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

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ungulate,

I want to say thanks for answering all the questions and giving us some insider info.

May I ask how long you have been at the zoo and have you always worked with the Hippos or have you worked in other areas? Do you do any "meet the keeper"?

I love the insider info do you have any interesting stories aside from what you have already shared.

You don't need to answer if I have gotten too personal. I personally would love to be a zoo keeper but would need to go back to school. For know I enjoy learning and you are so knowledgeable.

Thanks again

~C
 
You're welcome, Colin.
I have worked at the zoo since 2000, and started with the fur seals, elephants, and hippos in 2002. In the meantime, I have been moved around to the Savannah, Eurasia, and the Animal Health Centre. I've been back at elephants for just over two years now. Yes, I (as well as all the other keepers in my area) do "Meet the Keeper" talks; at one point we had four per day (2x ele, 1x fur seal, 1x hippo), but at the moment we only have one elephant talk per day. In terms of insider stories, I try to throw in a few appropriate ones when the mood strikes ... it's hard think of interesting stuff off the top of my head (and it takes a lot of time to type them up!).

Quartz, the quarantine facility did not open until spring 2008 (Ngozi the gorilla was the first inhabitant). Other events from the past few years:

2006
Drum Cafe interactive show
Australasia closes for renovations

2007
Dinosaurs Alive!
The Tundra begins construction

2008
Stingray Bay
Australasia and the Great Barrier Reef open
 
I really wish they would update that History section.
 
Thanks Ungulate,

I must say I thought you had been there forever due to all your knowledge regarding the zoo from earlier years.
 
As did I.I thought you had been there since atleast 1995.Not that your old.
 
Ahh ... but just because I haven't WORKED at the zoo for that long doesn't mean that I haven't BEEN there since much earlier ;) ... and zoo history is one of the things that gets me going, so I've done a lot of digging into various things to supplement my memories.
 
Talking about being there earlier.I have a subject about history.Does anyone here remember there first visit to Toronto Zoo.I remember alot of my first visit which i shall rehash right now.The first thing I rmember was on the car ride I just knew I was going somewhere with animals that were bigger than cats and dogs.Once we got there.I remember coming in and seeing gesse waddiling around the front entrance and running up saying Hi!Then once we got to the Indo-Malaya Pavilion I was scared of the orangutans at thje glass but not from the moat.Then we went to Africa and the gorillas were having there exhibit renovating.Then I ran up to the elephant exhibit and said Im here,Hi!!!!!I think I got a popsicle on the hippo ramp and then I remember seeing the zebra and seeing Zoey with her feet against the glass.Then we saw the lions and I got to See Jerroh and Lyndy as cubs.The giraffes I remember perfectly as The giraffes came uite close and were looking at me.The Canadian Domain is something I remember very little of.I just remember seeing the bears,the eagles and the moose sitting by the fence.In the Americas.I remember seeing the polar bears above but I was scared of the dark so I did'nt go under to the underwater viewing.I have very little memory of Eurasia.The only two things I can remember here is going to the red panda exhibit.My mom kept saying "look at the red panda sweetie!" so being like 5 I thought she meant big black and white pandas so I was scanning the ground only bleeky looking in the tree when I said "Well,racoon but where is the panda mommy".The second one was seeing the camels and then being able to ride one,I think it was Alice or Sallly.
 
Very nice, I can't remeber anything of my first visit because it was when I was about 3, after that I went once a year. When the koalas came I went twice that year and back to once a year until 2004 I got a membership.
 
My parents took me to the zoo ever since I was a baby. The earliest I can remember is when I was three, and we were watching the Dall's Sheep on their mountain, the polar bears being fed and having a pony ride and looking at the wolves in the polar bear's maternity den. I thought they were the biggest dogs I've seen. We always went on the Monorail. I remember looking down and watching the bison, moose, elk, sheep, bears, bears, and deer and caribou when they had them, as they go about their way.

I also remember
 
.. Meaghan you forgot the rest of your sentence lol, I also remember ....
 
So I did :D

I also remember the seals playing in the water, going right up to the glass to check me out when we went to the underwater viewing. One of them did a little somersault of sorts when I put my hand on the glass, before pressing him/herself up against the glass and swimming off.
 
Lol,I do someaht remember the seals in 2000 as well.Um,does anyone have information on the status of the red river hogs at the moment.The last i remember Simon and Sabrina the adult pair arrived from San Diego Zoo in 2005 after which they had a litter of three in 2006 and 2007.I was just wondering where these babies went and if they had more piglets this year.Also,did Pumba and Jack have more piglets this year
 
There was piglits this year, but to which couple I do not know.
 
If your talking about the warthogs probably the parents are Pumba and Jack or Stephane
 
Actually, neither the warthogs nor the red river hogs bred this year - the "babies" of both species are all over a year old now (they were all born April 15, 2007).

While both Simon and Sabrina are legally OWNED by the San Diego Zoo, neither of them actually came from San Diego ... Sabrina was born at the Bronx Zoo, and Simon was transferred from the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. Sabrina is currently on birth control ... otherwise we'd be overrun with red river hogs! The 2006 litter moved to the "Center for Conservation of Tropical Ungulates" (AKA Peace River?) in Florida.
 
Thank you for the update Ungulate.Strange that there owned by San Diego but neither actually came from there.Its also weird how they decided to not breed the red river hogs because of capacity issues this year as when the 2007 litter of three was there there were already 5 hogs on display but I guess there are the reasons.
 
Zoogoer2000 said:
... when the 2007 litter of three was there there were already 5 hogs on display but I guess there are the reasons.
Click to expand...

The main problem is keeping the previous litter moving to a new home ... Eight adult pigs is past capacity for the exhibit, so until these last three find homes, there probably won't be any breeding.
 
good point.I think the only way they could hold all eight is if they had access to holding,the savanna warthog exhibit and the indoor exhibit but then the warthogs would be confined to the little indoor area and that would be unfair to them
 
That's a good idea, ZooGoer, but the design of the pavilion makes it impossible because the holdings (underneath the pavilion) don't connect.

The red river hog outdoor exhibit connects to the indoor exhibit (pygmy hippo #2) and the official pygmy hippo exhibit through a series of pens beneath the pavilion, while the savannah warthog exhibit holdings are adjacent to the off-exhibit holdings for the secretary bird exhibit (outside), and the ibis and former penguin exhibits (presently with the chameleon) in the pavilion. When the warthogs moved from the current RRH exhibit to their new savannah digs they had to be crated and carried over!

If the renovations to the pavilion occur (I've heard that they are scaling back to just redo the mandrill exhibit), the red river hogs will hopefully get a larger area so that we can maintain a larger group.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top