the acarai. I know the scarlet ibis and sunbittern were transferred out. Pretty sure those were the last three species standing in there when covid hit.
 
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The greenhouse seems to be done construction wise. There is new paved walkway throughout. However it seems like there is still work to be done organizing their collection for guests.

The 3rd Amur tiger habitat is not done, despite moving the Sumatrans now cohabitating. Other than the exterior fence being done, not much progress has been made. Last I heard the city was giving them problems with regards to the number of trees being cut down or something.

The scarlet ibis reside in the Australasia aviary, and the blue-throated piping guan is in Indo.
 
@Kalvin, seriously? They have ibis and guan in the wrong pavilions? I hate when they do that stuff. Geeze use that waste of space we call the kids zoo then to hold them. They probably could go in with the Plush Crested Jays in the Americas if needed. They lived together before just fine. The jays were moved because the one we had was a big of an escape artist. Or yank spectacled owl Jemima from display and put her in with Owlbert in the outreach holding and use the owl exhibit for them.
 
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