Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo Present Happenings

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Woah! :eek: SO glad that they're getting a new enclosure, though I wish it was sooner (if it was up to me I would have done this exhibit over before the African pavilion). Another article stated that Shintay is going to be rehomed (temporarily?), but not Samson. Personally I think he should also be moved until a new enclosure is built.

A grizzly bear attempted to break out of his holding pen at the Toronto Zoo early Tuesday morning, sending zoo officials scrambling to quickly repair the damaged building and fencing.

"Another hour and he would have been out," said Tony Meuleman, senior zookeeper in the Canadian Domain, the area of the zoo that is home to the grizzlies.

But zoo management say there was never any threat the bear would get loose.

"That's just silly," said Robin Hale, the zoo's chief operating officer, adding that Meuleman's characterization of the damage amounts to "fear-mongering."

"I was not concerned that the grizzly was trying to get out, and I don't believe anybody's safety was ever compromised," Hale said.

Meuleman, who has worked at the zoo for 31 years, said Samson, an 11-year-old, 1,000-pound male grizzly, had been pulling apart and clawing at the wooden logs that make up the sleeping quarters and caged yard where the animal is kept during the night.

During the day, Samson and his female companion, Shintay, are kept in the much larger public exhibit pen, which is surrounded by electrified fencing.

On Tuesday morning one of the keepers discovered Samson had torn a two-foot hole in the fenced ceiling of the cage and ripped apart all of the wooden logs in his pen. When the worker arrived, the bear was working on a chain-link-fence door - the only thing separating him from freedom.

"It's very lucky he didn't get out," Meuleman said.

Welders and other workers were busy Wednesday afternoon making repairs to the pen, while Samson lumbered about in the exhibit area and looked curiously on.

Zookeepers say management has been reluctant to make significant changes even though the 33-year-old pen is in dire need of major repairs.

Meuleman called the bears' pen an "incredibly unsafe building" and said it wasn't until zookeepers signed a work refusal that management agreed to improve the facility.

But Hale said that when zoo officials were informed of the damage, they acted quickly to remove the bear from the holding area and made the necessary repairs. They covered the hole with steel, added additional fencing and will continue to make more repairs this week.

"It's not as though we didn't care or respond."

Hale admitted the building requires "a fair amount" of maintenance throughout the year, but he says it's not unsafe.

The zoo is in the midst of redesigning the Canadian Wilderness area, and plan to replace the grizzly exhibit in about five years.

Hale said Samson was trying to get close to Shintay and not trying to break out of his pen.

The bears had been separated earlier in the day because Shintay had been digging holes - normal behaviour during denning season - near the fence.

This agitated Samson, Hale said, adding that his reaction was not abnormal.

In June of 1985, two grizzly bears broke out of their enclosure at the Toronto Zoo during a 10-kilometre charity run on the zoo's grounds. The bears were eventually returned to their pen without incident.
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Grizzly bear nearly escapes from Toronto Zoo - thestar.com

Also, somewhat off topic, but now THS will look even more stupid if they badmouth the zoo again:
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/11/26/11940856.html
 
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Talk about a double-whammy in one day for Toronto; the report about the THS is incredibly sad though...however at least it makes people re-consider the meaning of a "no-kill" shelter :(
 
I know :( The Hamilton shelter doesn't euthanize for space or if the animal has behavioral issues (unless the animal is dangerous) or if the animal has been there for a long time, but will euthanize if an animal is suffering.

Shame Trow didn't get into the Grizzly holding!
 
Oh man, even better! :D Or Lindy, he has attitude to spare. That said, the hyenas wouldn't leave a trace . . . :p I hear Sable Antelope can be tough, too.
 
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Or why doesn't he take a nice romp with Rengat the Sumatran Tiger or Tonghua the Siberian Tiger?
 
HAHA we're such horrible people! :D I think Inukshuk would appreciate another male playmate; unless of course the girls have warmed up to him in the past couple of months (then they could tag team!) :D
 
Haha, aren't we? :D Yeah, dunk him in the polar bear pool, then when they're bored with him he can go and hang out with the River Hippos. The keepers can give an educational talk about the dangers of crossing their habitats :) Think about all the enrichment the animals would all be getting on that day! All of Trow's cronies can play with the animals as well.

Still mind boggling how they can say Toronto Zoo is cruel. They actually tried to make Crawshaw look like an evil overlord for helping the deer that was downtown. :rolleyes: He's a better vet than my family's doctor!
 
Wow that was an amazing story you guys got there! This event has surely stirred up some problems! Especially with the update on the pandas and the grizzly press articles being released on the same day!

But the same shall I say "idiot" who leaked this to the press has stuck both bears in very confined spaces, and they both look horrible, luckily it will only be for 1-2 more days. Those are the people who shouldn't be working as zookeepers!
 
I second the river hippos (education is VERY important haha). I haven't been keeping up with the complaints against the zoo by the THS but that they're criticizing one of the best zoological/exotic animal veterinarians is just ridiculous; although I'm sure anyone who took those comments to be true back then are seriously reconsidering them now :rolleyes:.

Quartz92 it's probably because it's late that I'm confused by your comment (in regards to the "idiot" :p); unless it's just the fact of the way it was handled (i.e., that Meuleman went to the press with his concerns), what exactly is the zookeeper doing wrong...?
 
The keeper said that the bear was almost out of the enclosure and that he had the potential to escape which is not the real reason. Samson (bear) was just digging to close the edge. As regards to my comment I was just thinking that the keeper complained enough to get the bears moved to a very confined space instead of keeping them in the Bear holding which is much bigger then what Shintay has now!
 
Quartz92 said:
As regards to my comment I was just thinking that the keeper complained enough to get the bears moved to a very confined space instead of keeping them in the Bear holding which is much bigger then what Shintay has now!
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That's really unfortunate :( Hopefully after this they won't need to go back to holding for a long, LONG time
 
I am not even going to post any links just go to google news and search Toronto Zoo there is everything possible to see about the elephants, pandas, and canadian animals!

O We have sealed the deal with China (federally).
 
That's good! Seeing as how the Barbary Apes are being phased out, I think they could redo their exhibit and the former Japanese Macaque exhibit, connect them both. I don't think a good exhibit has to be prohibitively expensive. :) Aren't they just black bear sized?
 
Meaghan Edwards said:
That's good! Seeing as how the Barbary Apes are being phased out, I think they could redo their exhibit and the former Japanese Macaque exhibit, connect them both. I don't think a good exhibit has to be prohibitively expensive. :) Aren't they just black bear sized?
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Phasing out one endangered taxon for a lesser endangered one? I can see the climatological/biogeographical rationale, not the species conservation one.

Any idea where the Barbary macaques will end up?


(Morocco: is losing its battle for this species and every year more and more macaques end up being confiscated in the illegal pet trade, hunting and habitat encroachment).
 
That section of Eurasia will be potentially a new Canadian animal exhibit, I think bison/elk.
 
I guess I can put it in here, so I just found out that Stingray Bay is coming back to the zoo again in 2010!

Toronto Zoo > Book Your Event

That link, "Sharks at Stingray Bay - This unique and interactive exhibit runs May 22 to October 11, 2010. Special exhibit admission fee applicable (children 3 and under free)*."

I guess this was a good success. We will see if it brings in more money to push ahead the Eurasia construction date.

That was wishful thinking I know!
 
OOO, thats good news (Are the sharks and horseshoe crabs there this time as well?)
 
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