Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo Future Developments 2009 #1

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Good memory, Meaghan!
The last white rhino born at the zoo was a male, "Atu", in January 1990. He now lives at Parc Safari in Quebec. In total, four white rhinos were born in Toronto, all to dam "Pistol".

As for 2009 births, I'm sure there have been some ... but none are springing to mind at the moment.
 
Yay! :D I think I saw him in June 1990. For all the complaining the city (and Toronto Humane Society who is beginning to sound too PeTA for my liking) doing about the new rhinos, I think it is a very smart move on the zoo's behalf to get the new females in. I'd love to see baby rhinos again!

The website mentions the cheetah exhibit is closed for renovation. What renovations are being done to it? I think it's a good exhibit but I suppose it could have done with some sprucing up :)
 
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Was that cave there always? Was the plywood just added last year?
 
Is there any news from behind the scenes about the Tundra Trek, or any other constructon project, like Eurasia, etc.?
 
Ungulate do you know if any new animals are comming to the zoo, any new news on the Tundra, or any other construction project?
 
New animals: apart from the polar bears, which are expected to arrive sometime before or during the summer, there aren't many plans for new species that are concrete enough to bother writing about ...

I haven't seen the tundra for a while, but they are behind schedule - the bears were supposed to be arriving soon, but the holding isn't as far along as it needs to be for that to happen.

Not much else is going on construction-wise. In the gorilla exhibit, those metal poles you were asking about are supposed to support a hammock, although the contractors didn't get them quite right. Most of the other construction projects are on hold due to budget issues and the push to get the tundra complete
 
I saw the hammock there the last time I went, some poles had hooks turned away from the centre and I said to my friend I bet they made a mistake! Great news to hear that the bears are comming soon! Which bers, is it still Arora, Nakita and Inukshuk? Can't wait to see the Tundra I really can't! Where will the bears stay when they arrive? In the quarintene building?
 
Somehow I'm not surprised that you really can't wait, Quartz :D
Yes, to my knowledge it is Aurora, Nikita, and Inukshuk returning to the polar bear exhibit. They will likely be quarantined in the new polar bear facility itself, as it is a new building with no other animals in it.
 
Ungulate, when do the stingrays, sharks and horeshoe crabs arrive, do you know?
 
Ungulate's more than welcome to correct me but seeing as how many animals at the zoo have a thirty day quarantine period, I'm guessing sometime in April? Hopefully some people's mindsets on sharks will change when the exhibit reopens.
 
It will definatly be an experiance worth waiting for! Hopefully I will go to Calgary this summer, it would be interesting to see how the exhibits compare with each other. I mean the exhibits in general not just stingrays! I was there in 2006 but I don't remember doing the whole zoo! I am particularily like there African building which houses hippos and giraffe!
 
At the zoo again today. It was a very plesent visit! Going to the extended keeper talks was very interesting! The Tundra Trek seems to be moving very fast. From the outside they look to be ahead of schedule. There is a new "blue" (as of now) structure near where the reindeers will be. I am unsure of what that is supposed to be. The arctic wolf exhibit seems to be 80% complete with the exhibit fencing to be finished along with the holding house and yards. Polar bear exhibits look 90% complete from what I saw, caves, enrichment structures, etc. in both exhibits are in place. The Snowy Owl avary looks complete but im sure there is much more to be done. The old dall's sheep mountain is staying and will not be removed. The reindeer exhibit has leveled out. That is the March 16 update of the zoo.
 
Do you have any pics? :O im so excited they are ahead of schedule, maybe summer 2009 :O. Since you told me I plan on going this thrusday
 
I plan on going Thursday to. I don't have pics of the Tundra from today, might take some on Thursday. It looks like they are ahead but as Ungulate has said before, much needs to be done inside. He said that they are behind schedule.
 
I think they should have revamped the dall sheep yard and kept them as they are tundra animals
 
Yea, I always thaught they were an interesting species.
 
icebear

snowleopard said:
Great idea to start a new thread! The Toronto Zoo has an impressive future, and as long as all of their projects are completed then it will hopefully be a fantastic zoo in the future. All of their ambitious ideas will cost a ton of money, and I have my fingers crossed that they are able to raise the funds.
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I have been a visitor to this zoo for over 30 years and I am in total agreement with snowleopard. I hope that the zoo gets all the money that they need to make this an even better venue. One thing that I would really like to see in the changes that are being made to the zoo is making the exhibits more photographer friendly. For example, berms or hills so that we can view the animals without wire and thick dirty viewing windows in front of us? Also, how about making the exhibit backgrounds more like the animals natural habitat? The old brown bear exhibit was just terrible for photographty because of this problem. Finally, maybe whoever makes decisions at the zoo should go out one day and just count the huge number of people walking around with cameras. It could be a lesson in itself?
 
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