Sunday, March 4, 2012

Toronto Zoo



The Toronto Zoo is located near the beautiful Rouge Valley in the northeast corner of the city. The main Entrance is located on Meadowvale Road, Toronto, north of Highway 401(Exit# 389 eastbound and westbound).

A  trip to the zoo makes any day special; but a day spent at the amazing Toronto Zoo is one you will never forget. One of the largest zoos in the world, there are more than 5000 animals representing just over 450 species at the Toronto Zoo. The Toronto Zoo is also famous for its zoological conservations and providing natural and large habitats to animals. It has become critical centre for zoological and ecological research and creating mass awareness on grave environmental and zoological issues. It is a great place to see and learn how to take care of the animals. The Toronto Zoo is the first in North America to group the animals according to their geographic origin. The Zoo is divided into six major sections which include Indo-Malaya, Africa, Americas, Australasia, Eurasia and Canadian domain. In August 2009, the new 10-acre Tundra Trek was officially opened for public.

In Indo-Malaya Pavilion the major animals are Lion-tailed macaque, Great Indian rhino, Himalayan tahr, Malayan tapir, White handed gibbon, Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger and Clouded leopard. Others popular exhibits that kids enjoy in this pavilion are aquarium featuring fresh water fishes, Cute turtles and colourful birds and butterflies in malayan wood pavilion.

The African Pavilion is biggest of all the sections and divided into two distinct sub- section, African Rainforest Pavilion , and African Savanna Pavilion. In African Rain forest Pavilion  major attraction is Western lowland gorilla exhibit, which is the largest indoor gorilla habitation in the world.In Africa Savanna Pavilion is one of favourite pavilion and this award winning pavilion features African elephant, cheetah, Masai giraffe, River hippopotamus, African lion, White rhino, Zebra, Ostrich, Olive baboon, South African fur seal and much more.

The Canadian Domain give native enivornment  to many north american animals that include American elk, American moose, Arctic wolf, Canadian lynx, Cougar, Grizzly bear and Musk ox.

The American Pavilion showcase the wide varities of amphibians, reptiles, insects and fishes. It is a great place to see amphibian creatures like Arrow poison frog, Colorado river toad, Surinam toad, Green frog, Blue poison dart frog, Dying poison dart frog and many more. The major reptiles includes American alligator, Eyelash viper, Granite spiny lizard, Midland painted turtle, Snapping turtle, Spotted turtle, Tiger rat snake, Reticulate gila monster, American chuckwalla.

At the 10 acre Tundra Trek , where visitors get a taste of the far north with Arctic animals including Polar bear, Reindeer, Arctic wolf, Snow goose, Snowy owl and Arctic fox. You can enjoy the polar bears doing various funny activities like playing with balls, eating carrots, swimming and taking a deep plunge into the water.

The Australasian Pavilion includes animals from the Australian mainland, as well as few nearby islands. The Great Barrier Reef is a real show stopper and features Sea horses, a live Coral andJellyfish tank, Lion fish, Bamboo sharks. The other species of animals this area include Yabbys, Komodo dragons, Thorny devil stick insects, a variety of Australian reptiles, kangaroos, wallabies, emus, Southern hairy-nosed wombats, Kookaburras, Red-tailed black cockatoos, Matschie's tree kangaroos.

The Eurasia is the oldest part of the Zoo. This pavilion showcases various animals like Red panda, Siberian tiger, Snow leopard, Bactrian camel, Barbary apes, Barbary sheep, Przewalski's wild horse, Wisent (European bison), West Caucasian tur, Yak and Asiatic wild dog.

Other Attraction of Toronto Zoo
  •          Zellers Discovery Zone
  •          Zoo Rides
  •          Pony Ride
  •         Camel Ride
  •         Zoofari Stimulator


 Hours of Operation
Jan 01 - Mar 11 : 9.30am to 4.30pm
Mar 12 - May 21 : 9.00am to 6.00pm
May 22 - Sep 06 : 9.00am to 7.30pm
Sep 07 - Oct 11 : 9.00am to 6.00pm
Oct 12 - Dec 31 : 9.30am to 4.30pm
Zoo close only on 25th December.

Admission Fees
Child 3 and under: Free
Child (4-12): $11.50
General (13-64): $20.35
Seniors (65+): $15.04
                            (plus Taxes).

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