The Toronto Zoo
Meadowvale Rd Scarborough ON M1B 5K7 Canada - X-street Hwy 401 on Meadowvale Road, Toronto, ON M1B 5K7 Toronto, ON, Canada

Our NEW Santa and Caribou Meet and Greet Wild Encounter is now available! On this festive Arctic adventure, you will get as up close and personal to the real-life Rudolph as it gets. Start with a guided tour through our Tundra Trek to learn all about the unique Arctic wildlife then finish off your tour by visiting our caribou herd and meet Santa himself! Details at tickets: https://www.torontozoo.com/wildencounters. #TZWildEncounters

We’re #LIVE from Eurasia Wilds with Keeper Jenn and our Bactrian camels #TheZooToYou

You can now enjoy BOOmobile after dark! Time slots have been added from 6:00pm-7:45pm on October 30 & 31st To book tickets, visit https://www.torontozoo.com/events/booatthezoo2020#evt.

We’re #LIVE with Ashley and Sam with our alpaca Gerald to play will he eat it #ZootoYou

Happy #BatWeek! Tune in each day this week as Toby teaches us more about Native Ontario Bats #BatWeek2020

It is with the heaviest of hearts that the Zoo announces the unexpected loss of our red panda Ila, mother to Adira. On Saturday, November 7, Keepers observed some behavioural changes in Ila and had our Wildlife Health team examine her. A urinary tract infection was suspected and Ila began receiving treatments. Ila, unfortunately, refused the oral medication, so our Veterinary team provided injectable treatments and she appeared to be improving on Sunday. Ila then participated... in a full veterinary examination under anesthesia in the Zoo's Wildlife Health Centre on Tuesday, November 10. Unfortunately, her condition continued to worsen in the late afternoon, and whilst the Veterinary and Wildlife Care team were caring for her sadly she passed away. The Wildlife Health and Wildlife Care team are keeping an extra close eye on Suva and their four-month-old cub Adira for any similar symptoms. They both appear healthy and are doing well. Adira has been co-parented by Ila and her Wildlife Care team since birth, and our team will now step in to raise her until she is fully independent. So far, she is active and engaged with her Keepers, taking her bottles well, and appears to be unaffected by this unfortunate circumstance. Achieving Adira’s next developmental milestones will include extra time with our Wildlife Care staff, transitioning her from the bottle to solid food and providing her with more enrichment items and new experiences. We will continue to work with colleagues at other accredited zoos that have been successful with Red Pandas and implement any recommendations that will support their continued wellbeing in the future. A post-mortem examination on Ila was conducted and the most significant finding was severe ulcerative colitis, which is an inflammation of the colon with large ulcers. The compromised colon mucosa led to fluid distension of the entire intestinal tract and severe electrolyte imbalance, which led to her collapse. Determining an underlying cause of colitis can be difficult as it can be from bacterial or viral infections. Our Veterinary team already sent samples for numerous tests to quickly try to identify potential sources. Ila held a special place in the hearts of many Keepers at the Toronto Zoo and our hearts are heavy as we mourn this significant loss. Please share your fond memories and photos of Ila below.

We're still waiting #BBZeeBee...

We’re #LIVE with our Keeper Brendan to meet our bald eagle Wambli #ZootoYou

We’re #LIVE with our Adopt-a-Pond Coordinator Donnell to learn about Ontario snakes and their over wintering habits. #ZootoYou

The #MiniSpoons bills are starting to shape

Discover the magic of the holiday season at our NEW Holiday Marketplace Christmas tree Beginning this Friday, visit the Zoo’s front courtyard and enjoy amazing producers, processors & artisans from our community. Please note timed-tickets are required.

The #MiniSpoons are starting to look not-so-mini!

Watch our colony now on Twitch! : 9am-10am daily : 3pm-4pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday : 2pm-4pm Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. ... Watch here: torontozoo.brizi.tv.

Baby Red Update Adira now weighs over 2280g and is spending more and more time out of the nest box. She definitely has her legs now! She's more mobile and still a little slow going down logs but great at climbing them. Three months old is when they start investigating solid foods and she's already mouthing bamboo and will watch Ila eat fruit and her biscuits. #BabyRed

Red pandas are unique and sadly they are also endangered They are the only species of their kind and unfortunately, the global red panda population has declined by 50% over the last 20 years and there may be as few as 2,500 remaining in the wild. The main threat to the red panda is habitat loss. Rapid human population growth in the Eastern Himalayas causes deforestation and the degradation and fragmentation of the red panda habitat. Other threats include livestock herding..., free-roaming dogs, climate change, poaching, and disease. What can you do to help red pandas? Learn and raise awareness for this unique and vulnerable species. Donate. There are many organizations including Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy and Red Panda Network that are committed to saving the red panda. Money donated support Toronto Zoo programs to protect, conserve, and increase the populations of endangered species, such as red pandas. #InternationalRedPandaDay #savingspecies

Were #LIVE with Keeper Lisa to celebrate International Red Panda day. We thought today would be a good day to introduce you to our red panda cub. Little red needs a name and we want your help to pick one for her. Be sure to vote for your favourite here: https://woobox.com/yqyzmc

We’re #LIVE Keepers Lindsay and Kyle to do some training with our raccoons and give them a special seasonal treat #TheZooToYou

Our Keepers continue to supplement feed #BabyRed, but heres a peek at what goes on when shes spending the rest of her time in the nest box with mom Ila #InternationalRedPandaDay

Ever wonder what a morning looks like for our Red Panda Keepers? Watch to see their morning routine with #BabyRed #InternationalRedPandaDay

Happy #InternationalRedPandaDay! Help us name #BabyRed! Ada- Means first daughter, prosperous, happy, beautiful, adorned Adira- Means strong Apple- Mom Ilas favourite treat... Kenna- Means born from flames VOTE now through 09/28: https://woobox.com/yqyzmc

Sweet dreams little one When you wake up tomorrow itll be #InternationalRedPandaDay

Tori the Grevys Zebra is officially within her birthing window! Grevys zebra have a gestation of between 358-438 days, and this week marks the absolute earliest time she could give birth. This is based on the first successful breeding that was witnessed last fall with stallion Jake. Keepers have been closely monitoring her progress, and dont think she will be having her foal quite this soon. The best estimate is that well have a new baby zebra mid-October! Even with a ...solid timeline of her pregnancy, Keepers are monitoring and recording daily changes that could indicate she is close to giving birth. They are looking for changes in her shape and size, swelling around her teats to indicate milk production, increase in veins around her tummy (these help in milk production too), as well as changes in her hind end and vulva. Her behaviour will start to change as well! Just like in the wild, Tori will distance herself from Rey and Lori-Ann to give birth on her own. Currently, her teats have shown no change, veins on her tummy are present but not prominent, and her vulva hasnt shown drastic changes. She also is sticking close to her family, and isnt keen on being alone yet. However, there has been lots of baby movement! When the girls come into the barn for keepers to clean their exhibit, Tori gets some of her favourite treats. These get the baby very excited too! The videos weve captured show Tori just after she ate some herbivore cubes, carrots and apples (baby loves sugar!), so you can see just how excited little one gets! The Toronto Zoo is proud to take part in the Grevys Zebra Species Survival Plan, as less than 3,000 of these magnificent animals remain on our planet. This baby is a crucial part of bringing awareness to their plight, and to help ensure the survival of their species. Tori will remain on display daily with Rey and Lori-Ann, and you can meet these girls up close in our Wild Encounters! This will change as we get closer to the birth, as she will be brought off exhibit to have her foal. We all cant wait to meet you #BBZEEBEE!

Were #LIVE in Indo-Malaya with Keeper Laura and our babirusas Olive and Bucky #TheZooToYou

Our greater kudu baby Roux has explored the big outdoor kudu habitat! She did really well testing out her legs and enjoyed her newfound speed. Her hornbill friends checked her out instantly and stuck pretty close to her all day, especially Tyrion.

Were #LIVE with Keeper Gabe in our Africa Rainforest Pavilion to meet our dwarf crocodile #ZootoYou

On Sunday, August 9, 2020, your Toronto Zoo and Toronto Botanical Garden collaborated to save to help preserve genetic material from a blooming corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanium). This rare flower is one of Sumatras most coveted and threatened plants. Earlier this month when our corpse flower Vincent Van Gross appeared to be ready to bloom, our Zoos Horticulture and Reproductive Science teams connected with Toronto Botanical Garden to prepare to cross-pollinate the c...orpse flower. This cross-pollination would be completed with preserved pollen from Pablo Pe-ew Caso, who was your Toronto Zoos first-ever corpse flower that bloomed in September 2018. The Zoos Reproductive Sciences team collected and stored pollen from Pablo and froze it using two techniques to ensure successful long term storage. One pollen sample was stored at -80 C, and another was cryogenically frozen in liquid nitrogen at -196 C. This was done to ensure we preserved the genetic material and could pollinate future Amorphophallus titanum blooms in the collection. When Vincent began to bloom this year, your Zoo and TBG staff joined forces to continue this exciting research. In the early morning on Monday, August 10, 2020, four treatments of Pablos frozen pollen were thawed and prepared to use for the pollination. Vincents female flower, the inflorescence, was divided into a grid to allow Zoo and TBG researchers to attempt cross-pollination, using two treatments of pollen that had been cryogenically preserved and two treatments that had been stored at -80 C. We are excited to share confirmation that red berries have begun forming on Vincent, indicating the flower accepted the pollen. We will continue to monitor this closely and will be able to confirm if the pollen was viable in six months when seeds should begin developing on the plant. The perplexing question behind the corpse flower is the plants infrequent blooms, sometimes happening decades apart. The odds that two plants in our care bloom simultaneously are quite low, and therefore, the possibility for cross-pollination is almost non-existent. We are proud of the Toronto Zoos Reproductive Sciences team for developing the first-ever protocol for Corpse Flower pollen collection and preservation in 2019. Like much of Sumatras wildlife, including Sumatran orangutans and Sumatran tigers, the Amorphophallus titanium is threatened by habitat loss. Not only is space an issue, but as forests decline, so do hornbills, which are the corpse plants primary seed distributor. Thankfully, through advances in horticultural techniques, the intricacies of breeding this unusual plant are slowly being uncovered, allowing us to maintain them in managed care as insurance against loss of their wild population. The Toronto Zoo is home to over 11 Amorphophallus titanum, and 31 other Amorphophallus species.

Were #LIVE in the Africa Savanna with Keeper Ashley to get an update on baby kudu Roux! #TheZooToYou

"I weigh how much?!" #BabyRed

Were #LIVE with our Keepers Bethany and Natalie to meet our skunks! #ZootoYou

It is with heavy hearts that we announce that we said goodbye to our male Aldabra tortoise Rasputin on Monday, September 7 (Please note, fifth photo may be graphic to some). Although we cannot confirm his exact age, we estimate he was ~70 years old. Rasputin had been experiencing some health issues for the past several months. He was moved to the Wildlife Health Centre back in March following a period of decreased appetite and after Keepers noticed he was retaining fluid. H...e started receiving treatment for fluid retention and his condition initially improved. Given the fact that the cause of fluid retention could not be elucidated at that time, our Veterinary team felt it was necessary to keep him in the WHC to better monitor him, provide supportive care when necessary, and perform further diagnostics. Over the past few weeks, the team noticed his condition deteriorated further, however, Rasputin began to have difficulty breathing over the Labor Day weekend. At that point, the Veterinary team made the very difficult decision to humanely euthanize him. A post mortem examination revealed the presence of a large tumor around his heart explaining the fluid retention (see fifth photo- image may be graphic to some). Rasputin was a special part of the Toronto Zoo, originally coming to the Zoo in 1975-1999 and returning in 2018 with Queenie and Melia. Share your memories and photos of Rasputin below.

Were #LIVE with Keeper Brent for a behind the scenes look at our Wildlife Health Centre #TheZooToYou

Were #LIVE with Keeper Brendan in our Mayan Temple region to meet our Black-handed spider monkeys #ZootoYou

Sunday mood #BabyRed

Brew at the Zoo is 77% sold out for Saturday, September 26 and 30% sold out for Sunday, September 27! Join us for a weekend of local craft beer, cider, wine and delicious food as you make your way through the picturesque heart of the African Savanna. Take in the sights and sounds of species such as African lions, white rhinos, zebras, cheetahs, and more at this unique 19+ event that features local businesses throughout the GTA. For details and tickets, visit http://www.torontozoo.com/brew. Please note, sessions will be limited to two hours and will have a capacity of 100 guests to promote physical distancing and other COVID-19 safety measures. #BrewAtTheZooTO

Were #LIVE from Eurasia with Keeper Jenn and our lion-tailed macaques Vina and Gunter #TheZooToYou

"Us giraffes only eat out of this bucket now, thistle surely help them win" #WeTheNorth

Were #LIVE from the African Savanna with Keeper Ashley and our white Lions #TheZooToYou

An update on our little kudu Roux Roux is doing really well. She just recently passed her quarantine period and Keepers are preparing the habitat for her introduction in the near future. She is still being bottle-fed three times daily at 8% of her body weight, which right now equals to just over 1L each feed! She has also taken to solid foods well. She enjoys the same food as the adults (herbivore pellets as well as apples, carrots and alfalfa hay). She is being well socia...lized and looked after by her mom Rosa and aunt Ruby. She lives with them 24 hours a day with Keepers interacting with her for those 3 bottle feeds and to get her used to contact with her legs and hooves for future hoof checks. Rosa and Ruby groom her, sleep beside her, check on her when shes out of view, sniff her and ensure shes okay after interacting with keepers for bottles, which shows the protective response and strong bond that we hoped for. Rosa has even developed more dominance than she ever had before and no longer allows Ruby to kick her off away from browse or other good items having gained confidence with Roux birth. Its been fascinating for Keepers to see how the addition of Roux changed herd dynamic. Roux also has some forked stripes on her body pattern like her mom Rosa, whereas Aunt Ruby only has straight lines.

Baby Red Update She turned 8 weeks old this past Tuesday and weighs over 1000g now. Normal range at this age is 1.1-1.5kg so shes very close! Shes very mobile, has quite a few teeth now, and is really getting her colouration in. Keepers still assist with feedings and she spends most of her time in the nest box with mom, Ila. #BabyRed

Were #LIVE with Danielle and Amanda from our Wild Encounters team to tour our NEW Wild Encounter in the Malayan Woods pavilion #ZootoYou

Looky loo, its a baby roo Keepers estimate this little one is 6-7 months old based on when he first left mom Sydneys pouch. #BabyRoo2020

Brew at the Zoo is back! Join us for a weekend of local craft beer, cider, wine and delicious food as you make your way through the picturesque heart of the African Savanna. Take in the sights and sounds of species such as African lions, white rhinos, zebras, cheetahs, and more at this unique 19+ event that features local businesses throughout the GTA. For details and tickets, visit http://www.torontozoo.com/brew. Please note, sessions will be limited to two hours and will have a capacity of 100 guests to promote physical distancing and other COVID-19 safety measures. #BrewAtTheZooTO

Were #LIVE from the African Savanna with Keeper Josh to learn about our river hippos #TheZooToYou

Your Toronto Zoo is joining forces with the Caribou Conservation Breeding Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that supports caribou recovery through conservation breeding by uniting caribou advocates and wildlife professionals and bridging the gap between caribou recovery initiatives and the field of conservation breeding. Caribou, an iconic and important umbrella species, face significant pressures from their changing environment and are currently at risk across their ...range. Most populations are declining, and many were extirpated in the recent past. Many herds that are currently non-viable will soon disappear regardless of the actions taken to improve habitat conditions. The decline of caribou populations is attributed to the combination of habitat alteration and fragmentation, predation, and human disturbance. Although habitat protection and restoration are fundamental priorities for caribou conservation, the precarious state of many caribou herds warrants additional approaches, including creation of assurance populations and the rescue of non-viable herds through the implementation of conservation breeding and reintroduction programs. Several Canadian jurisdictions, including the government of British Columbia, are currently exploring conservation breeding as a tool to support the recovery of caribou. A caribou conservation centre is instrumental to the successful recovery of caribou in British Columbia and would serve as a model for caribou population units at risk across Canada. Furthermore, this conservation centre dedicated to caribou would be the foundation of the Toronto Zoos recently established National Caribou Reproduction Network. This partnership will allow us to identify reproductive research priorities and develop valuable expertise for the advancement of assisted reproductive technologies, a necessary tool for building a sustainable assurance population for southern mountain caribou and strengthening caribou recovery efforts overall. Read more here: http://www.torontozoo.com/mediaroom/press2020?pg=202009090. #savingspecies