Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo Future Developments 2014

Mr. Wrinkly do you happen to know what is going on in front of the lion exhibit if the steps are gone? Are they just being replaced? Are they adding a ramp in?

Happy to hear things are going along great with the giraffes new home. Has the old observation deck been removed and replaced like the plans suggested?

What were they up to in Er Shun's usual exhibit?

Adams7 I must say if the zip lines they are showing on their twitter page are like the one the zoo will get it will be interesting. I dont like heights but this looks fairly tame. I might be capable of trying it. Have to wait and see what it looks like.
 
Lions - the steps had been removed and the workers were having a break when I passed by, so no idea what will go there. Hopefully we won't have to see anyone else tripping on steps when they are finished. Forgot until now there was something going on at the penguins also - the outdoor was closed and there was a large truck trying to back in there when I passed by.

Elephant/giraffe - the deck has not been removed - there were electricians working there but I don't know what was going on. I have not digested the plans but this would be a great place for a feeding station - easy to control. Wait and see.

Panda exhibit - could see they were working there but not what they were doing, and too little time to investigate.
 
Thanks for the answers.

It's possible the steps are being replaced in front of the lions if they were tripping people up. We all know they monitor reported accidents of all kinds. That would make a lot of sense.

The giraffe plans did say the zoo itself was replacing the observation deck and the plans showed a feeding platform in its place. But we all know plans are subject to change.

Now I wonder what they were doing in the penguin exhibit. Probably just some landscaping stuff.

Maybe in the panda exhibit they are doing some early baby proofing? Nah probably too early for that.
 
TZFan said:
Mr. Wrinkly do you happen to know what is going on in front of the lion exhibit if the steps are gone? Are they just being replaced? Are they adding a ramp in?

Happy to hear things are going along great with the giraffes new home. Has the old observation deck been removed and replaced like the plans suggested?

What were they up to in Er Shun's usual exhibit?

Adams7 I must say if the zip lines they are showing on their twitter page are like the one the zoo will get it will be interesting. I dont like heights but this looks fairly tame. I might be capable of trying it. Have to wait and see what it looks like.
Click to expand...

The lion exhibit looked like they are just replacing the steps, which were a tripping hazard. Both of the old steps are gone, with one of the two having a wood frame in place. Nothing is dug up between the steps, so I doubt they are changing it to a ramp (plus the area is already accessible by a ramp)

From the Zoomobile, I had a quick look at the giraffe constuction. There is a large rock retaining wall at the backside of the exhibit by the house, which was shown on the plans. There was also work being done on the observation deck, but it was difficult to tell from a distance if any part of the old deck was removed or if only new sections were being built.

As I mentioned earlier, the panda work that I saw was related to the chain link fence.

There is a picture of the Zoo's zipline (the airplane one) on the link I included above and based on the everything I can see, it will be nearly identical to the other ziplines shown (two seats with some sort of lap resistraint). Not sure how high it will be, but the height will determine the steepness of it.
 
The lion exhibit is accessible by a ramp already? Hmm never noticed. Guess probably because I dont need it for a stroller or wheel chair. I really am oblivious to my surroundings... once had a friend go from a blond to jet black hair and I didnt notice.

Oops on the pandas. I missed that... sorry.

With the zipline its more about my own level of fear and anxiety over the height than the actual height. Looks like a really nice style the zoo has chosen. It should prove very popular and because its a two seater parents can take kids increasing profits.

I appreciate you answering the questions Adams7.
 
Regarding the teens and the Polar Bears last week - now there is a security guard at the Polar Bear exhibit, wandering back and forth, looking bored.
 
There was two there on Monday, although, they still seemed bored. Early today there wasn't a guard at all. They must've come along later in the day.
 
I was there a little after 9:00, must've missed him. Probably went on a some patrol when I got there.
 
Wow, I just spent an hour reading this thread and am an avid toronto zoo go-er, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that we're getting clouded leopards again and hopefully very soon as they are my favourite animals. I can't believe I haven't heard about this sooner as I talk to volunteers and keepers all the time and am there once a week. I can't wait to see them and the new Eurasias!
 
Welcome to ZooChat!

Last fall, after Merri died, it seemed to be common knowledge that a pair of Clouded Leopards were coming. Recently a dependable volunteer said that is still the case. More importantly, a person who attended the morning meeting in late March said it was mentioned and is still happening. The process is a long one with lots of places for delay.

I am also eager for them to come, and eager for them to get the Red Panda, Maki, back outside with tall trees, where she belongs.
 
Welcome Cloudedleopard6! Nice to have another new member.

I too have heard about the clouded leopards from multiple sources. We are on the Clouded Leopard SSP waiting list. When a suitable pair becomes available, paperwork and red tape dealt with and transport arranged we will get our new leopards. But while it was first thought they would be here by May there is obvioulsy some delay. Hopefully a new pair arrives sometime soon.

If you enjoyed reading this thread I would suggest you go back and read other Toronto threads, even back to the birth of zoochat itself. It can be extremely informative and interesting. There are tons of cool little things you can learn, like did you know we had one chimp the first year the zoo was open?

Again welcome to zoochat. I look forward to your contributions to our happy little group.
 
Thank you for the welcome! As for my lack of knowledge on when we were expected to get new clouded leopards, everytime I spoke with volunteers or staff about new animals no one mentioned the clouded leopards! Last spring when asked if he zoo would be getting more of this gorgeous animal they said probably not for years, possibly five! I asked the Tozookeepers on twitter and they said they are getting a pair sometime this year, so obviously yes, unfortunately there was a delay! However, I will be satisfied for now in July when I get to see the snow leopards again as it's been ages since I've seen them!
 
Dont worry about not knowing something on here, ever, Cloudedleopard6. We all work together to fill in the blanks for each other. If you have a question ask. Someone might know something. And if they dont there are several zoochatters who are visiting all the time and know which keepers and volunteers are most reliable to ask. It's a very helpful and generous group on here.

Last years answer about the clouded leopards could have been based on the fact Merriweather was still alive. She was getting on but she could have lived for several more years as far as they knew. It was probably a very vauge answer for that reason. Now that we dont have clouded leopards but we have a decent exhibit for them, the priority of the Clouded Leopard SSP to give us some is higher than it was while Merriweather was alive. They wont want to loose the space at the zoo to another species because the zoo wont sit with an empty exhibit forever waiting. If they couldnt get new leopards for 5 years the zoo would just ask another speicies SSP for animals like bintuongs, fishing cats, black footed cats, pangolins, or something else. They wouldnt just leave Maki, the red panda, in there forever. I wouldnt be surprised to see her gone from there once the Eurasian Wilds opens. There will be no point in having red pandas in 2 places.

With the snow leopards, you will be greeted by Tiga and Kota once again.
 
I agree that to have maki stay in the exhibit would not make any sense at all once be Eurasias open for the same reason as you that it would not make sense to have them in two spots within the zoo and the fact that obviously it would be best to put her back into an exhibit that's actually specifically designed for her!
 
I don't know where else to put this and doesn't really have to do with anything, but why doesn't the zoo take the copious amounts of bamboo the pandas don't eat and use that as vegetation and greenery outside the exhibits as a more immersive/aesthetic element or even put into other exhibits around the zoo?
 
Actually I talked to the Indian Rhino keepers last year and they said they are thrilled with the arrival of the pandas because the stuff they dont eat is being used around the zoo for other animals. Vishnu who was on exhibit at the time was happily munching on some. They said the rhinos were really happy to have bamboo. I would guess the babirusas and tapir are getting some too, maybe some of the primates, and others I cant think of. It's by no means not being used. It is being shared around after the picky pair get first dibs.
 
Perhaps I worded that poorly, I meant why can't they use the leftover bamboo and replant it around and/or within the exhibits as an immersive/aesthetic element. Like the clouded leopard exhibit in Nashville.

nashville_zoo_224-123164.jpg
 
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