Sorry to revert back to the subject of white rhinos. I suppose putting in the older male Tony is better since most females do not accept a youngish bull. I guess with Tom it is a question of time and a bit more maturing and looking how Tony does it ...
Went to the zoo today! They had a lot going on as it's the 40 year anniversary and national zookeeper appreciation week. -the otters in the Americas pavilion were still separated - the baby golden lion tamarin was no longer clinging to it's mothers back but running around the indoor exhibit on it's own -one of the other golden lion tamarins jumped on top of one of the birds in their exhibit and tried to fight it and them continued to spit on the bird below it from a branch -the baby marmoset was visible on it's fathers back not it's mothers but the 3 stayed together -the snapping turtle was in with the beavers in the dam which was cue -the baby bison was visible but only 1 today even though I clearly saw 2 last week - the elk are also in with the bison now and a sign has been added to the fence while their enclosure seems to be under renovation, it has one of those signs that says animals off display due to weather or exhibit conditions so maybe we will be getting something else to put into that giant field in the Canada's -nneka was playing behind ngozis back today so she is giving her a lot more room to play now -there is an ostrich egg visible in from the ostrich viewing deck again straight ahead in a pile of rocks -also maki has left the Malayanwoods pavilion and the red panda signs have been removed and the clouded leopard signs visible again with the animals temporarily off display sign in the exhibit! I am hoping that this means the zoo has finally acquired it's clouded leopards I've been hoping for and not just maki going back home in the enclosure in the Eurasias now that's it's almost complete (although I am happy she's back in an enclosure specifically for her) - 3 rhinos were out again (Tom and the girls) although the keeper called tom in after one of the girls made a noise towards him -only 1 of the Arctic foxes were out that we could see and it was one of the girls - 1 arctic wolf could be seen half in a den under the tree on the right side of the enclosure on your way to the polar bears
Oh thanks for the great laugh Cloudedleopard6. The tamarin attack on the bird has me in stitches. I can absolutely picture it and it amuses me greatly. Im glad to hear Maki has gone home for two reasons. First she will get to be outside in her normal home again which she will appreciate. Secondly the move home must mean they are close to Eurasias opening. If her return means the clouded leopards have arrived that would be a fantastic bonus but for now I will take reasons one and two. It would be nice if the zoo switched the wolf packs. The youngsters would hopefully be more lively in such a big prominent exhibit. The older wolves would get the privacy, peace and quiet they seem to be seeking. But Im sure the zoo has a good reason for not switching them... probably dont want to stress 14 year old wolves with a move and being knocked out unless its for their routine medicals or an emergency. Im glad you had an action packed day at the zoo. Sounds like a good time.
I'm hoping to go to the zoo Thursday, Friday or both. I'll see if there's any news on the Clouded Leopard. Last I heard from a staff member, last week, was that Maki was staying in there until Eurasia's opening. There was no word on new Clouded Leopards aside from that's what the zoo was looking into getting. It is possible that the staff I spoke to knew nothing about the Clouded Leopards. Either way, I'm happy. On my last couple visits, I've only ever seen 2 wolves at a time in the Tundra Exhibit. It's been a while since I've seen all three of them together.
To add to CloudedLeopard6, Lenny (white handed gibbon) was by himself without Holly on exibit, hopefully everything's okay!
Just received word that the clouded leopards will be on display in September, once they are settled in!
Oh yeah Seankinger6 I did see that but forgot to mention it, he seemed very sad yesterday and just sat there looking down! He would look when I called his name but other than that he seemed very sad and wouldn't move no holly to be seen so I hope she's okay too, she is one of the oldest animals at the zoo though
That's great news about the clouded leopards! Hopefully we get a breeding pair because clouded leopard cubs are adorable.
I had heard there was still no news on the clouded leopard front but things can change rather quickly. If they have arrived thats fantastic news. Hopefully the zoo will announce their arrival when they are on exhibit... though knowing everyone on here and their connections to staff, we will know the exact date and time of their debut long before the zoo says anything publically. I hope Holly is ok too. It would be very lonely for Lenny or Holly for that matter if the other one passed. They have been together for so long it would be so sad to see one of them alone the rest of their lives. The sad fact is it will happen. The zoo has several long time residents who are now in their sunset years. Thats part of the problem of having a 40 year old zoo. The old times who have been there since opening or somewhere near it are all reaching the end of their lives. But then we have brand new animals to help ease the pain of the losses like Humphrey, Mstari, Nneka, the pandas, and now the clouded leopards.
The bison calves are both female. One was born July 2nd and the other July 5th. I didnt realize its the fourth year in a row that AI has produced calves. Impressive. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-zoo-welcomes-two-baby-bison-1.2717179
Went to the zoo today. Stayed longer than I ever have before, as my brother and I went early, then stayed around for the Waterside Theatre and some Keeper talks. So here’s what I have to share. Only one Indian Rhino out today. I know it was Vishnu in the morning, due to him being rather…Excited. Not sure if he was out all day, or if he switched with Asha in the afternoon. All I know for sure is that they weren’t out together. In the Malayan Woods, there is an unspecified snake in the small exhibit, before entering the butterfly room. First time I’ve seen an animal in there. No Keeper around to ask about the species or about the Clouded Leopards. Their exhibit remains empty. One of the birds in the Indomalaya was trying to escape the Pavilion, as it was trying to leave as people came in. Luckily, a couple guys and I got it to go back towards the bird area. Both Gibbons were on exhibit and looked pretty content. Noticed for the first time the Chinese Gliding Frog in the Indomalaya. It was green which was weird at first, because the animal picture they have up shows a blue frog. It was my first time seeing an animal in that exhibit, which is the last small glass viewing exhibit before reaching the Sumatran Tiger section. Giraffes are still limited to the first yard. Tom is still out with the girls. Today I got to catch them twice. First in the early morning, where he crept up behind the girls, while they were lying down on the sand pile. When he nudged them, they got up startled and angry. They both turned around to him and started snorting until he backed off. In the afternoon, he slowly followed them around the enclosure. They turned around and approached him, getting horn to horn, until he backed off. Got to see a Cheetah run, as the Keeper threw out chunks of meat during the Keeper talk. She threw out one piece and one of the Cheetahs nabbed it, but another Cheetah was already charging for it. They quarreled for a bit, before the Cheetah saw the second piece of meat the Keeper threw out. Didn’t catch the names of the Cheetah that were out. There were 3 altogether. There are now 2 Ostrich eggs in the nest of sand. It’s visible when you look straight out, from the African Savannah look out. There were two African Crested Porcupine in their exhibit digging around where they sleep. Never knew there were 2, much less see them awake and moving. For the first time I managed to catch the Waterside Theatre show. Found it pretty entertaining. Also hoping to have gotten some good pictures. Found out during the Lion Keeper talk that Lemon is the least dominate of the 3 white lions. Fintan is on top leaving Makali in the middle. This means that during the feeding, Lemon will not fight either Fintan or Makali for food. Also, in terms of size, the Keepers don’t expect the girls to get much bigger than they currently are. Fintan will get a little bigger, but he may never reach the size of Lindy or Jerroh. White Lions are usually smaller than Tawny Lions. Currently Fintan is around 400 lbs, and the girls are around 300-350 lbs. Lindy and Jerroh are above 450 lbs. No new info on the yaks.
Sounds like you had another great day at the zoo cypher! Glad to hear that holly is okay and that are both content! The clouded leopard info I mentioned before was said on the toronto zoo keepers twitter feed!
It sounds like you had a great day cypher! All of the news you shared is great. I wish I could do something similar to you and spend an entire day at the zoo and do all of the activities.. It's been a long time since I saw a show at the Waterside theatre, watched a keeper talk or rode the zoomobile.
Glad you had a good day again. I have been told Indian Rhinos Asha and Vishnu are only together while mating is going on. If they are separate now Asha's estrus is likely over. Poor Tom, all he wants to do is make friends with his lovely new exhibit mates. Luckily rhinos have thick skins... Ok lame joke. If you saw three cheetahs together its likely sisters Tika, Cleo and Akeelah. Though not litter mates or in Cleos case even a full sister, they have been around each other at African Lion Safari. I cant see any combination of 3 making sense. I have heard that if the ostriches do get a chick to hatch the ostriches will have to move. Not that Arcticwolf hasnt kind of mentioned that before when describing the space in the ostrich barn. A chick would put them pass capacity. I have heard rumor that they are considering a move for the ostriches to a mixed exhibit but that would require a ton of planning, paperwork, other boring things. Will it happen? All I can say is maybe. The rumored exhibit is the kudus. Again its just rumor not fact. Maybe someone can check that out themselves with a keeper during their next visit. Cypher you didnt know we had two african crested porcupines? The male is PJ and the female is Pumpkin. They havent been recommended to breed but they could. I too have never seen them move. I figured lionesses Lemon and Makali were full grown but its interesting that Fintan might not get as large as Lindy and Jerroh, mostly because they are half white lion. Oh well Im still impressed by his size. Thanks Cloudedleopard for letting us know where you got the clouded leopard info. Rumors have run wild about them for months now from tons of different sources. Hopefully the person posting for the twitter account is in the know and not just passing along rumors. They tend to be well informed so it gives a person reason to hope.
Now that you mentioned it TZFan the names Cleo and Akeelah sound familiar. I overheard the names leaving the area to head to the Lions. Someone had asked the Keeper. If Asha is finished cycling for now, let's hope Vishnu took advantage, and we get a baby Rhino. And once again, I'm remembering something extra. Across from the Cheetahs one of the Marabou Storks was making a nest outside of the Zebra exhibit, which I found weird. It was beyond the wire boundary, towards the walkway. Anyone else know about this? It's my first time seeing it.
I didn't see a nest when I was there last month but I remember seeing one of the birds beyond the fence collecting grasses in its bill. I wondered if he or she was starting on a nest. Its been several years since their last chick (based on the latest studbook I could find) and they had been recommended to breed I believe but then again the zoo still has all three of their chicks so I dont know if they want them breeding.
GOOD BETTER BEST NEWS! (All of this I learned from various keepers myself, mostly today, but a volunteer friend learned some from a keeper and another friend also heard some from a zoo contact, so it seems almost certain, but still no guarantees) Snow Leopards - Male Kota is back from Safari Niagara, waiting for his new quarters. As I suggested some time ago but didn't confirm, Tiga has continued to live in the old Snow Leopard exhibit. The zoo expects them to breed again. Red Pandas - Female Maki did not return to her preferred tree in Eurasia. She is in the Clouded Leopard outdoor holding behind Malayan Woods, beside the Macaques who live there. At least she is outdoors and can climb higher there than she has been able to in the Clouded Leopard exhibit. Female Cassie may be pregnant but that won't be known for about two more weeks. Maki is going back there soon but placement within the exhibit depends on the pregnancy. Clouded Leopards - the new pair are finally on their way, scheduled to arrive next Wednesday! They are not going to the Health Centre, but to their exhibit. The windows will be covered and one will be there and the other in the holding. They are not completely accustomed to each other and will be stressed from their journey so they will be reintroduced. It is expected that one to two weeks later the exhibit can be reopened.
I like what Im hearing. I knew snow leopard Kota was back. He has been back for months. But always happy to hear breeding will be happening. I hope we hear the pitter patter of red panda paws. Any birth though may not result in surviving cubs. Red Panda cubs still have extremely high mortality rates even in captivity. The cubs would be Cassie's first litter so that decreases their odds. Red panda cubs are frequently hand reared or assisted so the zoo will have a shot at intervening if Cassie doesn't take to motherhood on her first try. I will take Maki not going home if she gets to still be outside. The clouded leopard news is fantastic! Way to go Mr. Wrinkly. Hit the jackpot on details. Do you mean though that in two or 3 weeks the exhibit will be open? What about 30 days quarantine? Do you have any other details on them? Age? Names? Place of origin?
Great job on finding out the status of the Clouded Leopards, Mr Wrinkly. The last couple times I went to the zoo, there were barely any Keepers or staff around to ask questions. I have no recollection of the old Snow Leopard exhibit. Where was it located?
Bless you google earth. I havent been that way since 2001ish (didnt go for 10 years due to school and living even farther away). Its across from the barbary apes. In theory this should drop you down right in front of it. https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.8258...!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sFVg7WnvWA-_mbxe_ggtCBA!2e0!3e5
