Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo Discussion thread 2021
- Thread starter RNg0905
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Excellent news! Harvey has never taken very long to do his job. So once they are together probably wont be more then 8 months before we hear the pitter patter of petite pygmy hooves. It also must mean they have a home chosen for Penelope and they highly anticipate she will be gone by spring. Not surprising in the least because she is the first born of 2 founders. Bet a bunch of places were begging for her.
hyena142
Well-Known Member
That's awesome news that we might get another baby pygmy hippo , that plus Mstari's second and if the stars align a white rhino calf would make Africa the place to be next summer. Penelope was a huge deal when she was born so it'd be another win for the zoo trying to bounce back from covid as well.
Don't forget the prospect of two orang infants! It southern side of the zoo might be the place to be! Oh friends 2022 could shape up to be an amazing year for the zoo. If we could get lucky and be shipped snow leopard Pemba and have one of the cheetah girls have cubs it would be over the top amazing.
2022 is looking ok right now, lets not get our hopes up to high we only have 1 confirmed pregnancy being Mstari. But the Pygmy hippo intros are a good sign. We are not even sure if Clark and David are a promising pair. Anyway all that my point is just don't get to excited than faced with a let down year as that has happened before. 2020 was supposed to be a great year with all the SSP arrivals but no one could've predicted a pandemic that would change so much. 2021 was also looking to be a great year since things were easing up at the start of Fall but went bad real quick. So now Toronto being a little less strict will hopefully get better, but of course we can't get so excited as the Delta variant also is spreading.
Yes with only one confirmed pregnancy nothing is assured which is why I said 2022 could be a an amazing year and didnt say it will be one. It holds a lot of promise and after a very difficult summers the zoo would really benefit from a big year. Even in 2020 with a lot of births the only big baby to bank on was giraffe calf, Amani, and we knew it would likely just be her. This time we have active breeding with two orangs and soon enough pygmy hippos. If we could get those 4 babies plus anything else it would be a great summer, plus there is the hope the orang exhibit will be completed.
Saw a photo of the orang exhibit online and they are starting some of the rockwork above ground. I would guess with the slow pace even a September opening would be a long shot. I think it would need to be further along to even hit an October opening. By then it would be too cool for the orangs so I think its pretty safe to think they will give up on any kind of 2021 opening and just embrace the fact it wont open until 2022. Other then the ever present threat that my Puppe will die before she can enjoy it, I like a 2022 opening. It's opening can hopefully kick off a recovery phase for the zoo that will likely take years.
Saw a photo of the orang exhibit online and they are starting some of the rockwork above ground. I would guess with the slow pace even a September opening would be a long shot. I think it would need to be further along to even hit an October opening. By then it would be too cool for the orangs so I think its pretty safe to think they will give up on any kind of 2021 opening and just embrace the fact it wont open until 2022. Other then the ever present threat that my Puppe will die before she can enjoy it, I like a 2022 opening. It's opening can hopefully kick off a recovery phase for the zoo that will likely take years.
hyena142
Well-Known Member
At this point I think the best option for the outdoor orangs is to aim for Spring/Summer of next year, even if they do manage to somehow finish construction by September then they have to get the orangs acclimated to it before they start bringing in guests, and by the time that gets done we'll be lucky if it gets a week before it gets too cold and everyone's gotta go back inside. We all remember how underwhelming Eurasia Wilds being opened in October was, and those animals are usually more active in the cold weather. If they open it in like April though then they have all of winter to work on it and it'll be ready in time for the 2022 peak season, one that's already looking to be huge considering we'll also have a new giraffe calf among other possible babies and hopefully a lot less covid to worry about
I think what the zoo will aim to do is open the orang exhibit for Victoria Day. April can be iffy in terms of weather and these are orangs who have never experienced temperatures below the pavilions... well hot. As they get used to nature in later years yeah totally open for April but I think the first year they might play it cautious. Although when is Easter next year because they could capitalize on that long weekend too? Oh mid April. Depending on weather, covid and infants maybe they will go for it. Its a late Easter next year. If it had been in March it would have been a hard no. It also might depend on how much work they get done before there is snow. If they fall too far behind then we will have to sacrifice some of the spring to that work. I will be super disappointed in the zoo if they hold off longer than Victoria Day. Capitalize on as much good weather as possible even if Kembali is the only one you risk sending out there.
hyena142
Well-Known Member
That's what I thought, thanks
hyena142
Well-Known Member
here's an update from my trip today, sorry if any of this is old news but I figured it might be new for someone. I did all the pavilions except Australasia, it was nice being back in them after so long
Got a quick peek at the outdoor orang construction from inside Indo, it's starting to take shape but there's no way it'll be finished on time for the fall. The old gaur house has been completely demolished, that was a surprise. I just missed the orangs unfortunately, the keeper was still setting up the exhibit for the day when I went past and the pavilion was very busy so I didn't wait around. first time ever seeing the false gharial tho, I didn't even know we had one until earlier this year lol
Lots of peacocks and peahens out today. very vocal too
Some changes in the Rainforest, all meerkat signage has been replaced by crested porcupine signs, so it looks like the old trio is either dead or retired. will miss having them around but I'm sure we'll get more once Mr. P is gone. speaking of that he was nowhere to be found today. The nile monitor exhibit had tortoises in it and all the signs referencing it were replaced so I'm assuming he's gone. The aba aba seems to have been replaced by an African lungfish
This was weird, outside the penguins there was a little fence enclosure with a food bucket in it and nothing else. anyone know what that's about?
The new murals in the Americas primate wing look great, plus I learned that even the strongest masks can't block out the monkey smell lol. No marmosets, but the sakis and tamarins were outside and the sloth was in it's sleeping box as usual. Nicole the porcupine got a new sign but she wasn't in her exhibit. Looks like they're portioning off a bit of the outdoor beaver exhibit to put the snapping turtle outside, I feel like that's new but I'm not sure
onto Tundra, there's a ring-necked pheasant inside the snowy owl exhibit. not the most exciting inclusion but hey, it's something. the Arctic fox signage has been replaced with snow geese but that exhibit was empty and the geese were in their old exhibit. There's signs on the glass saying it's being renovated but I didn't see any construction happening. oh and the new path from the reindeer to the Maya Temple might be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen
on my way out I took another quick peek inside Australasia, still no sign of Puzzle
anything else you guys wanna hear about? I did everything except Canada, Eurasia, Australasia and the Kids Zoo
Got a quick peek at the outdoor orang construction from inside Indo, it's starting to take shape but there's no way it'll be finished on time for the fall. The old gaur house has been completely demolished, that was a surprise. I just missed the orangs unfortunately, the keeper was still setting up the exhibit for the day when I went past and the pavilion was very busy so I didn't wait around. first time ever seeing the false gharial tho, I didn't even know we had one until earlier this year lol
Lots of peacocks and peahens out today. very vocal too
Some changes in the Rainforest, all meerkat signage has been replaced by crested porcupine signs, so it looks like the old trio is either dead or retired. will miss having them around but I'm sure we'll get more once Mr. P is gone. speaking of that he was nowhere to be found today. The nile monitor exhibit had tortoises in it and all the signs referencing it were replaced so I'm assuming he's gone. The aba aba seems to have been replaced by an African lungfish
This was weird, outside the penguins there was a little fence enclosure with a food bucket in it and nothing else. anyone know what that's about?
The new murals in the Americas primate wing look great, plus I learned that even the strongest masks can't block out the monkey smell lol. No marmosets, but the sakis and tamarins were outside and the sloth was in it's sleeping box as usual. Nicole the porcupine got a new sign but she wasn't in her exhibit. Looks like they're portioning off a bit of the outdoor beaver exhibit to put the snapping turtle outside, I feel like that's new but I'm not sure
onto Tundra, there's a ring-necked pheasant inside the snowy owl exhibit. not the most exciting inclusion but hey, it's something. the Arctic fox signage has been replaced with snow geese but that exhibit was empty and the geese were in their old exhibit. There's signs on the glass saying it's being renovated but I didn't see any construction happening. oh and the new path from the reindeer to the Maya Temple might be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen
on my way out I took another quick peek inside Australasia, still no sign of Puzzle
anything else you guys wanna hear about? I did everything except Canada, Eurasia, Australasia and the Kids Zoo
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Oh man that stinks that the meerkat signage is down. Not a good sign at all for the return of the species. They are so popular! If they are all dead it wouldn't take any imports to get a new mob. We could at worst take a sibling set from several other options within Canada. I wouldnt think they would take down the signs if they expected replacements. I will not be happy if they are officially phased out. I really wanted to do the Rainforest Wild Encounter and feed them possibly, after giraffes and maybe penguins.
If the penguin fence I am thinking about is the right one, they had an area set up for penguin meet and greets usually with Sparkles. Now with the new wild encounter beach party I'm not sure whats going on with the bucket being out there. Maybe they bring Sparkles out theres still sometimes?
Love the comment about monkey smell! I dont know maybe with the snappers they are just temporarily contained in the back of the exhibit while construction is going on? Did it look like a permanent choice?
The Tundra Trek stuff is old news. The pheasants have been there since last summer and I'm pretty sure the snow geese were in the fox exhibit too but dont remember well enough to be certain. If you havent been over there in awhile makes sense you wouldn't know. The new path is what should have always been done! More than a decade to fix that mistake but its done.
Im not sure Puzzle would be gone yet. Was her training crate still there?
Question were all 3 spider monkeys out? Lucas is just going to Granby so his departure could happen any time.
If the penguin fence I am thinking about is the right one, they had an area set up for penguin meet and greets usually with Sparkles. Now with the new wild encounter beach party I'm not sure whats going on with the bucket being out there. Maybe they bring Sparkles out theres still sometimes?
Love the comment about monkey smell! I dont know maybe with the snappers they are just temporarily contained in the back of the exhibit while construction is going on? Did it look like a permanent choice?
The Tundra Trek stuff is old news. The pheasants have been there since last summer and I'm pretty sure the snow geese were in the fox exhibit too but dont remember well enough to be certain. If you havent been over there in awhile makes sense you wouldn't know. The new path is what should have always been done! More than a decade to fix that mistake but its done.
Im not sure Puzzle would be gone yet. Was her training crate still there?
Question were all 3 spider monkeys out? Lucas is just going to Granby so his departure could happen any time.
hyena142
Well-Known Member
Until I hear officially that the meerkats are gone for good I'm gonna keep on believing that they'll be back when Mr. P is gone, the Animal Plan says we're due for a new mob and that the porcupines are done so I'm hoping it's just a temporary fix. still two hornbills in Mr. P's old home by the way so no movement there
That must be what that fence is for then, I figured it couldn't be anything crazy because that fence couldn't stop a hamster
Yeah the snapping turtle addition absolutely looked permanent, they had new walls and signage up for it. Think the border that separates the beavers and otters but a little extra section wrapped around a corner of the beavers. the snapper wasn't outside or in his indoor exhibit so I dunno where he is but it looks like they're aiming on getting him outside when the roof work is done. Looked like they were getting close to finishing that
I didn't go inside Australasia but I didn't see a crate looking through the window. I was in a hurry to catch my ride home so I didn't get a chance to look further. Next time for sure
Yes all 3 spider monkeys are still here, I forgot to mention that
That must be what that fence is for then, I figured it couldn't be anything crazy because that fence couldn't stop a hamster
Yeah the snapping turtle addition absolutely looked permanent, they had new walls and signage up for it. Think the border that separates the beavers and otters but a little extra section wrapped around a corner of the beavers. the snapper wasn't outside or in his indoor exhibit so I dunno where he is but it looks like they're aiming on getting him outside when the roof work is done. Looked like they were getting close to finishing that
I didn't go inside Australasia but I didn't see a crate looking through the window. I was in a hurry to catch my ride home so I didn't get a chance to look further. Next time for sure
Yes all 3 spider monkeys are still here, I forgot to mention that
Kalvin
Well-Known Member
Mr. P likes to sleep in his log all day, which sits between the two windows so you have to look in at an angle to see him because it kind of hugs the wall. I wouldn't say the signs being down means meerkats are out for good. If they've all died and we're waiting for new ones, they could've just replaced that sign with an existing porcupine sign since they would've had one from the old exhibit. If I remember correctly, it's just the green name plate sign and nothing fancy or new. The sea eagle sign is down as well, but Alik and Katya seem to be just fine.
The nile monitor was dead pre-covid I think and the radiated tortoises have been in there since the zoo reopened last year since the hippo boardwalk is closed. The aba aba is in the burrows and caves; the lungfish (to my knowledge) has always been in the pavilion.
And to add on to tzfan, if it's the little fenced area behind the ice cream stand, then they could be doing meet and greets again. I don't think they had them at all last year, but if they feel safe enough with the state of COVID and vaccinations and all that, I could see them getting ready to bring that back again. On the off chance you're talking about the fenced area IN the enclosure, that's where they have people stand when they do the wild encounter with the penguins.
The absence of Nicole has been brought up before, but she is still here. I'm pretty sure those black boxes on either side of the aviary are for her, and if she can't be seen in the exhibit then I think it's a safe guess that she's sleeping in one of them. However, we are down to just one common marmoset, Sam. Not sure what the plan is there.
The snapping turtles have always been outside with the beavers but I really have no clue what they're doing with all of that construction in that section. They've redone what looks like the entirety of the otter viewing platform and have had RJ and Talise locked in for a few days now to put in the railing, and they look like they're getting ready to (or already have) replace the glass between the otter and beaver exhibits. Hope they finish it soon, though.
Puzzle is still there, as is her training crate
The nile monitor was dead pre-covid I think and the radiated tortoises have been in there since the zoo reopened last year since the hippo boardwalk is closed. The aba aba is in the burrows and caves; the lungfish (to my knowledge) has always been in the pavilion.
And to add on to tzfan, if it's the little fenced area behind the ice cream stand, then they could be doing meet and greets again. I don't think they had them at all last year, but if they feel safe enough with the state of COVID and vaccinations and all that, I could see them getting ready to bring that back again. On the off chance you're talking about the fenced area IN the enclosure, that's where they have people stand when they do the wild encounter with the penguins.
The absence of Nicole has been brought up before, but she is still here. I'm pretty sure those black boxes on either side of the aviary are for her, and if she can't be seen in the exhibit then I think it's a safe guess that she's sleeping in one of them. However, we are down to just one common marmoset, Sam. Not sure what the plan is there.
The snapping turtles have always been outside with the beavers but I really have no clue what they're doing with all of that construction in that section. They've redone what looks like the entirety of the otter viewing platform and have had RJ and Talise locked in for a few days now to put in the railing, and they look like they're getting ready to (or already have) replace the glass between the otter and beaver exhibits. Hope they finish it soon, though.
Puzzle is still there, as is her training crate
Kalvin
Well-Known Member
When I said hippo boardwalk I was talking about the pygmy hippos but I agree. Hopefully baby long legs two will get them down there since the upper yard will start to get a little crowded. The view of the lower yard is better from the zoomo (compared to upper) as well, and every time I've been on, no giraffes, so it would make that section on zoomo a little nicer as well.
Hopefully the zoo will get some other females and they will enjoy that lower yard. But it’s hard to say and even when the first baby long legs was born she just stuck to mom who always stayed in the front yard. It would help if they integrated another animal too, but the barn is really tight.
hyena142
Well-Known Member
It was a surprisingly big info sign for Mr. P, not just one of the little green ones. I wouldn't be surprised if they just copy pasted it from the Savanna though, I probably wouldn't even notice since I never paid that much attention to him and the stuff around him while he was there. I'm certain that the meerkats will be back as soon as Mr. P is out, that's what the Animal Plan calls for and they're much more popular than porcupines
I swear the aba aba was in the Rainforest for a long time, maybe I'm Mandela effecting myself but I distinctly remember seeing it across from the chameleons
Yeah it's the fenced area behind the ice cream stand I'm talking about, I guess they're bringing penguins out for meet and greets then. that's super cool, I'd love to check that out when it's happening!
I don't doubt that Nicole's still here, she's a tough old girl. I can usually see her spines sticking out of one of the black boxes though and I couldn't today, maybe she was just sleeping in a weird position.
I swear the aba aba was in the Rainforest for a long time, maybe I'm Mandela effecting myself but I distinctly remember seeing it across from the chameleons
Yeah it's the fenced area behind the ice cream stand I'm talking about, I guess they're bringing penguins out for meet and greets then. that's super cool, I'd love to check that out when it's happening!
I don't doubt that Nicole's still here, she's a tough old girl. I can usually see her spines sticking out of one of the black boxes though and I couldn't today, maybe she was just sleeping in a weird position.