Cautious is a much better way to put it. I too saw them a few feet away but then they'd take 1 or 2 looks at the huge male Tortoise and run away.
I would agree with LDTZ the that the bison TheWalrus saw were the zoos six new wood bison. The zoo often houses new hoofstock in the old wisent yard for quarantine. It's a nice safe spot away far enough away from the other hoofstock that they don't have to worry about them getting spreading disease. In recent years its housed the watusi, and eland off the top of my head.
The delays on the Orangutan exhibit sucks, although I wonder what the issues with the Prime Consultant are.
The new bison came from Quebec. My guess is Parc Safari or Zoo Sauvage de St. Felicien. As to when sometime in late January. That would mean they will be clearing quarantine any day now and can be moved to join the herd in the domain soon.
Breeding the bison is always the goal. Toronto participates heavily in building a healthy population from which to send herds back to the wild.
Does anyone know if the false gharial is still at the zoo? I was looking for it during my most recent visit but could not find it.
I visited around two weeks ago and it was still there. Were you sure you’re looking in the right place?
I am sure I was looking at the right place. Maybe the time of day I visited the pavilion had abit of an impact on whether I'd see it or not. Anyway, thanks for assuring that the false gharial is still here.
The false gharial wouldn't be headed out. Exhibit modification does make the most sense. Last I know of there was a desire to determine Fernando's gender so a mate could be selected as he or she is approaching maturity. For most reptiles they are now using genetic testing to be certain. The zoo began questioning komodo dragon, Kiki's gender due to zero breeding between her and Kilat. Genetic testing and an MRI were done. Even gator Chuckles has more recently been confirmed to be female not male.
This summer the zoo is looking to do Family movie nights in the Special events tent at 6:30 pm on July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2018 and maybe more depending on the success. They have yet to decide if there will be a cost or if they will just ask for a conservation donation. Snacks will be available. They are expecting 250 -300 to partake weekly. Cool idea for the summer for families especially if the cost is included in the visit. Extra value for families. http://www.torontozoo.com/pdfs/rfp/2018/RFP 08.2018.02 MOVIE NIGHTS.pdf The zoo is also looking to do “Monday Meet and Greet” events so kids can meet and take a photo with, a costumed character. They want family-friendly characters that can also be connected to conservation messaging from the Zoo. Apparently Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles connect to the Blandings Turtle. http://www.torontozoo.com/pdfs/rfp/2018/RFP 09.2018.02 CHARACTER S MEET AND GREET.pdf There is a big push on for members this spring. The zoo is looking for someone to help them but the big point I noticed was that they "will be offering a discount for this campaign – rates will be no less than 10% for one-year memberships and 20% for two-year memberships." http://www.torontozoo.com/pdfs/rfp/2018/RFP 07.2018.02 ECOMMERECE MEMBERSHIP ACQUISTION FINAL.pdf The zoo is also after two new zoomobiles one to arrive in 2018 and another for 2019. The goal of the new fleet will be to have doors and windows which can be used during the winter to keep guests warm and have them removed in the summer. This is the first really significant move towards completing something on the Master plan other than whats been done to the orang exhibit. The zoo also wants the option to potentially get more depending on budget. http://www.torontozoo.com/pdfs/rfp/2018/Zoomobile RFP 03.2018.02 FINAL.pdf Perhaps the biggest news of all... The Maglev project is not dead. The zoo has put out a call for any competitors who would like to compete with the Maglev project and submit a counter proposal. The zoo is looking for the most beneficial offer for them. Hopefully this is a good sign that something will come. http://www.torontozoo.com/pdfs/rfp/2018/Magnovate.Swiss.Challengev.2018-03-15.pdf
There have been some "hidden" changes to the Zoo's approved (and public) 10-Year Capital Plan that are just unbelievably disappointing. You may want to check them out for yourself. Here's a quick summary and a link. "The zoo has cut hippos from the capital plan. No renovations or expansion. No cool underwater viewing, year round viewing, breeding. And it isn't just hippos, it's educational development, the breeding/holding facility and gorilla outdoor display. For anyone interested, go to page 9 at the bottom: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2017/bu/bgrd/backgroundfile-109622.pdf 'Educational Development, Hippo House and Exhibit Refurbishment, Breeding/Holding Facility, and Gorilla Outdoor Display projects – These projects have been removed from the Zoo's approved 10-Year Capital Plan as they do not align with the new strategic direction of the Zoo. Instead, the debt funding has been reallocated to new initiatives as detailed below.' " They are all indefensible changes, but in light of what's been happening in Education the past few years, that one should scare everyone the most. There's a very real fear they are going to phase that department out completely at some point. Also: this has not been made Public. That should set off some major alarms.
Interesting and good to see that the see is looking at trying new things to bring in revenue and new "attractions". As for the Maglev thing, I was recently wondering about this. Them putting out a RFP (Request for Proposal) for any possible competitors is something the Zoo legally has to do by law. They must give other possible bidders a chance to bid for the project in question, even despite the fact that the Maglev company came to them. Taking this long is probably due to the fact that the zoo had to put time into making an actual RFP, meaning they had a lot of research study in exactly what needs to be done for this project.
So where will they send the hippos now? The options I can think of are Safari Niagara, Granby, Calgary, and Greater Vancouver (which all exhibit hippos), and maybe Assinboine, Edmonton Valley, and Magnetic Hill. .
I doubt they will send the hippos anywhere. I would suspect that they will maintain the current exhibit for the rest of the current two hippos lives and then not acquire new ones. Given the cost of doing a modern hippo exhibit, which in most cases is still seen as lacking by many, I am not shocked at all by this.
Yeah, i'm rather disappointed at the prospect. I'm not quite sure why they cancelled the educational developments and gorilla exhibits. They aren't that expensive.
I disagree. I am supportive of these changes to the 2017-2028 Capital Plan if some of the excluded developments are part of future (after the Capital Plan) developments. The proposed changes to the Capital Plan seem to be about getting the Toronto Zoo back on a solid footing so that they can tackle future challenges. Reducing the State of Good Repair Backlog (see page 2 of the document InfoSponge linked to) is a major concern that I've brought up about the Toronto Zoo in some of my previous posts, so it is encouraging to see that being attended to. Visitor services are somewhat lacking at the Toronto Zoo. By building up these services through the Capital Plan, the Zoo will enhance the visitor experience, and increase revenue sources. With better revenue for stability, and services for guests, the Zoo will be more secure and will be able to better invest in new exhibits, education and conservation. The individual new projects in the Capital Plan seem to be well considered to address facility backlog and improve guest experiences, while still improving animal welfare and providing conservation and education opportunities. Originally, the Orangutan budget was too small, and I am very pleased to see that it has increased over the years. Orangutans are a charismatic flagship species with complicated needs. A relatively small budget for their exhibits would not satisfy their needs or be an attraction highlight for visitors. Visitor services are not as exciting for me as animal habitats, but they are still important. The Welcome Area Redesign will help increase revenue and organize the visitor experience. These developments will help support future exhibits. Winter accessibility and Zoomobile Improvements are also important. As a BLA design project, I worked on unofficial plans for Toronto Zoo orangutan exhibits. I argued that a significant design consideration should be improving ADA accessibility and my designs included major renovations to the ramps and walkways outside the IndoMalaya Pavilion. The Toronto Zoo should be accessible to every one. I also agree that Wilderness North and the Canada Pavilion should be designed and developed simultaneously in the next few years. The current Canadian exhibits are too far away from the rest of the Zoo. Developing Wilderness North and the Canada Pavilion together will not only help integration, but also make a bigger statement about how the Zoo prioritizes Canadian wildlife. The aging of the pavilions at the Toronto Zoo is becoming quite noticeable. The worst are the current IndoMalaya Pavilion and the Americas Pavilion. Renovations to transform these facilities into an Oceania and Tropical Americas Pavilion respectively, will help ease ongoing maintenance issues at the Toronto Zoo. Finally, the Rhino Ridge improvements also look like a thoughtful move because they will improve animal welfare and create a more engaging exhibit relatively close to the entrance of the Zoo. They must have meant Indian rhinoceros though-not white rhinoceros, right? For items that have been removed from the Capital Plan, I agree that the hippo renovations would not have been the best investment. It would have created another building and one with high maintenance needs. Most of the hippo exhibits being created in North America cannot house the social groups that hippos need. It would have cost an exorbitant sum to create an exhibit for several hippos in Toronto with underwater viewing. That's just not the best choice for an aging facility that has so many other needs. I expect that a new outdoor gorilla exhibit, conservation breeding facilities, and education investments will be part of future developments after 2028. There is a lot to applaud in the changes to the Capital Plan. The overarching vision and objectives are well considered, the additions support those objectives, and the subtractions that are important can still be developed in the future. Hopefully, these plans will be thoughtfully designed and realized and the Toronto Zoo can move forward.
