Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo Discussion thread 2023
- Thread starter cypher
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It would mean they wouldn't have to rotate Bucky and Olive in the outdoor Babirusa exhibit - and I guess technically they have the indoor and outdoor lemur families, so it wouldn't be unprecedented to have the same animal in two geographic "regions" of the zoo. Are there any other examples where they've done that?
True, but I normally like species to be in the same proximity to each other. Having the female on one side of the zoo, and the male on the other bothers me. Also, not a fan of the summer Lemur house. I think they should just tear that noise down. Can't think of any other species they currently do this with, that's actually on exhibit.
AJ the TZ Guy
Well-Known Member
I still remain hopeful for a permanent koala exhibit myself.
hyena142
Well-Known Member
Just got back from a quick visit, here's some small updates from the TZ
-Construction season is in full swing, progress is being made on the new Africa to Americas ramp, the Australasia aviary and the third Amur tiger habitat. Didn't make it to the outdoor orang site today but I imagine work's going well there too. It's very exciting to have all these new projects going on at once. The new Australasia aviary looks great, the old one is more or less completely torn down and the new one looks like it's going to be much more spacious. Didn't manage to snag any pics because I didn't wanna disturb the workers but I'm tentatively hoping that all the projects will be ready for sometime this summer.
-Didn't see any sign of a barbary sheep nor any signage for them at the mouflon exhibit, so make of that what you will. Unfortunately for me I also didn't see the patch of black ice in front of me while I was looking for signs. Ow.
-Sheldon the Eurasian eagle owl was in the sea eagle exhibit, maybe some behind the scenes breeding is going on between the eagles?
-For the first time ever I actually saw snow geese in the old Arctic fox exhibit, they've supposedly been in there for years but this was a first for me. They were very friendly.
Anything else you guys wanna hear about? I did Eurasia and Tundra.
-Construction season is in full swing, progress is being made on the new Africa to Americas ramp, the Australasia aviary and the third Amur tiger habitat. Didn't make it to the outdoor orang site today but I imagine work's going well there too. It's very exciting to have all these new projects going on at once. The new Australasia aviary looks great, the old one is more or less completely torn down and the new one looks like it's going to be much more spacious. Didn't manage to snag any pics because I didn't wanna disturb the workers but I'm tentatively hoping that all the projects will be ready for sometime this summer.
-Didn't see any sign of a barbary sheep nor any signage for them at the mouflon exhibit, so make of that what you will. Unfortunately for me I also didn't see the patch of black ice in front of me while I was looking for signs. Ow.
-Sheldon the Eurasian eagle owl was in the sea eagle exhibit, maybe some behind the scenes breeding is going on between the eagles?
-For the first time ever I actually saw snow geese in the old Arctic fox exhibit, they've supposedly been in there for years but this was a first for me. They were very friendly.
Anything else you guys wanna hear about? I did Eurasia and Tundra.
During my most recent visit a few weeks ago, the eagles were in the former spider monkey exhibit. As for why they're there, I'm not sure.
hyena142
Well-Known Member
That's really interesting. I couldn't even get to that exhibit, I passed by the Temple as I went through Tundra and it was closed. Maybe they wanted to give them a bit more space for attempted breeding? The spider monkey exhibit is certainly roomier than their usual one
If the temple was closed off... which it usually is this time of year because really who is out besides maybe jaguar Luca... they probably moved them there to give them privacy for breeding. By keeping them far away from guests it might promote breeding. In their usual exhibit guests can come pretty close so they might be thinking its stressing them during breeding season. I remember a facebook live saying that the female Katya was the more high strung of the two and when they were in there with them she was pretty agitated. It might mean that when she stresses she abandons the nest. We know shes laid eggs. As best I know none have been fertile because Alik was too young. Now that they can really breed they probably want to do all they can to increase the odds. They have a nice sized fully enclosed exhibit that currently is off display so why not try moving them to see if it relaxes them and promotes breeding and successful incubation. Hopefully this is the year!
I noticed a while back that the Zoo had the Stellar Sea Eagles as off-exhibit. I would have thought having an exhibit attached to a jaguar would have been more stressful than people walking by - but maybe he's staying inside in this weather.
@hyena142 did you purposefully skip the Americas because of the maintenance going on there? Or was it coincidence? I was debating a visit to say goodbye to Mila (amur tiger) before her transfer in March, but it would be nice for the Americas to reopen before we go.
@hyena142 did you purposefully skip the Americas because of the maintenance going on there? Or was it coincidence? I was debating a visit to say goodbye to Mila (amur tiger) before her transfer in March, but it would be nice for the Americas to reopen before we go.
@Zooer, the zoo has said in the past that jaguar Luca is increasingly spending time indoors to avoid the heat. I would assume the same would be true for the cold, even on mild winter days the old guy might not really want to be out. They also could put up scrim between the exhibits so that the eagles cant see him. Plus they wouldn't necessarily see the jaguar as a threat. The biggest threats to nests are things like members of the weasel family or birds because they usually are nesting on cliffs. Need something that can get to the nest to eat the egg or kill the chick. They may not be bothered by him especially if they moved them over with time to adjust before breeding season. By then they would realize Luca poses no threat as he cant come close to them.
I cant speak for this year but the Temple usually stays closed until its warm enough for the capybara and flamingos to go out (and in the past the spider monkeys too). All depends on temps and condition of the exhibit. March would be a very unusual opening for it. April is more likely.
Speaking of Amur tiger Mila, I do wonder since shes been separated from Mazy for as they said a couple of months already if they tried breeding her with Vasili again. At 15 she is old to become a mom again and usually they stop at 14 but I do know despite her age they do have a recommendation to breed again. Her genetics are just that high that another litter is worth it to the SSP. It might not be worth it to the zoo. She would be 17 by the time the cubs are old enough to separate, thats pushing it for an old girl. But here is a fun fact too. I do know a Canadian zoo is poised to import a young female tiger from Seoul. I don't know who is getting her but with all the work the zoo is suddenly doing to create a 3rd tiger habitat even though they know Mila is leaving next month and that Mazy is probably not going to have another litter (I just dont them going for it despite the green light) I do wonder if we are the new female's future home. Calgary has a breedable pair (heavily related). Granby has a breedable pair (the one more likely to need replacing is old man Jack not the female). Winnipeg would be our main competition because they have siblings but I dont know if they could handle 3 adult tigers and cubs. While I am certain Mazy and Vasili are allowed to produce one last litter and that there should be a new female import coming to Canada the rest of it is me speculating on what might happen just to be clear.
I cant speak for this year but the Temple usually stays closed until its warm enough for the capybara and flamingos to go out (and in the past the spider monkeys too). All depends on temps and condition of the exhibit. March would be a very unusual opening for it. April is more likely.
Speaking of Amur tiger Mila, I do wonder since shes been separated from Mazy for as they said a couple of months already if they tried breeding her with Vasili again. At 15 she is old to become a mom again and usually they stop at 14 but I do know despite her age they do have a recommendation to breed again. Her genetics are just that high that another litter is worth it to the SSP. It might not be worth it to the zoo. She would be 17 by the time the cubs are old enough to separate, thats pushing it for an old girl. But here is a fun fact too. I do know a Canadian zoo is poised to import a young female tiger from Seoul. I don't know who is getting her but with all the work the zoo is suddenly doing to create a 3rd tiger habitat even though they know Mila is leaving next month and that Mazy is probably not going to have another litter (I just dont them going for it despite the green light) I do wonder if we are the new female's future home. Calgary has a breedable pair (heavily related). Granby has a breedable pair (the one more likely to need replacing is old man Jack not the female). Winnipeg would be our main competition because they have siblings but I dont know if they could handle 3 adult tigers and cubs. While I am certain Mazy and Vasili are allowed to produce one last litter and that there should be a new female import coming to Canada the rest of it is me speculating on what might happen just to be clear.
How accurate is the species list on Toronto Zoo's website? I'll likely be visiting for the first time next fall, so would be curious to know how up-to-date they keep the lists on their website. While I know I've barely missed a few high-profile losses (spot-necked otter and chamois), there are still a number of species listed on the website I've never seen before so it'd be nice to know how accurate the list is. The list also seems fairly mammal-centric, so would I be correct in assuming that some smaller birds and ectotherms weren't listed?
BovidBabe
Well-Known Member
Sounds like there will be plenty of new things for me to see when I visit again in April! Going close to the end of the month this time, so hoping nice weather has set in by then.
As for Winnipeg getting the tiger - I'd doubt it, but if it happens... I won't complain!
As for Winnipeg getting the tiger - I'd doubt it, but if it happens... I won't complain!
hyena142
Well-Known Member
@Zooer If you're talking about the Temple Ruin it was closed with gates in the way, you can't get to it. It probably won't reopen until somewhere around May, that's usually when the zoo shifts over to summer mode and brings out the flamingos and macaws among others. It's been a mild winter though so maybe you'll get lucky. The pavilion is open though
@Neil chace The list on the website is unbelievably outdated, they remove species when they're gone but don't add new ones. Just as one example our babirusas are a major part of the Toronto Zoo family and they've been with us for over a decade and they still haven't been added to the website. This document has a list starting on page 40, it's a few years old and features some animals that have left us since then (tree kangaroos, cougars, etc.) but overall it's much more thorough than the website.
@Neil chace The list on the website is unbelievably outdated, they remove species when they're gone but don't add new ones. Just as one example our babirusas are a major part of the Toronto Zoo family and they've been with us for over a decade and they still haven't been added to the website. This document has a list starting on page 40, it's a few years old and features some animals that have left us since then (tree kangaroos, cougars, etc.) but overall it's much more thorough than the website.
Thank you for the document! Do you happen to know if the zoo still has:
- White-Headed Vulture
- Himalayan Tahr
- Great Hornbill
- Burmese Star Tortoise
- Asian Brown Tortoise
- West Caucasian Tur
- Elegant Crested Tinamou
- Double Striped Thick-Knee
- Loggerhead Shrike
- Moose
- Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Any info about the species listed above would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
hyena142
Well-Known Member
@Neil chace
White-headed vulture: Yes, Lloyd is still living his best life in the kudu exhibit, you can see him in the kudu exhibit from late spring to early fall
Himalayan tahr: Yes but they can only be seen from the Zoomobile
Burmese star tortoise: I think we still have these, if we do they'll be in the Indo-Malaya pavilion
Great hornbill: Yes, Jonah is located at the exit of the Indo-Malaya pavilion
West Caucasian tur: We have lots of these in Eurasia
Loggerhead shrike: I believe there's still one in the Americas pavilion
Moose: Yes we have two sisters, they're located in a very remote spot in the Canadian Domain though (which is very remote on it's own) so you kinda have to look for them though
Wombat: We have two wombats, Arthur and Matilba, but they can be a bit tricky to spot, I've struck out on them a lot recently
Not sure about the ones I didn't list
White-headed vulture: Yes, Lloyd is still living his best life in the kudu exhibit, you can see him in the kudu exhibit from late spring to early fall
Himalayan tahr: Yes but they can only be seen from the Zoomobile
Burmese star tortoise: I think we still have these, if we do they'll be in the Indo-Malaya pavilion
Great hornbill: Yes, Jonah is located at the exit of the Indo-Malaya pavilion
West Caucasian tur: We have lots of these in Eurasia
Loggerhead shrike: I believe there's still one in the Americas pavilion
Moose: Yes we have two sisters, they're located in a very remote spot in the Canadian Domain though (which is very remote on it's own) so you kinda have to look for them though
Wombat: We have two wombats, Arthur and Matilba, but they can be a bit tricky to spot, I've struck out on them a lot recently
Not sure about the ones I didn't list
I can confirm the zoo still has Asian brown tortoise and Elegant-crested tinamou based off my last visit.
@hyena142 the website has the pavilion as closed tomorrow and has listed these animals as out of sight due to maintenance since at least the Mila announcement was made:
Americas Pavilion
Two-toed sloth, golden lion tamarin, white-faced saki and river otter are all currently not viewable due to habitat maintenance.
Americas Pavilion
Two-toed sloth, golden lion tamarin, white-faced saki and river otter are all currently not viewable due to habitat maintenance.
Kalvin
Well-Known Member
@Neil chace Double-striped thick-knee Maude died in 2021, phasing out the species at the zoo.
If the zoo really wants to prioritize breeding the eagles, moving them off exhibit is certainly the way to go. Lots of large raptors can be a bit touchy in the breeding department, and really need to be kept in a chamber type setup with very little disturbance from the outside world. The eagle exhibit in Eurasia is nice in terms of having a fairly decent flight path length, but absolutely terrible for breeding. The nest is low to the ground, fairly close to the public. And the exhibit overall is very open.