Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo Discussion thread 2020

Last time I saw the elk, there were two. I posted several pics of them in the gallery a few years back.
Here is one:
Wapiti - ZooChat

Gorillas - I also learned that both groups have been fighting in the last few days.

Also, learned that last week Josephine was favouring one foot and it has improved slowly. Perhaps she was being kept quietly separated to let the foot recover or perhaps she chose to stay in. Perhaps that is one source of stress, along with the strange (to them) lack of visitors, and the stress some keepers are feeling.

Edit an hour later - Now I see the zoo was posting about Josephine on FB at the same time I was posting here.
 
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Mr Wrinkly said:
Also, learned that last week Josephine was favouring one foot and it has improved slowly. Perhaps she was being kept quietly separated to let the foot recover or perhaps she chose to stay in. Perhaps that is one source of stress, along with the strange (to them) lack of visitors, and the stress some keepers are feeling.
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The Zoo has just posted that Josephine is being given a rest & treatment due to what appears to be ongoing arthritis issues in her foot and hand, and Johari is with her. They're all still together at night though, it says.
And I agree that they're probably very sensitive to all the different things going on, with their keepers and the lack of visitors.
 
Thank you all for the information, it's unfortunate Jo's arthritis is flaring up but I'm relieved it's something predictable for her age and treatable.
 
TZFan what can you tell us about the arctic wolf SSP. With 3 litters born so close together, Dora and Imiq must be an important breeding pair.
 
whitters23 said:
TZFan what can you tell us about the arctic wolf SSP. With 3 litters born so close together, Dora and Imiq must be an important breeding pair.
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There is no SSP for arctic wolf, so it's purely up to institutional discretion whether they breed or not.

The founder base for the Arctic wolves is fairly small, and if I recall correctly, Dora and Vera came from Amsterdam, and Imiq is from Parc Safari, and the majority of the captive population globally is founded from animals originally from Toronto.
 
Hyak_II said:
There is no SSP for arctic wolf, so it's purely up to institutional discretion whether they breed or not.

The founder base for the Arctic wolves is fairly small, and if I recall correctly, Dora and Vera came from Amsterdam, and Imiq is from Parc Safari, and the majority of the captive population globally is founded from animals originally from Toronto.
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Amsterdam arctics along with some in German zoos are actually hybrids.
 
Yeah wish I could be of more help with the wolves but Hyak_II is correct. My wolf info is pathetic compared to other species. I can and have gone on forever about gorillas, giraffes and orangs. Without an SSP or studbook my knowledge starts to dwindle rapidly.

I don't really ever trust the decisions made in Tundra Trek. Just because they are breeding doesn't mean they should be. Just look at Aurora. She went 3 for 12 with her cubs. She should have been stopped long before that. There was no need for the cubs. There are places that need them here in Canada and they cannot go to the US and clearly we cannot get the boys to Europe as planned years ago. 9 innocent cubs were lost for no good reason. I can easily see them just letting the wolves breed for the interest the pups can bring. They definitely didn't need to risk getting two litters. And why let them breed when they haven't been able to place the second litter yet? Now they have potentially 12 wolves they may well have to keep forever. Imagine if both females had maximum litter size? They could have swollen to even more. If we forget the aggression issue two females breeding that are capable of larger litter sizes isnt something you should risk.
 
TZFan said:
I can easily see them just letting the wolves breed for the interest the pups can bring. They definitely didn't need to risk getting two litters. And why let them breed when they haven't been able to place the second litter yet? Now they have potentially 12 wolves they may well have to keep forever. Imagine if both females had maximum litter size? They could have swollen to even more. If we forget the aggression issue two females breeding that are capable of larger litter sizes isnt something you should risk.
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That's disappointing. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt that there was purpose behind all this breeding... more than the fact it will draw visitors. Well this may be the last litter of cubs for a while, especially if they have a hard time finding them homes.
 
I just want to open up a little discussion about the zoo reopening. Firstly I know nothing but when does everyone think the zoo might reopen to foot traffic? I checked the zoo's website and they are currently selling tickets up to July 5. However unlike previous batches its not sold out extremely fast. If they stop selling out the safari they will have to reopen to keep the money coming in. I just wonder when that tipping point will be reached. I want to say by July 15 because other zoos are open to foot traffic throughout North America but something is telling me Aug 1 which happens to fall on a Saturday and a long weekend. However I don't know if opening then is a good idea. While I'm sure entrance time slots will still be needed before hand you probably don't want people flocking to the zoo stupidly ignoring the rules and thinking they will get in because it is a long weekend. Might be better to have the flood a week or two before. It would be bad to miss out on another long weekend if they can avoid it. At least salvage half the summer if they can. Just thought it might be an interesting discussion for us to have. What do you think?
 
This is pure speculation, but my guess would be sooner rather than later. You note that most major and non-major zoos in North America are opening (or have already opened recently) up, and I believe Toronto's one of the only ones that have implemented a drive-through zoo visit. I'd assume Toronto would want to open back up soon, so July 5th or 15th would make sense, although the indoor exhibits will probably stay closed?

Alternatively, the drive-through zoo idea seems to be very popular so maybe they'll wait a bit longer before re-opening to foot traffic.
 
@TZDugong good point about the indoor exhibits. You are right I highly doubt they will reopen. The good thing about Toronto though is that there is so much walking to do and so much you can still see even if the pavilions are closed. And the health center probably wont be open until 2021.

We also have to wonder if the gift shop and restaurants will open. Gut says no. Other zoos are mixed on the policy. Some have kept it all closed. Others will have the restaurants only or gift shops only. Still others have opened all. Too bad the zoos website isn't better set up for online orders for the gift shop. If they had their full catalog available or at least a decent one people could put in an order while they tour around and set a pick up time or text when they arrive at the gift ship to collect the order. The rest could be done online and staff just collects and bags the items. Would help to push sales because lets face it they need every penny they can get right now.

I also think the zoomobile will be down for the summer which is a bummer since there is no other way to easily see the drive thru animals and there will be two Przewalski's horse foals. They really would have driven sales for the zoomobile. But maybe they will open old foot paths closer to them with a better view to help out with that problem.

When it comes to the safari it will be a balancing act. What will generate the most income with minimal risk? I think they will make far more being open to foot traffic with a set capacity. Toronto being an area where far more caution is being taken though will likely slow things.

Just interesting to ponder it all.
 
I just saw a headline on CP24 saying CEO Dolf de Jong is saying members can begin visiting the zoo Saturday and the general public in the coming weeks.
Can't find any further information about what this will look like.
 
Uggghhh Dolf give us more info! I have combed the zoos website. Nothing. I checked facebook. Nothing. Twitter... Nothing. I have checked the news. Nothing. I must know more! Is it limited member attendance? Do we need to book arrival times? Does my membership that was set to expire in May still work? I might have to do the unthinkable for me and call! What is the path around the zoo? What buildings can I go in if any? Do I wear a mask? Lets face it I will wear one but will others have to? Will restaurants be open? Dolf buddy help me!

Interesting thought. What about the safari? Is it cancelled? They are still selling slots on line. That would piss people off. Unless they are allowed in too as compensation. People wouldn't be so upset with that option.

Are any of you planning on going back right away? Or are you going to wait it out? I personally am torn. Do I want to go? You bet. Do I want to leave my house which I virtually haven't left in 3 months in a city with a very low covid rate? Not so much. Also will it be nuts with members right away? Will it be quiet because its just members? I think I kind of want to go before the general public is back because it will be nuts for sure then.

I have too many questions. My mind is just spinning. I need more answers to make my mind stop running.
 
I think that whatever the details of the route etc will be, it will be busy on Saturday. But, if that turns out to be the only members day I might try to do it anyway.

If they are going to let members in all days along with the vehicles, I might wait as I have next Friday off, and that might be better.

Either way I'm very excited. Even have animal print face masks all ready to go! lol.
 
I just got back from Toronto Zoo after going through the Scenic Safari. Going after a long absence beings back a lot of memories. I thought it was very good, though most of the animals I saw were ungulates, with only a handful of others I saw as listed below; the carnivorans were a no show. Now for some notes on my experience.
  • You know how when you were young exhibits seemed to big but now you realise how relatively small there are all along? Its basically my reaction to both the giraffe exhibit's backside and the former gaur area is.
  • There were a couple bits where where we drove in the core woods' service roads and in the Eurasian drive through, places where I haven't been either before or in a long while. I managed to see the tahrs and turs for what likely might be the first time (I can remember anyway). One of the latter was apparently home to domestic goats, which I presumed were there for cost-efficient maintenance.
  • The non-ungulates I saw from the car were one marabou stork, the olive baboons, a one of the callitrichids, the flamingos, the macaws, a great-horned owl, the wattled crane, and the two lion-tailed macaques.
  • I also managed to see two wildlife on the zoo grounds: two baby raccoons and a goose pair and one goslings.
I'll be posting photos shortly after I get my mother to plug the phone into my laptop. Meanwhile, i'll try to get my mother to come back to the zoo when it reopens in full.
 
Visited the zoo (walking not the Scenic Safari) today.

In regards to Covid, the zoo has done a pretty good job I think. The timed-ticketing seemed to be doing its job, the zoo didn't feel crowded for the most part and it was relatively easy to keep your distance from other visitors. I should however note that a few areas of the zoo (Gorillas and Polar Bears) were quite congested with social distancing being tricky, not quite sure how that can be alleviated. Also worth mentioning that there's a small army of zoo workers stationed around the zoo, particularly in the African Rainforest pavilion.

A few bits of non-covid news:
  • The outdoor exhibit in the Indomalaya zone that held Clouded Leopards (and before that Lion-Tailed Macaques), now has a group of Ring-Tailed Lemurs. A bit of an odd species choice, but the Lemurs were active and make for a nice display.
    Signage for the Ring-Tailed Lemur oudoor exhibit

    Signage for the Ring-Tailed Lemur oudoor exhibit

    • Media owner TZDugong
    • Date added
  • The Aldabra Tortoise exhibit has improved a lot from the last time I visited (which was a while ago, a little over a year I think). The grass has grown quite a bit which gives the exhibit a bit more of a "natural" feel. The Tortoises were active which was great as well
    Aldabra Tortoise exhibit

    Aldabra Tortoise exhibit

    • Media owner TZDugong
    • Date added
So overall, I had a great visit. I hadn't visited the zoo for over a year and so it was great to come back and see the animals again, even if the circumstances weren't ideal.:)
 
Good to hear for the most part people are following the rules. Not a surprise that two of the most congested places are two of the most popular animals.

The lemurs were there last summer. They are broken in two groups because they cannot get along. Female power struggle broke out a few years back and they cannot be put back together. The empty exhibit works out well to give them all time on exhibit for as much of the year as possible. Yes odd choice but at least they aren't trapped in the holding half of their day.
 
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