Your Toronto Zoo celebrates Canada Day with updates from our Canadian Species Recovery Programs
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Toronto, ON, July 1, 2022 – Did you know your Toronto Zoo has released over a thousand critically endangered Canadian animals into the wild since we began our species recovery programs?
Your Toronto Zoo is proud to be located here in the Greater Toronto Area, but thanks to our species recovery programs our reach extends far beyond our 270 hectare Toronto home! We are celebrating Canada Day with some exciting baby updates in our Canadian species recovery programs, which play an integral role in repopulating Canadian species at risk of extinction.
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Where is the Toronto Zoo?
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More places than you think!
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“As one of Canada’s leading zoos, our mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to help fight extinction, and these programs are a key component in helping make this goal a reality” says Dolf DeJong, CEO, Toronto Zoo. “These species were at risk of extinction, and through amazing partnerships, generous donations, and the determination of our incredible Toronto Zoo team, we work year-round to ensure the species in these recovery programs are fully prepared to be released into the wild. The long-term goal of these programs is to get to a point where we no longer need them” he added.
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Your Toronto Zoo’s species conservation breeding program for the endangered black-footed ferret has welcomed 15 kits this Spring! These kits, born in five litters, are the result of a highly specialized breeding program that has overcome hurdles at various stages: introductions between males and females, conception, pregnancy, birth, and rearing. Ferrets can be picky about their mates, so housing a large number of ferrets is key to success!
Why is this important?
In Canada, the black-footed ferret historically ranged in the western Prairies but was listed as extirpated in 1978. This species was considered extinct in North America until a tiny remnant population was discovered in 1981 and brought into human care for managed breeding. Your Toronto Zoo has been involved in the recovery program for the endangered black-footed ferret since 1992. Since then, the Toronto Zoo has produced hundreds of baby ferrets and reintroduced animals to prairie habitat in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Genetically valuable animals are kept in the Species Survival Plan program for future breeding. This program is a high priority for the Zoo as we attempt to re-establish black-footed ferret populations across North America. Currently, population numbers are over 300 animals and at least four populations are considered self-sustaining.
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The Vancouver Island marmots at your Toronto Zoo were a bit late emerging from hibernation this year, but that hasn’t stopped them from producing three litters of pups! The Wildlife Care team has heard the much anticipated pup sounds, but won’t open the nest boxes until they are certain they won’t be disruptive to the mothers. Once they feel the mothers are okay and the pups have had a chance to grow a little, the team can peek inside and confirm the number of pups in each litter.
Why is this important?
Your Toronto Zoo has been a part of the conservation breeding program for the Vancouver Island marmot since 1997. This is not only Canada’s most endangered mammal, but is also one of the most critically endangered animals in the world. Only 30 individuals were left in the wild in 2003, but the population on Vancouver Island is now estimated at 200-300 marmots thanks to the marmot recovery program. To date, 165 marmot pups have been born and raised at the Zoo, with over 140 of those released into the wild. Research and recovery efforts continue to protect the marmot and its habitat on Vancouver Island, BC.
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Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes
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The Toronto Zoo Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Canadian Conservation Breeding Program has welcomed 18 hatchings with more to come! The eastern subspecies of the shrike is one of the most imperiled birds in North America. In Canada, shrikes are now only found in a few isolated pockets of grasslands in Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba. They used to be found readily from southwestern Manitoba, east to the Maritime Provinces. At your Toronto Zoo shrikes are bred and cared for under strict animal care protocols until they can be relocated into suitable habitats in the wild.
Why is this important?
Loss of suitable grassland habitat and degradation in both the breeding and wintering grounds are the greatest threat to eastern loggerhead shrikes, but the rate of their population decline appears to be greater than the rate of habitat loss. This suggests that other threats may be involved as well. Motor vehicles are one factor that could be involved in their decline since shrikes like to perch on fence and utility lines along roadways, and sometimes collide with passing vehicles. The use of pesticides may also be a factor. Also, conditions or changes to their migration routes may be having an effect on the number of birds that are able to return to Canada from their wintering grounds in the southern United States.
Habitat improvement projects began in 2001 and approximately, 12,000 acres of shrike habitat on private lands in Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba have been restored, enhanced, or protected. In this capacity, the eastern loggerhead shrike serves as an important flagship species since its protection also results in protection for the countless other species that share this habitat. With continued captive breeding and habitat improvements, it is hoped that the number of eastern loggerhead shrikes released each year will continue to increase and that the wild population will become sustainable once again.
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Your Toronto Zoo was thrilled to release 56 Blanding’s turtles into the Rouge National Urban Park on June 21 as part of recovery efforts to support this threatened species in the Greater Toronto Area. Each June, eggs are collected from stable source populations in Ontario, and are then incubated for around 2 months to ensure proper development, and to keep them safe from predators at such a vulnerable stage. Once they hatch, these tiny turtles spend their first year in the Americas pavilion where guests can visit them, and after their first birthday they move to the Wildlife Healthcare Centre to spend their days swimming and sunning themselves under UV lights. Once they have reached two years of age, the turtles move to the Wildlife Health Centre’s outdoor enclosures to acclimate to the elements, like daily weather changes, sounds, and sights, to prepare them for release. The release takes place in different locations each year, and is kept top-secret to do everything we can to mitigate the threat of poaching.
Why is this important?
The Rouge River Watershed has changed drastically over the past 200 years, and this has had major consequences for the animals that live there. Historically, this area was home to the Blanding’s Turtle, which is currently a federally endangered species. In the 1990s, fewer than 10 adult Blanding’s turtles were found in the area that is now the Rouge National Urban Park, which is not nearly enough to support a healthy population. As a result, our head-start program began.
Your Toronto Zoo and Parks Canada began restoring over 100 hectares to ensure nesting and foraging habitats for these turtles and other native species since 2015. That’s 100 Canadian football fields! Since the program's inception, over 500 Blanding’s turtles have been released into the wild and 56 more were released this year.
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These breeding and reintroduction programs are putting more endangered species back into the wild. As important as they are, these conservation programs are funded almost entirely by donations and grants. Your support for our Toronto Zoo’s endangered animal conservation programs means you are a partner in the fight against extinction. Find out how you can support these programs through the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy.
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The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive.
An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year.
Toronto Zoo is accredited by Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
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We acknowledge the land we are on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Williams Treaty signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
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