Toronto Zoo
| Toronto Zoo | |
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| File:Toronto zoo logo.png | |
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| Location | Toronto, Ontario, CAN |
| Land area | 287 hectares (710 acres) |
| No. of animals | 5,000 |
| No. of species | 460 |
| Memberships | WAZA, AZA, CAZA |
| Website | http://www.torontozoo.com |
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (May 2008) |
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The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in the north eastern part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1974 as the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo and is owned by the City of Toronto; the word 'Metropolitan' was dropped from its name when the cities of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto were merged to form the present-day City of Toronto. The zoo is located near the Rouge River. It is one of the day use areas of Rouge Park, one of Canada's largest urban natural environment parks,[citation needed] and is open every day except Christmas day.
Encompassing 287 hectares (710 acres), the Toronto Zoo is the third largest in the world.[citation needed] It is divided into six zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Eurasia and the Canadian Domain. Animals are displayed indoors in tropical pavilions and outdoors in naturalistic environments, with viewing at many levels. It also has a Kids Zoo, Waterside Theatre and a Splash Island. The zoo is home to over 5,000 animals representing over 460 distinct species.
The zoo is accessible from Highway 401 (2 km away), or by TTC buses from Don Mills or Kennedy station.
History
In 1888, the Riverdale Zoo opened in Toronto, as a typical example of a zoo during this time, with animals displayed as curiosities in dark cages and cramped enclosures.
In 1963 a private citizen's brief to build a new zoo was introduced. In 1966, eleven citizens met at City Hall to form the Metropolitan Toronto Zoological Society. In 1967, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto approved the Rouge Park site in Scarborough for a new zoo. The following year, a feasibility study on the new zoo was submitted by architect Raymond Moriyama. Construction of the new zoo began in 1970. On August 15, 1974 the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo was open to the public. The zoo increased from 3 to nearly 300 hectares and is now one of the largest in the world. The Zoo introduced some innovative designs to enhance not only the public's viewing experience but also the animals' living comfort. Animals were displayed in naturalized environments and grouped according to their zoogeographic region. The old zoo was converted into an urban farm called Riverdale Farm, which opened in 1978.
In 1976, the Zoo opened the Canadian Domain Ride, a monorail that travelled into the Zoo's Canadian Domain area, located in the Rouge Valley. The ride ceased operations in July 1994 after an accident. The monorail has since been dismantled and replaced by the Zoomobile, a tractor-pulled ride.
Between 1980 and 1983 several new exhibits were added to the Zoo, including Gaur, a children's zoo (Littlefootland), a new indoor habitat for African Elephants and Snow Leopards.
In 1985, Qinn Qinn and Shayan - a pair of Giant Pandas, on loan for three months from the Peoples' Republic of China were displayed at the Zoo. The Zoo broke all previous attendance records, as thousands of visitors came to see these rare animals. Over the years, the Zoo has presented other rare or unusual animals, including: Golden Monkeys (1986), Koalas (1988 and again in 1996), and White Lions (1995).
In 1998, with the amalgamation of the Metro Municipalities, the Zoo was officially renamed the Toronto Zoo. That same year, the Zoo opened the Africa Savannah exhibit, the largest expansion in its history. In 2000, the Zoo opened the Gorilla Rainforest, the world’s largest indoor habitat for Lowland Gorillas. The zoo's 'Splash Island', an educationally-themed waterpark, opened in 2002. This was followed by an open-air theatre in 2003 and the 'Kid's Zoo' in 2004 featuring exhibits geared to guests 10 and under.
The SARS crisis in 2003 had a devastating effect on the tourism industry in Toronto, including the Zoo. The Zoo’s attendance is slowly recovering from the after-effects of these events.
On August 21, 2007, the Polar bear, Llama, and Mara exhibits were closed for the NEW Tundra Exhibit which is apart of the North Zoo Redevelopment Site. Other openings and closing will be confirmed at a later date. In 2008, they had to euthanize male reindeer to "manage the herd".
Board of Management
- Councillor Raymond Cho, Chair
- Mr. Peter Evans, Vice Chair
- Councillor Glen De Baeremaeker
- Dr. Ming-Tat Cheung
- Councillor Mike Del Grande
- Councillor Norman Kelly
- Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti
- Councillor Michael Thompson
- Mr. Joe Torzsok
- Dr. Dudley Williams
Toronto Zoo Vision: The Toronto Zoo is Canada's premier Zoo, known for its interactive education and conservation activities. As a unique wildlife experience, we inspire people to live in ways that promote the well being of the natural world.
Toronto Zoo Projects
Construction Projects:
- North Zoo Redevelopment Project:
- Phase One: Tundra Exhibit. (polar bears, reindeer, maybe snowy owl/wolverine)
- Polar Bear Exhibit (scheduled to open at the end of 2008)
- Phase Two: Boreal Forests. (moose, wood bison, Grizzly bears, VImarmots, among others)
- Phase Three: Eurasia
- Great Barrier Reef Project Opening May 16th 2008.
- Dr. Scholfeild Memorial.
- Toronto Zoo is currently (Feb 2008) starting the initial design phases for an expanded elephant complex, including a large indoor space where the herd can be together (and on display) year-round and an expanded outdoor paddock. They will hopefully start construction in 2009, and finish in 2011(?).
Conservation Projects:
- The Toronto Zoo spends considerable effort in conserving and propagating endangered species from around the world. Breeding captive wild animals is a difficult process but the zoo has become successful.
- 2008 Year of the Frog.
- Puerto Rican crested toad - Breeding Program, Habitat Protection and SSP
Temporary Exhibits:
- Dinosours Alive Opened in 2007 from May to October.
- Stingray Bay - A Touching Experience is opening on May 16th 2008 to October.
Conservation
The Toronto Zoo makes considerable effort to conserve and propagate endangered species from around the world. Breeding captive wild animals is a difficult challenge that the zoo has met with some notable success.
- 2001: the Toronto Zoo rescues two female Polar Bear cubs, later named Aurora & Nikita
- 2003: three Sumatran Tigers were born at the zoo to parents Brytne and Rengat. They were the first of their kind to be born in Canada. This subspecies of tiger is critically endangered, with an estimated 400-500 remaining in the wild.
- 2003: a Komodo Dragon was hatched for the first time in Canada.
- 2003: the Toronto Zoo rescues a male Polar Bear cub, later named Inukshuk.
- 2004: two female West African Dwarf Crocodiles successfully hatched on October 1.
- 2005: a male Gorilla was born March 7, later named Sadiki.
- 2006: a male Sumatran Orangutan was born January 18th. He was named Budi which means "The Wise One" in the Indonesian language.
- 2006: a Two-Toed Sloth was born. This was the first birth of this species at the zoo.
- 2006: 18 Vancouver Island Marmot pups were born. The Toronto Zoo was the first zoo to establish a captive-breeding program for these animals with the goal of releasing them back into their wild habitat.
- 2006: two more Sumatran Tigers were born to the same parents as the 2003 litter. They were later named Kali and Indah which mean "River" and "Beautiful" in the Indonesian language.
- 2006: five African Cheetah cubs were born.
- 2006: four Golden Lion Tamarins were born.
- 2006: one Matschie's Tree Kangaroo one of three born in North America in 2006.(New York Bronx Zoo, St. Louis Zoo and Toronto Zoo.)
- 2007: two rare Snow Leopards were born on June 5th. This is the first birth in 13 years.
- 2007: two Przewalski's Horse one male and female who was born on June 22. This is the first birth in 15 years.
- 2007: one male and one female Siberian Tiger, were born at the Toronto Zoo on July 13.
- 2007: one Masai Giraffe.
- 2007: three Golden Lion Tamarins were born.
- 2007: nineteen Black Footed Ferrets.
- 2007: two European Reindeer.
- 2007: four American Flamigos.
- 2007: five Mandarin Ducks.
- 2008: three Golden Lion Tamarins were born.
- 2008: six Axolotl.
Zoo Diaries
Zoo Diaries is a Canadian documentary television series which airs on Life Network. The series documents the stories of people who work at the zoo. 65 episodes have been produced since 2000 by DocuTainment Productions.
Zoo Diaries is an intense look at life behind the scenes at the Toronto Zoo. One of the world’s biggest, the Toronto Zoo has expanded its longstanding role as an exhibitor to devote more of its resources to protecting endangered species. Each episode of Zoo Diaries focuses on the relationship between the animals and their keepers, allowing viewers to experience what it’s like to bond with some of the world’s most exotic creatures.
External links
- Toronto Zoo
- Toronto Zoo LiveJournal Community
- Canadian Domain Ride Accident
- Toronto Zoo Love - Livejournal Community
- Toronto Zoo Photo Gallery
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