Toronto Zoo Two Days at Toronto Zoo?

[Sarus Crane]

I may be going on a family trip to Canada in late June/early July (depending upon a new job start date) and will be in Toronto at some point in the trip duration for a couple of days. I've always wanted to visit this zoo for the past 5 years because they have Gaur, Indian Rhinos (including baby Nandu), Baboons, and various African hoofstock like Eland, Kudu & Sable. The thing is that if I'm only in Toronto for 2 days should I spend both days at the zoo or should I spend one day at the zoo and one at Canada's Wonderland? I love roller coasters and I hear that Leviathan is really good and would like to ride Behemoth as well. I also like coasters with inversions but I hear these two are the big reasons people visit that park. But I know those rides will be there for a long time while animals come and go.

I know that the zoo is huge; I guess it’s like the Zoo Miami of the North and may take 2 days to get good HD 1080p footage of some animals that may or may not be active when I walk past their exhibit. My highest animal viewing priorities are 1) Gaur 2) Indian Rhino 3) African Hoofstock 4) Various Flamingos/Ibises/Storks/Cranes etc... If I only spend one day at the zoo what should be my plan of action? As the weather patterns up in Toronto are different than those in the Southeast USA, what animals will be active at which parts of the day? When would be the best time to film them? Will Vishnu or Ashakiran and Nandu the Indian Rhinos will be in the front paddock of their outdoor exhibit? If not, will they be inside the Indian Rhino Pavilion? Is the baby male Gaur that was born a few years ago an adult now? In case anybody's wondering why I know the names of the animals, I've researched their animal collection.

I know that this is a lot of questions, but since I live so far away (FL), I want to make the most out of my Toronto visit. Maybe TZFan can help or another ZooChatter who visits the zoo frequently. I would really appreciate and listen to any advice or suggestions you may have.

 

[m30t]

@Sarus Crane
All great questions, first and foremost the only zoo I have been to that compares size wise to the Toronto Zoo is Kansas City (I have yet to visit Miami). There is a lot of walking, particularly if you wish to visit every area. The Canadian Domain is down a very steep hill that will give you a solid cardio work out. If you wish to get good film footage, I would recommend two days just to increase the chances of getting all the animals active.

My one area of concern is the Gaur. There are currently three gaurs at the zoo, but they are on their way out, as their current exhibit is being demolished and the new outdoor orangutan exhibit will be built in its place. Others on here might have more information as to when the gaur will be going off exhibit/leaving. The recent labour disruption may have delayed their departure, hopefully that will work out in your favour.

My general course of attack is to visit the panda cubs right as the zoo opens, as they are most active then and there is usually no line. From there, I would really recommend aiming to visit as much of the keeper talks as possible. For the Indian Rhino in particular, as well as many of the other talks, they tend to feed the animals during it. The result is the animal usually gets up close and is active.

Weather wise, our summers tend to be hot and humid. By midday, it can be rather hot out resulting in low animal activity.

I hope this helps, if there are any more questions I'd be glad to try and help.

Also, let me know what days you are going, if I'm around I'd be glad to help you navigate through the zoo.

All the best!

 

[Sarus Crane]

@Sarus Crane
All great questions, first and foremost the only zoo I have been to that compares size wise to the Toronto Zoo is Kansas City (I have yet to visit Miami). There is a lot of walking, particularly if you wish to visit every area. The Canadian Domain is down a very steep hill that will give you a solid cardio work out. If you wish to get good film footage, I would recommend two days just to increase the chances of getting all the animals active.

My one area of concern is the Gaur. There are currently three gaurs at the zoo, but they are on their way out, as their current exhibit is being demolished and the new outdoor orangutan exhibit will be built in its place. Others on here might have more information as to when the gaur will be going off exhibit/leaving. The recent labour disruption may have delayed their departure, hopefully that will work out in your favour.

My general course of attack is to visit the panda cubs right as the zoo opens, as they are most active then and there is usually no line. From there, I would really recommend aiming to visit as much of the keeper talks as possible. For the Indian Rhino in particular, as well as many of the other talks, they tend to feed the animals during it. The result is the animal usually gets up close and is active.

Weather wise, our summers tend to be hot and humid. By midday, it can be rather hot out resulting in low animal activity.

I hope this helps, if there are any more questions I'd be glad to try and help.

Also, let me know what days you are going, if I'm around I'd be glad to help you navigate through the zoo.

All the best!

Thank you so much for all of your answers! They are very helpful. Thanks for the info on the Gaur. I was searching for information and I saw here on ZooChat that the baby died. Is the zoo phasing them out or just removing them until they can rebuild a proper herd. Sorry for all the questions, I'm a big Gaur fan and Miami is the only zoo in FL that exhibits them. It's a shame that not many zoos display them anymore as they are so powerfully built with all their muscles. It would be great to see a massive bull Gaur at close quarters like in this video:

I saw in their master plan (on the zoo's website) that the zoo wants to create a multi-species exhibit by enlarging the current Indian rhino paddock to including Asian Small Clawed Otters. Are the Indian Rhinos at the zoo larger than other individuals of the same species? They look especially tall in the videos I've seen of them like in these two:

Other animals I look forward to seeing include Yaks, Bactrian Camels and Siberian Tigers. Mostly I plan on seeing the African & Asian exhibits, photographing and filming them. By the way, you would really like Zoo Miami. It's all flat and you can even rent a covered bicycle or take the monorail. The only disadvantage is the hot South FL heat. I know this is kinda off topic, but do you have any tips on Canada's Wonderland if I spend a day there?

 

[m30t]

My pleasure.
I believe the zoo is phasing the gaur out. Hopefully you will have good luck when visiting. Most of the times I have been to their exhibit, they are standing at the far end of the exhibit with very little action. Note that the gaur exhibit is easy to miss if you aren't really looking for it. As you go through the Indo-Malaya pavilion there are a set of doors that seemingly head to no where; that is the route to the gaur exhibit.

I do not know of any differences with our Indian rhinos compared to other zoos.

For the Yaks you will need to ride the zoomobile as that is the only way they can be seen. The Yaks are part of the drive thru section, which is the last section before the entrance. You can get on at any station and ride it all the way. I think it's around $10 per person, and that is good for all day riding on it.
Unfortunately you are about a year too early for Siberian tigers. Their former exhibit currently houses the giant pandas until early 2018, when the pandas leave for Calgary. Siberian tigers will return then. The zoo still houses Sumatran tigers outside of the Indo-Malaya pavilion.

I would love to visit Zoo Miami, it is one of the zoos I am most anxious to visit. Hopefully one day soon (I would only go in fall/winter to avoid the heat).
Sorry, I am not a roller coaster fan, so I have no insight on Wonderland.

Not sure if you would have came across this, but the Toronto Zoo is located in the extreme north-east corner of the city. It is a bit of a hike from the downtown core, especially if you are planning on using transit to get around. Wonderland is a little north of the city, but much further to the west than the zoo.

 

[TZFan]

If I had to choose I would go for two days as well. You can do the zoo in a single day. It's a marathon but possible if you are there at opening and boot around until as late as possible. If you are going for photos you will never see it all because you likely want good shots and will take your time. Two days will give you time to enjoy the place and really spend time taking the shots you want without feeling rushed. But if you want to split your time between the zoo and Canada's Wonderland its up to you. I hate all rides so I cannot be objective on that one.

You should know the two gaur (sorry mt30, Forrest died last year) it is entirely possible they will be gone. They were to head to Parc Safari, in Quebec, middle of last month but the strike ended that possibly. If they can they will likely ship them out ASAP or at the very least move them off exhibit for the summer so construction can commence on the orang outdoor habitat. In answer to your gaur question the male calf born several years ago was Forrest and he is now dead. Sorry. His younger sister Wilma lives with mom Flora at the zoo and she too is a full grown adult.

It is absolutely impossible to say who will be on display where and when. The zoo does rotate things and some of it is kept very random to avoid boredom for the animals. It is very likely you will find Asha and Nandu outside in the main exhibit but could be Vishnu is out. If Vishnu is out its very possible Asha and Nandu may be inside. But lets face facts the little guy is the money maker.

As for a plan of attack... depends on what you value most on the visit. 80% of people will head right and do the zoo counterclockwise. Great if you are into the panda cubs. If they are your focus they are more likely to be active then. From there I would hit Eurasia, Australiasia, Tundra Trek, Americas Pavilion and then Mayan Temple (only place you will find flamingos but way out of the way for 6 species. Just a heads up). If I'm going that way I tend to be lazy and take the zoomobile from Tundra Trek to the main station and then stay on it if possible (sometimes its not) and head to the Canadian domain. Actually I hate the trek down the domain so I skip that and head to the savanna station but you want to see the whole zoo. After the domain I would head to the ostriches and wildebeest past the hyenas and watusi and penguins looping around the back of the savanna. It will lead you to the African pavilion down from there to the Indo Malayan pavilion, mayan woods and Indian rhino house. However it sounds like your more into the left side of the zoo and back so I'd consider going clockwise. Mornings are when everyone is usually at their most active and by going against the flow you will have less competition for good views. If you are going for two days well then go both directions.

I would advise against going for the keeper talks. Why fight a crowd? Animals might be slightly more active but arriving a half hour before talks can see the animals equally active but usually without the flock of inconsiderate twits. Go to the talks if you want to learn things but you wont miss them or the crowds that come with them if you avoid them. I haven't been to a talk intentionally in years. I tend to stumble across the lion talk somewhat often but its just a timing thing. Just before the lion talk the keepers usually do a hyena feeding that is not advertised.

I don't think Indian rhinos Asha and Vishnu are particularly big. I mean they are big compared to a human but not big for their species. Just could be you are more used to seeing them from a distance. And the videos the keepers are on sloped ground so that can alter perception too.

You will find the yaks on the zoomobile drive through. Only way to get a good look at them and it will be fleeting so FYI there.

You are out of luck for Siberian tigers. Our Amur tigers left four years ago in favour of the pandas. You will be missing their return by a year. But enjoy the Sumatrans outside of the Indo Malayan Pavilion.

 

[Sarus Crane]

If I had to choose I would go for two days as well. You can do the zoo in a single day. It's a marathon but possible if you are there at opening and boot around until as late as possible. If you are going for photos you will never see it all because you likely want good shots and will take your time. Two days will give you time to enjoy the place and really spend time taking the shots you want without feeling rushed. But if you want to split your time between the zoo and Canada's Wonderland its up to you. I hate all rides so I cannot be objective on that one.

You should know the two gaur (sorry mt30, Forrest died last year) it is entirely possible they will be gone. They were to head to Parc Safari, in Quebec, middle of last month but the strike ended that possibly. If they can they will likely ship them out ASAP or at the very least move them off exhibit for the summer so construction can commence on the orang outdoor habitat. In answer to your gaur question the male calf born several years ago was Forrest and he is now dead. Sorry. His younger sister Wilma lives with mom Flora at the zoo and she too is a full grown adult.

It is absolutely impossible to say who will be on display where and when. The zoo does rotate things and some of it is kept very random to avoid boredom for the animals. It is very likely you will find Asha and Nandu outside in the main exhibit but could be Vishnu is out. If Vishnu is out its very possible Asha and Nandu may be inside. But lets face facts the little guy is the money maker.

As for a plan of attack... depends on what you value most on the visit. 80% of people will head right and do the zoo counterclockwise. Great if you are into the panda cubs. If they are your focus they are more likely to be active then. From there I would hit Eurasia, Australiasia, Tundra Trek, Americas Pavilion and then Mayan Temple (only place you will find flamingos but way out of the way for 6 species. Just a heads up). If I'm going that way I tend to be lazy and take the zoomobile from Tundra Trek to the main station and then stay on it if possible (sometimes its not) and head to the Canadian domain. Actually I hate the trek down the domain so I skip that and head to the savanna station but you want to see the whole zoo. After the domain I would head to the ostriches and wildebeest past the hyenas and watusi and penguins looping around the back of the savanna. It will lead you to the African pavilion down from there to the Indo Malayan pavilion, mayan woods and Indian rhino house. However it sounds like your more into the left side of the zoo and back so I'd consider going clockwise. Mornings are when everyone is usually at their most active and by going against the flow you will have less competition for good views. If you are going for two days well then go both directions.

I would advise against going for the keeper talks. Why fight a crowd? Animals might be slightly more active but arriving a half hour before talks can see the animals equally active but usually without the flock of inconsiderate twits. Go to the talks if you want to learn things but you wont miss them or the crowds that come with them if you avoid them. I haven't been to a talk intentionally in years. I tend to stumble across the lion talk somewhat often but its just a timing thing. Just before the lion talk the keepers usually do a hyena feeding that is not advertised.

I don't think Indian rhinos Asha and Vishnu are particularly big. I mean they are big compared to a human but not big for their species. Just could be you are more used to seeing them from a distance. And the videos the keepers are on sloped ground so that can alter perception too.

You will find the yaks on the zoomobile drive through. Only way to get a good look at them and it will be fleeting so FYI there.

You are out of luck for Siberian tigers. Our Amur tigers left four years ago in favour of the pandas. You will be missing their return by a year. But enjoy the Sumatrans outside of the Indo Malayan Pavilion.

Thank you so much for all of the info. I have decided to spend one day at the zoo and one day at Wonderland. That would let me get footage of the Indian Rhinos, various African antelopes and birds along with anything else I have the time for. If the Gaur will be there then that's good but since you mentioned they probably won't be there, then I'll have more time to concentrate on select species I really want to see.

 

[TZFan]

Based on your decision to go for a single day then based on what you want to see most go clockwise. You will be deep into the zoo before you really start seeing crowds.

Avoid a weekend if you can.

And the gaur might not be a lost cause. No one knows for sure if they left or if they are still there since the zoo has been closed during the strike. In the coming days someone will probably find out their status. I have a friend who is deeply in love with the gaur who I'll ask to check things out for your when they visit the zoo in the next few days. They probably will be after an update themselves.

Tip for you... google earth does have a street view of the zoo. It might give you a better idea of layout.

Oh and if you are after some rare animals at the zoo, go for Australiasia so you can see the tree kangaroos and the even rarer southern hairy nosed wombats. A lot of the animals you can find at tons of other zoos but those are rarer.