Great view

I love how the exhibits are set up here. I have never been lucky enough to watch the lions watching the eland but the cubs certainly enjoy watching the eland. It\'s a great predator and prey shot I have never got before.

Ever since the Eland were put in that exhibit, the Lion has been fairly obsessed with them.

It's interesting that they are more intrigued by the eland than they are with the sable. It is the first time I can see why the layout of the exhibit was designed that way and I like it.

I'm thinking it's because the Eland are new. Sable's have been there day-in-and-day-out since the White Lions first arrived. Something new is something interesting. Simulates their mind a bit. I'm pretty sure giving time, they'll lose interest in them

I actually remember speaking with a Keeper who, if they had it their way, would move around the herbivores every year. couple reasons for this. Simulates the minds of the surrounding carnivores, so enrichment for them. Plus, and this mainly applies to the Watusi, they won't eat up so much of the grass that it turns to mud, which is what he predicted would happen to the Watusi exhibit.

Reasons, for not being able to do it. Space in holdings, and the holding themselves for the different animals. Extra work that needs to be done in moving the animals. And the most important reason, some of the animals have different intestinal bacteria that can be harmful to other animals. One example being that, apparently, Watusi can be around the Sable Antelope without risk of the Watusi becoming sick.

There are things that could have been done when the savanna was designed to allow for easy rotation. Other zoos are doing it. Other zoos embrace mixed exhibits. Toronto is never on the forefront of any zoo movement. There is no reason why the sable/eland who live in the same barn as the zebra could not rotate exhibits. If the rhino exhibit and kudu exhibit were flipped there is no reason a shoot could not have been designed to allow the kudu to be thrown into the zebra/sable/eland rotation. I get the rhinos need a strong exhibit but they frequently live with other animals at other zoos so technically with the right design the could be mixed in too. And with a bigger barn the ostriches could have been mixed with anything and moved over to the main exhibits. Look at that I just left exhibits mostly in place and created rotating exhibits over a vast space which will stimulate both predators and prey. Go figure... a few gates, shoots, reinforced fencing and bingo a dynamic experience. All of those species live together at other zoos so I'm not even being radical.

How come you're not in charge of these decisions?

The zoo would be so much better with a couple people, willing to be creative, giving ideas. I'm sure some basic ideas to help improve things, wouldn't be all that expensive either.

Although, I'm willing to bet people like that already work there, but usually have their ideas stomped on. As one Keeper told me, Toronto Zoo only likes to ideas that have been tested and successful at other zoos. New ideas are bad ideas.

I would bankrupt the zoo with my ideas. Have you not yet read the if you bought the zoo thread Arcticwolf and I went to town on. I cannot stand how the back of the savanna has nothing. Too much dead space in the savanna. I would have a hard time not starting there.

I have a dozen cheap ideas which would easily and cheaply improve the zoo vastly. Step one put a freaking bridge between tundra trek and the mayan temple. It gets more complicated from there but that is the first simple thing I would do. Not like others probably haven't said that a million times too. Step two repopulate Tundra Trek. It's sad and pathetic how empty it is and it hasn't even been open 10 years. I could go on but right there those two things huge improvements at very little cost.

I am certain the zoo has creative people but I'm certain they have their ideas stomped on. They zoo doesn't even like proven ideas. So many species are long proven great exhibit mates but our dear zoo shies away from even that concept. It is very rare to find a big zoo these days that doesn't go for mixed exhibits in the savanna. Forget anything else. Mixed exhibits for savanna animals have been around for decades. So many species are proven to be great in mixed settings. Why? Because they live in mixed settings in the wild and have for thousands of years. I could rant about this one all day.

I think we will just have to wait for a massive change of upper staff... and I don't think I'm even talking about curators... but the big bosses. Eventually someone will come in at the right level and change the overly cautious culture at the zoo.