Toronto Zoo Tundra Trek - Members Preview Nights

Just a few updates I found out about yesterday:

- The polar bear exhibit was designed to hold 7 polar bears. However, the zookeepers are fighting to keep the maximum at 5 polar bears so that it isn't overcrowded. Hopefully we will see some babies within the next couple of years.

- The snowy owl laid an egg a few weeks ago and probably will not be able to be moved to the new exhibit in time for the opening of Tundra Trek. It will be pretty interesting to see a baby snowy owl.

- Off-topic: The Toronto Zoo is trying to artificially inseminate the camels. Apparently the Chinese were successful at it, but not willing to share their secrets as to how they did it.

Great news about the camels, polar bear capacity and the snowy owl egg (Although it wouold be ncie if it hatched before the opening so they could move it and the mother and father over)
 
@Tiffanyanddave you are correct about the entrance for the member nights.

Is it possible that they could move the father over to the Tundra, or does the male take part in rearing offspring?
 
I never even realized that we had a pair of snowy owl, I thought it was just a female!
 
The two female polar bears were given access to the (old) exhibit for the first time today - everything went well! The redesign of the exhibit has added several caves and close-up viewing opportunities through glass, and naturalized some of the concrete, but the overall layout of the exhibit is pretty much unchanged. I don't think the bears will be in the new exhibit until much closer to opening (to make sure they don't destroy all of the new vegetation!)
 
Its good they had a chance to get used to the surroundings

Back when the zoo first had Inukshuk, Nakita and Aurora as "cubs"

I find it strange that they did'nt rotate them on and off exhibit in the big exhibit once they got old enough to swim rather than confine them to the little yard (There would probably never have been a problem with holding space as there were two buildings)
 
What does the (old) enclosure look like now? Is there grass, pebbles, mock rock. a stream leading to the pool?
 
The pool has been resurfaced and naturalized. There are areas with pebbles/river rock and the (original) mulch/sand pit, plus several stacks of the original exhibit rock. There is no grass in the main exhibit itself, although there is the option of giving the bears access to the maternity yard which has grass and soil.
 
Awesome, but I'm just curious if the original exhibit rock is the blocks of the concrete, that doesn't look naturalistic at all.
 
Awesome, but I'm just curious if the original exhibit rock is the blocks of the concrete, that doesn't look naturalistic at all.

Really! I found that to be the most naturalistic part of the old exhibit
 
The blocks of concrete that looked like they were building walls? The ones that are just a rectangular piece of concrete? I might be wrong cuz I forgot what the old Polar Bear Exhibit looks like. :(
 
I think you two are thinking of different things.
Zoogoer is thinking of the stone rocks in the old bear exhibit and Flixox is thinking of the actually concrete floors walls etc. Am I right?
 
Im talking about the large slabs of concrete rock all joined together as landscape in the old exhibit

If your talking about the walls, they were very ugly
 
No I'm talking about the random pieces of concrete stacked within the exhibit. :) But if some of concrete was formed into rocks or looked like mock rock then thats awesome :) I don't have a fond memory of the old exhibit.
 
That what im talking about, the stacked rocks, they looked atleast a bit more natural
 
The rocks that the bear is standing on are what im talking about
 
This is taken from the zoos website. "PLEASE NOTE
Tuesday July 28 and Wednesday July 29 the Polar Patio will be closed all day, the Americas Restaurant will be closed as of 2:00pm, Beavertails will be closed as of 4:00pm and Zoomobile will not be making stops at the Americas station. We apologize for the inconvenience."
I know this has something to do with the Tundra. I think it is because of the fence lines around the area, maybe the zoo is ripping them out? Ot it is possible that those dates are the moving days for the animals?
 
You're probably right, likely to do with the fences and the moving of the animals. This is going to be pretty exciting.
 
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