What’s New at the Toronto Zoo?

The Toronto Zoo located in Scarborough is home to over 5000 animals. It’s an extremely accessible and family friendly attraction making it a great choice for your next city adventure! By attending the keeper talks, you’ll learn new things about the animals and their unique personalities each time you visit. You might find you have new favourites every time you go depending on which animals were active or playful at the time you happened to walk by their exhibit. This time around the majestic cheetah, lions and snow leopards stole the show!

Elowyn has loved reading about animals and viewing wildlife documentaries since she was 6 months old. Her first trip to the Toronto Zoo, last fall, was a huge success. It was incredible seeing her light up as she realized that the animal figurines she loved playing with at home were in fact real life creatures. The herd of zebras was especially active and it was an unforgettable sight to see them galloping around their large enclosure. Feeding time for the grizzlies is always exciting, those massive bears jumping into the pool to grab apples and carrots.

This time around Elowyn was 17 months old and able to run and explore many of the exhibits on her own. Her favourites were the cheetah and lion keeper talks where we saw these animals being fed and were able to take some great action shots!

She also enjoyed the flamingo exhibit and the various locations around the zoo created for the enjoyment of children: the giant canoe, tree-trunk you can enter, the fox den, giant lily-pad, sandbox and life-size animal statues. We all loved visiting the baby rhino, Theodore, who was born on Christmas Eve of last year.

Paved paths and ramps make the Toronto Zoo very accessible and stroller-friendly. It’s a fantastic place to get your steps in with over 10km of walking trails.  If your feet need a rest, the Zoomobile offers visitors a behind the scenes look at some of the exhibits complete with an audio tour. Pro Tip: Many of the animals are more active in the off-season, and it’s a great time to visit to beat the summer crowds.

The Toronto Zoo is just as fun for adults as it is for children. I recommend having a sizeable breakfast before going and keeping well hydrated throughout the day to help keep your energy levels up. Don’t let the hill detour you from visiting the Canadian Domain or you’ll miss the cougar, lynx and grizzly bears. It’s definitely worth the climb!

• Greater One-Horned Rhino Calf
• Blanding’s Turtle Exhibit
• Tours of the Wildlife Health Centre
• Amur Tiger Coming Summer 2018

Best Times to Visit

• Weekdays
• Fall
• Spring

Things to Bring

• Plenty of Water
• Sun-screen
• Hat
• Snacks
• Swimsuit/Change of Clothes if you’ll visit the splash-pad
• Camera

Don’t Miss

• Canadian Domain (despite the large hill)
• Keeper Talks and Animal Feedings
• Waterside Theatre (bird and animal shows)
• Zoomobile Ride
• Kids Zone (if you go with children)

Check out my video to see these amazing animals in action!

 

Sofia Martimianakis

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