Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo History and Past (2008 and before)

Im just making a thread for Toronto Zoo's past and history like past exhibits,temporary things,deceased animals and anything else from back then!

 

Anybody remember a polar bear birth.I remember Bisitek and her sister (what happened to her?),Kunik,Inukshuk and Aurora and Nakita whom I see often in Cochrane.I know there was a maternity yard but was it ever used for a birth?

 

This is a really good idea for a thread.

Bisi's sister passed on some years ago (cancer, I believe). Inukshuk is at St-Felicien Zoo.

I found a video of him!

YouTube - Inukshuk

Kunik passed way in 2006 year due to West Nile Virus.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/10/25/bear-westnile.html

TZ has bred the polar bears a few times, the last time was back in 1995 (I think). One of them, if I can remember correctly, is in Germany.

 

Neat! I never new we ever had a Polar Bear Birth

 

Me neither,I thought Sani (her nickname,I can't remember her full name) and Kunik were fixed and Bisi was'nt?I can just imagine little cubs running around that little area and splahing in that little pool.I hope they have cubs at Tundra Trek!

 

It was so sad when Kunik died,I was ther the day before he was put to sleep and I saw him lying in the back of the maternity yard.He couldn't get up and Bisi was trying to get to him (the door seperating the maternity and big yard was shut).She was extremely desperate.Then they brought him into the maternity holding area and I thiknk they took him to the health care centre and put him to sleep the next day.

 

Aw man, that's so sad

Some other deceased animals I can remember is Jane and John, the old (and first) dholes. Jane had arthritis towards the end of her life, and John became blind (when they had pups back in 2006, I think it was). Being a huge canid buff, I was delighted when the zoo obtained them in '95/'96.

There was the original old male lion, who I think was also named Rowdy. He lived to be a really old guy, and passed away due to cancer just as they got the current Rowdy. He lived to be 27, if I remember! An incredible age.

Then there's Abigail, who was my favorite of the orang-utans. She lived to be in her forties, when she had to be put down due to kidney failure. And Kartiko, who passed away despite valiant efforts of a zoo visitor who attempted to save him. Some idiots were feeding the orangs cookies, a fight broke out and poor Kartiko fell into the moat.

Who can forget about old Patsy? I remember her sharing her food with the other ellie girls, it was really touching to watch.

I'm working on a memorial video, so if you have any pictures of any of the deceased animals you'd like to see me use, let me know. I will give you guys credit.

 

Great idea for a Memorial Vid,are you posting it on youtube.I know what you mean by how can anyone forget Patsy!She was such a great animal!!!!I have a few

First,there was Winnie the cape fur seal,She was such a great animal and i remember how one day the keeper did'nt give her a toy fast enough so she came up to the wall and gave a bark asif to say "excuse me sir,but i'd like that toy".It was pretty funny and i remember how a keepr told me that she did'nt like Timo that much!

Than,there was one of the more recent passings,Dinding.I remember how he would sit at the back and would look at everyone go by and then if a child came to the window he would come up to see them.He would sit and watchthem an d then he'd poke the glass to make them go away and he'd go bak to where he originally was.I also remember another time around 2001 about 6 months before Abby died when she was at the moatplaying with water and she was able to coax him nearer so she could dump a thing of water on his head!He had this very dignified look on his face and i think he ended up going to get a very large t-shirt so he could try putting it on.

I think remember Indira.I rember how she was such a great mother to Sanya and her otheer two which i never saw.She would be by the building muching on breakfast as she watched Sanya race around the yard being a very rambunctious youngster.Then she would go down to the mud hole,get very coated and then would just kind of hang out for the rest of the day,she was extremely laid back as i recall and it was sad to hear she died.I hope Vish and Asha have a few calves as well but we will see

Thats some of the ones i can remeber that were special to me.

 

Yes Indra was a real doll I got to see her second calf (male) who was about three years old at the time, his pictures are in the Toronto zoo gallery, I was sad to hear when she died, I hope the new pair of rhinos go as well as did Patrick & Indra with three calfs to them, It would be nice if the zoo could add a little more room outside for another yard

 

The zoo does have a newer off exhibit yard ajacent to the himalyan tahr, I got to feed Asha apples there today, it was quite a treat. Feeding rhinos in the rain. lol!

 

I loved Indira.

Some other animals I remember include the deer in the Canadian Domain, and somehow I remember Bighorn sheep (unless I'm just thinking about the Dall's Sheep). I also seem to remember an anaconda in the Americas pavilion.

 

what species were seen along the Canadian Domain Ride Track.That was before my day and all i ever have seen abou ti at the zoo is the crumbling buidways near the musk oxen and the arctic wolf.

 

I think that you say the other herds of bison and the fweilds of elk and other large exhibits for them.

 

Im just wondering if anyone knows what happened to these certain animals.
Stefan the warthog,Chinook the grizzly bear,Damien and Chloe the jaguar pair,Yeki the white rhino and Caroline the gorilla.Thanks

 

Not sure about Stefan, but Serena and Damien passed away a few years ago, I think they were both 20, or close to it! Caroline, I believe, was transfered to another zoo, and Chinook also passed away back in the late 90's if I remember.

 

Stephane the warthog is still around, but he lives off exhibit in the African Savannah.

Yeki the rhino is also still at the zoo; he alternates days on exhibit with Shaboola.

Caroline the gorilla moved to the Granby Zoo, where she passed away in 2002.

I don't remember a "Chinook", but Chaqua and Cochise lived in the bear exhibit for a long time (1975-late 1990s). Our current grizzlies are Samson and Shintay.
(Sani the polar bear's full name was Sanikiluaq).

Meaghan, you were right about remembering sheep along the monorail - this was a second exhibit of Dall's sheep (across from one of the bison paddocks). The mountain is still there ... you might be able to see it on GoogleEarth or the like

 

Thanks for the information.I was wondering what Sanikiluaq's full name was.I remember she had been developing bald spots in her earlier twenties so they ended up spaying her

 

Yup, I remember seeing that on Zoo Diaries.

I'm getting all nostalgic here, LOL. Glad this thread exists. Somewhere in this house there is a photo album that has all sorts of TZ pics from the 80's/90s. I really need to dig it up, there's pics of the Bongo, first wolf exhibit, the old grizzlies, old meerkat exhibit, seals, etc. As soon as I find them again, I will certainly scan and upload them.

 

that would be so awesome,i've always wondered what the old meerkat yard was like,was it outdoors?

 

Nope, indoors. As far as I can remember, it was similar to the current enclosure, but on a smaller scale.