Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo History and Past (2008 and before)

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Not really, there always seem to be some surplus males that the SSP could export to improve genetic diversity. We did send two young males to Pretoria, South Africa in 2006.
 
Space wise,my idea is that they could move all the crowned cranes to the mixed fields and then renovate the enclosure and greatly expand so the okapi could live there and if that doesn't work then just expand for a mandrill,otter or pygmy hippo outdoor enclosure
 
Cheetah exhibit

There has been some discussion on the former cheetah exhibit (in the 'births' thread), but I think it would be more appropriate to discuss it here.

The old cheetah exhibit was a very different set-up from the current exhibit. It was set on a hill and actually divided into two (maybe three?) large enclosures (if I remember correctly), as well as several small off-exhibit yards next to the house. There was very little in the way of "proper viewing" (e.g., barrier-free), and, as Leptonyx wrote, certainly no glass.

I've put a photo in the gallery of one of the old exhibit enclosures.
 
Does know what species the Monorail used to show in Canadain Domain? And also,I saw Hix's picture of the Chinese Leopard and I was wondeign if someone could give me an insight on there histort at the zoo like where they were hosued,what the exhibit looked like and if they ever bred?
 
On the monorail, I believe mostly everything that is in the Canadian Domain; the bears, the wolves, the Musk-ox, moose, elk, bison, and when they had them, Caribou, White-tailed deer, Mule Deer, Dall's Sheep, Bighorn Sheep. I seem to recall seeing the camels and Scimitar Horned Oryx on it as well, and the jaguars, Spider Monkeys, flamingoes.

I believe Ungulate said that the Chinese Leopards were in where the Red Pandas are now.
 
In the red panda new exhibit? I would think in the old but not in the new?
 
The monorail travelled clockwise around the zoo (same direction as the current zoomobile), departing from the main station, and stopping at Weston Station (at the bottom of the Canadian Domain) and Americas (just above the Americas Pavilion, past the beavers).

Here's an excerpt from the 1989 guidebook about the monorail; because there were seats facing forwards and backwards, the commentary uses "door" and "window" side rather than left and right (respectively) to prevent confusion with the people sitting backwards.

The Monorail first passes two exhibits from the Indo-Malaya region of the Zoo. The Himalayan tahr are first and then, also on the window side, is a breeding area for the endangered barasingha deer.

On your door side is a paddock which houses woodland caribou. These animals are native to the forest regions of Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia and the southern Yukon. The caribou is an important resource for the Inuit, providing meat, clothing, shelter, and even utensils, made from the bones.

Coming up on either your door or window side, there is an area for white-tailed deer. Here the does give birth in the spring and raise their fawns. The deer change colour somewhat from season to season, but the underside of their tails is always white.

On the door side are more woodland caribou.

On the door side, a tributary of the Rouge River flows through a concrete structure called an energy dissipator. During the spring, the dissipator helps to slow the water and control erosion.

On the door side is an enclosure for the wood bison. This paddock is empty except for the summer months. Before the arrival of Europeans on this continent, bison numbered between 40 and 60 million. Now, the wood bison is a threatened species. This animal looks a great deal like the plains bison, but is longer legged and taller. Although the head looks massive, its proportions (to the body) are the same as those of dogs and horses. The Metro Toronto Zoo is working with the Canadian Wildlife Service to build up the population of wood bison so that they can be returned to the wild. We acquired our first bison in 1977 and were able to return 18 animals to the wild by 1985.

On the window side is the enclosure for our North American Dall's sheep. These animals have another enclosure, complete with a spectacular man-made mountain on which they demonstrate their climbing skills, close to the polar bear exhibit. These sheep are from the mountain ranges of northwestern North America.

On the door side are the moose.
Few people realize that moose are powerful swimmers and can dive to the bottom of a lake in search of plants to eat. They will also take to the water when threatened by predators.

On the window side is another paddock for our wood bison. [NOTE: this is the paddock still viewable to the public] The mating season for these animals is from July to mid-September when the bulls can be heard roaring their challenges to each other. Both males and females care for the calves.

On the door side are the wapiti or American elk. [NOTE: this is the current moose exhibit]. The majestic elk is second in size only to the moose. The males' antlers are magnificent, and very heavy. Occasionally, a wapiti sheds one antler at a time and he goes around with his head on a tilt until the other drops.

On your window side, you can see the Arctic wolves. These animals continue to be persecuted throughout their range. Many of our feelings about wolves are derived from the "Big Bad Wolf" of folktales. However, the wolf has complex and admirable social instincts.
Click to expand...
 
Re the Chinese leopards, they did indeed live in the area currently occupied by the red panda exhibits, although there were many modifications done in the time between the leopards and the pandas. I only have a very vague memory of the leopard exhibit; it was entirely meshed in. I don't even recall what the viewing areas were like.
 
I only remembering seeing the leopards once :( My family didn't take us to the Eurasia area that often.

While on the subject of ants in the other thread, I remember there being a leaf-cutter ant exhibit in the African pavilion when I was little and I could've spent hours watching them. There was one when the gorilla area was redone but I think it didn't take of.

Another memory I have was from back in 1992, I think, or 1991, there was this big armatronic scorpion and I believe my parents had my picture taken by it. I think it was for the opening of an exhibit in the Americas, if I can remember correctly.
 
Yes, Meaghan, there used to be a leaf-cutter ant exhibit in the Americas, next to the dwarf caiman pool, across from the other inverts. The zoo still maintains a colony of leaf-cutter ants in the off-display Invertebrate Breeding Centre, along with several other species of ants (honey pot and crematogaster).

When the Gorilla Rainforest opened, there was supposed to be an open-air display of weaver ants in the walk-through aviary. The exhibit was "moated" (surrounded by water) - you can still see the island on between the path and the gorillas, just before (or after, depending on your direction) the doors to the dwarf crocodile pool. There were numerous problems with the ants in the exhibit relating to temperature, humidity, and the tendency of leaves to fall into the water and form makeshift rafts. I'm not sure if the colony perished on exhibit, or whether it was pulled off exhibit, but there are no longer weaver ants at the zoo.
 
Wow,thats great. I hope they both live.While on the topic, is Chrissie pregnant again or not?
 
Also, I just had a question about the indian rhinos. When Nikki was born in 1990, I know her mother was Indira but was her father Patrick or another male?
 
Yes, Patrick was her sire; all three of the Indian rhinos born at the zoo have the same parents.

Oh - I'm not sure if Chrissie is pregnant again.
 
Thanks. I just wanted to make sure as I remember you saying something about another male rhino before Patrick
 
Yes, there was another male before Patrick; his name was Vinu, and he is currently at the Bronx Zoo. Vinu and Indira were both born at the Mysore Zoo in India - they are full siblings.
 
Ungluate, do you know if the old and new polar bear exhibits were/going to be saltwater?
 
I don't know for sure, but I suspect the original pool will remain fresh water - to my knowledge they are not changing the filtration systems or piping, and I don't think the existing could handle salt water. The new exhibit MIGHT be salt water ...
 
 
Oh wow Meaghan that was so weird- like taking a time machine back there I totally remember the cormorants now! Thanks!
 
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